Nervous Hyvärinen was strong behind a Norwegian armada – Niskanen on WC start in freestyle: “Interested in winning, it’s not possible at this distance”

After the last individual competition before the WC, Iivo Niskanen sees no great sense in running the interval start in the WC. The question is whether it opens up for JVM gold medalist Niko Anttola to get a WC place.

In just under three weeks, the winter skiing WC starts in Planica. Finland’s strongest card in the men’s distance race looks to be getting closer to better form as the season’s highlight approaches.

In today’s freestyle race in Toblach, Iivo Niskanen and Perttu Hyvärinen received new receipts that the WC form is on the way. Both distributed their efforts wisely and after ten kilometers the duo was among the top twelve.

Today’s Finnish exclamation point was Hyvärinen. He followed up last weekend’s solid efforts in Les Rousses by finishing eleventh today. In a result list colored with Norwegian flags, Hyvärinen was third best of the rest.

– It’s fun when it comes off. But I have to admit, I’ve never been this nervous before. I knew I had chances for a good placement. The placement was also quite good, but you always want more, says Hyvärinen to Yle.

Niskanen, in turn, improved significantly in the results list during the second lap – from 25th place to finally becoming twelfth in the competition.

– I started cautiously, but the finish was good, really good. But the fact is that I don’t really have what it takes in freestyle, says Niskanen to Yle.

“Nothing wrong with the energy”

Niskanen took the season’s first podium last weekend in the classic mass start, but in freestyle he ran into a fence. Then he got hit and he still has feeling in his leg.

– I have to work on activating the muscles, but it’s going in the right direction.

– That last part is missing in terms of form, but at least there is nothing wrong with the stamina.

Hyvärinen has a similar message for skiing friends on the sofas.

– There is no cause for concern. I am calm and everyone else should be too.

Anttola to the WC?

The question is whether today’s competition opened the door to the WC for Finland’s recent junior world champion Niko Anttola. He took home the freestyle race in the JVM earlier this week – and on Saturday news came from Toblach that can pave the way for the great promise.

First of all: Very little suggests that Iivo Niskanen runs the freestyle interval start in the WC.

– I do not know. I’m interested in winning and it’s not really possible at this distance for me.

Most things suggest that Niskanen is aiming for the skiathlon, the relay and the classic five-mile in Planica.

In addition, none of the other Finns showed any further form in Toblach. Behind Hyvärinen and Niskanen, you had to scroll for a long time in the results list to find a Finnish flag.

Remi Lindholm was missing in Toblach, but for example Arsi Ruuskanen and Markus Vuorela were outside the top 40.

– I didn’t get what I wanted. One of the worst races this year. A question mark why it went like this, says Ruuskanen.

The winner: “Don’t drive this at the WC”

It was expected that Norway would dominate the men’s distance race. The first seven in the competition came from Norway with Pål Golberg, Simen Hegstad Krüger and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo on the podium.

One does not envy the Norwegian team management before the selections in the World Cup. And today’s winner excludes himself from a place in the interval start.

– I am adamant that I will not run this distance. Today the conditions were on my side. In the WC, the conditions are tough and then I think that others are better than me, he says to NRK.

Norway has five places in the distance as Hans Christer Holund is the reigning champion.