There was no talk of the matter as the ladies ended the season with a mass start over 15 kilometers in the Finnish Cup. Kerttu Niskanen decided about halfway into the race and eventually won by almost a minute.
We are in the middle of April, but there is still strength to squeeze out of the bodies of the domestic skiing elite. That’s how all the best female drivers lined up when the Finnish Cup ended with a mass start in classic style in Rovaniemi.
One skater who didn’t look so worn was Kerttu Niskanen. She had a chance for the overall victory in the Finnish Cup before the last competition and did what she could to challenge the overall leader Johanna Mantintalo.
Niskanen was willing to pull right from the start and on the second lap she decided the competition. In one of the heavy parts, she jerked and quickly gained a gap of almost 20 seconds. At the finish, Niskanen’s margin of victory was 51.1 seconds.
– I got to enjoy the last lap and thank the crowd. It was very nice weather but I am very tired now. It was still fun to ride and to finish with victory, says Niskanen to Yle.
Mantinalo held off in the overall
Johanna Matintalo, who rode with the yellow leader’s vest, needed to finish among the top four to hold off Niskanen in the summary. And it succeeded.
She was part of a group that was a minute behind Niskanen and a few hundred meters before the finish line she had a small gap to the competitors. Matintalo was challenged on the race by Anne Kyllönen but held off and took second place and at the same time the overall victory in the Finnish Cup.
– I had the total in the back of my mind when I left. I’m not in one hundred percent shape and didn’t dare to hook when Kerttu jerked. I wanted to be on the safe side and felt that I would get a good placement in this group, says Matintalo.
For Niskanen, it was second place in the overall cup. She lost by 32 points to Matintalo. Anni Alakoski finished third in the summary.
Results:
1. Kerttu Niskanen 42.14,6
2. Johanna Matintalo +51.1
3. Anne Kyllönen +51.7
4. Jasmi Joensuu +52.5
5. Eveliina Piippo +1.15,6
6. Vilma Nissinen +1.50,2
7. Krista Pärmäkoski +1.50,4
8. Jasmin Kähärä +2.36,4
