Skiing | Harri Kirvesniemi says: this is how extraordinary a trick Perttu Hyvärinen's victory was

A year The last Sunday of 2023 was a Finnish ski festival: Kerttu Niskanen won the women's and Perttu Hyvärinen the men's 10 km traditional cross-country time trial.

The Finnish super day was a surprise, because not many could have expected Hyvärinen's winning streak. Hyvärinen himself was relieved after the race when he broke his copper: he had never won a World Cup race before – his previous best finish was fifth.

Others, starting with a TV commentator Sami from Jauhojärvi all the way to Hyvärinen's teammates were on hand.

So is an expert Harri Kirvesniemi. The multiple prize medalist was delighted with the surprise result. He laughs like a fool when he starts evaluating Hyvärinen's performance.

– After all, it was such a surprise that I could not have guessed in advance in the eternal world. When Iivo is gone, that some Finnish man wins the World Cup race on the Tour. It was yes… it was yes… Kirvesniemi struggled.

– Even though the equipment was in good condition and the other Finns also skied wonderfully, Pertu's difference from the others was big. It was an amazing performance from Pertu and it looked so good.

Kirvesniemi finds only one comparison in Finnish skiing history in terms of the surprise of the victory. It is Jaana Savolainen win at Soldier Hollow 1989.

– He had been successful before, but what made that victory special and surprising was that it came in a traditional way. Jaana was a stronger free skier. That profit goes to roughly the same caste. Nothing else is even close.

Ax Cape emphasizes that the victory came primarily from Hyvärinen's skiing, even though the entire Finnish team praised the very successful maintenance team.

– According to his own words, he has a very good training season ahead. The musculature is in top condition and he has such a delicate draw anyway. When it starts to go that well, a huge boost comes from fighting for the top spots and noticing that the ski works great compared to others. It also tells about the guy's potential when everything is right.

Kirvesniemi knows particularly well how much the first big win of a career fuels self-confidence. He won six World Cup competitions in his career in addition to all his prestigious medals.

– It has a really big meaning. This certainly frees up everything to do in such a way that you trust in a completely different way, for example, your own speed distribution. Dare to make the best possible race for himself and the best possible solution in the future.

65 years old konkari reminds us that the first super success tends to fuel future successes.

– Those going up to the ball certainly won't be everyday for Pertu, but there is a very good basis for being among ten or six on a regular basis – and every now and then you can even manage to grab a place in the ball.