Comment | Kerttu Niskas a real genius label? There are signs of danger lurking at the Tour de Ski

Davos

Defeat win. That was the word used by some Finnish skier and Viaplay expert, when the 20 kilometer (v) chases in Toblach had been postponed.

The men in Finland froze completely, but it is easy to agree with the observation of the victory in the fight against the women. Despite the route change, the pursuit of Toblach was a race where the differences could have exploded and Jessie Diggins run away to their own ways, Kerttu Niskanen and Krista Pärmäkoski to the unreachable.

However, Pärmäkoski skied the section with the fifth fastest time and, despite his blackout in the last round, kept the difference (+1.18) to the overall race leader Diggins tolerable. Perhaps even more ticklish was Niskanen's stretching. Niskanen, who was heavily strained, seemed to fall already at the beginning of the last run, but managed to fight his way to sixth.

The stretch of the end could still rise to the value of the unpredictable when the tour continues in Davos on Wednesday. Niskanen is in a great position in the Tour's podium battle. Even reaching Diggins is not impossible.

Diggins the difference to Niskase, who is in sixth place, is 53 seconds, but the Finn is only six seconds away from the second place in the tour, the German Victoria Carlista. Skiers in positions 2-8 are within nine seconds of each other.

In Switzerland, the free sprint will be broken on Wednesday, which is expected to be the weakest distance of both Niskanen and Pärmäkoski during the final tour. Although Pärmäkoski has had a great time in previous years in the Davos sprint. For example, last year he advanced all the way to the final.

At least Diggins, Carl, Emma Ribom, Jonna Sundling and Linn Svahn defeating Finns on Wednesday. However, there are danger signs in the sprint for many of the top women, as the heats do not start until 17:00 local time, and the finals are held just under a couple of hours later.

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Niskanen spent the two weeks before the Tour specifically in Davos, getting used to the thin air, which may well turn out to be a true mark of genius.

The women return to the publishing site on Thursday already before 11 o'clock, so the return times of the women who survived until the final whistles will be frighteningly short.

Niskanen and Pärmäkoski have to advance from the qualifiers this time to grab a few bonus seconds, but staying in the quarterfinals would be anything but a disaster. An hour or even longer recovery time can play a surprisingly significant role in the unpredictable mountain conditions of Davos.

If on Wednesday night you
have carefully dressed yourself in red, fatigue may creep into your sweater the next morning without asking and unexpectedly.

Thursday the program includes a traditional 20-kilometer pursuit, which is started in the order of superiority of the sprint. If Pärmäkoski and especially Niskanen get into the fast-paced group and the skis work for a change, it is possible for the Finns to give the others a really bad time.

Many things speak for Niskanen in particular.

Niskanen spent the two weeks before the Tour specifically in Davos, getting used to the thin air, which may well turn out to be a true mark of genius. Davos' harsh but gentle slopes are as if made for Niskasen, whose greatest strengths are in oxygen uptake and on the cross-country ski sections. When the traditional normal distance was skied in Davos last time, in 2014, Niskanen was third. It has also been on free.

Kerttu Niskanen is known for his strong shift skiing technique. Picture: Jussi Nukari / Magazine photo

For a few other elite women, the hour-long traditional mountain ordeal is full of poison. So far, Diggins has seemed almost unbeatable, but the Yankee skier has sometimes had a habit of freezing violently in long traditional races.

Davos after the chase, the caravan will move to Val di Fiemme, where on Saturday there will be both Niskanen and Pärmäkoski's spirit trip, a traditional 15 kilometers. The Tours of previous years have shown that even on this trip, drastic breaks in the top group can happen even on the chalk lines of the tour.

Wednesday may be a dreary Finnish day, but when women attack Alpe Cermis like a saint, the situation might be really delicious for Finns.