Iivo Niskanen’s preparations for the 15-kilometer gold yacht have gone according to plan.
Finland one of the biggest days for the cross-country skiing team at the Beijing Olympics is on Friday, when the men’s 15-kilometer traditional skiing race will be held on a temporary start.
Pre-favorite of the race Iivo Niskanen has left nothing to chance in preparation for his main journey.
The race will be skied in two 7.5-kilometer runs as Saturday’s combined race was skied on the 3.75-kilometer trails.
Niskanen has thought of a clear tactic for the race, which has also been tested in practice
“I have planned the pace distribution quite accurately and done a few exercises according to it,” Niskanen said at the ski national team’s press conference.
“There are a few work stops on the route and each is progressing according to its strengths,” Niskanen replied calmly.
Niskanen describes the route mainly similar to what was in the combination race.
“The change is not big before. Now there are a few steeper rises and one more technical decline. ”
In the combination race, Niskanen took bronze. On Friday, Niskanen’s biggest challenger will be the Russian Olympic athletes Aleksandr Bolshunov, which defeated Niskanen by two minutes.
Other challengers can be found in the top skiers of the combination race: Russian Denis Spitsov, Norwegians Hans Christer Holund and Paal Golberg and so on.
On Friday, Niskanen will have the opportunity to take a gold medal at his third Olympics and move into his own class.
In Sochi, he won a pair of sprints Sami Jauhojärven with and in Pyeongcahg he skied for the Olympic victory at 50 kilometers.
In the combination race made the best performance of his career Perttu Hyvärinen is looking for a second top performance in the 15km race.
Hyvärinen admitted that the recovery from the combination race took a surprisingly long time, but now the alertness is good.
Based on the opening race, the condition is right and he estimates that with the traditional skiing method, you could find a pace more.
“In Skiathlon, Pertsa felt good, but I had to save a little for free.”
Hyvärinen’s view of the 15-kilometer pace is more drastic than in Niskane.
“At the break start, you have to ski your rectum long all the time. It is a struggle against itself. ”
The other skiers in Finland are 15 kilometers away Ristomatti Hakola and Remi Lindholm. For Hakola, the start is the first at the Olympics. I saw the sprint race Nelonen Joni Mäki is not in the race.
Head coach Teemu Pasanen was pleased with the first competitions of the Olympics, as successes have come on a broad front.
“Preparation and maintenance for the competition have clearly been successful. We haven’t relied on a single athlete, but the top-10 performances have come on a broad front. Tough conditions and demanding trails seem to suit us. ”
Pasanen estimates that the maintenance team will also be strong in Friday’s race.
“” However, the weather conditions vary a bit, as the weather warms up a bit. “
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