“It Will Surely Show in the Results” – Finnish Biathletes Face Challenges at the Brink of the World Championships

What’s Causing a Stir?

Forty‐year‐old Lindsey Vonn has returned to the World Championships after a six‐year break. The Olympic and World Champion in downhill skiing suffered from a flu just before the H-race and had to withdraw during the super-combined warm-up when a contact with an American opponent sent her off course. In the downhill, Vonn battled for 15th place.

Vonn had retired in 2019 after her repeatedly injured right knee could no longer withstand competition. Since then, a partial knee replacement with a titanium implant has allowed her to return to racing. Vonn has expressed her aim to compete at next winter’s Olympics in Milan-Cortina. The American star has won numerous World Cup races in speed events at Cortina.

Marcus Sandell, a YLE expert, commented,

“This is her slope. In training she has completed many repetitions under very demanding conditions, and all she can do is hope her body holds up. Vonn always raced with high risks before the 100-meter mark. She may need to adjust her technique to be more secure and avoid further injuries.”

He added that if she gets injured this season or early next season, her comeback would be over. He stressed the importance of a smart approach and noted she has strong support to help limit risks.

Who Surprised?

The cross-country skier turned Nordic combined competitor, Petra Torvinen, made her World Cup debut in the combined event. Although she finished last in the first two races in Otepää, Estonia, she managed to shock those with a strong performance in a balancing race on Sunday. Having trained in ski jumping since 2020, Torvinen climbed from 21st to 10th place during the cross-country leg. She finished just 40 meters behind Germany’s Maria Gerboth, who won the ski jumping round, gaining a spot on the course by starting only a minute later. Finland’s head coach, Antti Kuisma, believes that the rules for the balancing event will likely be revised to prevent a repeat of such an occurrence.

He remarked humorously,

“Soon other countries will probably be digging large piles of nail oil if this continues.”

Kuisma also mentioned that, for instance, Austria had once sent Mika Vermeulen – a Nordic combined youth World Champion in 2017 – to compete in World Cup events.

Who Flopped?

The challenging narrow and relatively flat tracks in Otepää proved difficult for the men in the world cup combined events. Finland’s top competitor, Ilkka Herola, got stuck on the course behind the pack. On Saturday, Herola missed a move to join the attacking Norwegian, Jens Lurås Oftebron, and ended up in 8th place.

Herola expressed his frustration, saying,

“It almost drove me crazy. How can something like this happen? I found myself isolated on the track, unable to do anything. It was really frustrating.”

He noted that although the pace never felt fast overall, the narrow track left little room for error.

What on Earth Happened?

In another event, Lauri Vuorinen clinched the Finnish national title in the traditional sprint at Hakunila, Vantaa, on Saturday – ahead of Ristomatti Hakola and Joni Mäkeä. Vuorinen later recounted how he was surprised in the final when he noticed strong support for Hakola just moments behind him. “They were cheering for me too, but I got the feeling that Hakola was right on my tail. I thought during the run that once he caught up, there would be a difference – luckily, there was a bit of a gap,” he laughed.

What’s Next?

The Alpine Ski World Championships will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday with team combined events. In this format, one athlete completes the downhill while the other performs the slalom, and the team with the fastest combined time wins. Finland is entering the men’s competition with two teams.

On Wednesday, the Biathlon World Championships will also kick off in Lenzerheid, Switzerland. The opening event will be a mixed relay.

Two weeks ago, the Finnish team had been hit hard by the flu during the World Cup weekend in Anterselva, Italy, and the effects are still visible. Venla Lehtonen and Otto Invenius have both had to withdraw from what was expected to be the highlight of the season due to health issues. Lehtonen spoke about her condition on Friday and Invenius on Sunday.

Additionally, Tero Seppälä, who participated remotely in the Urheilustudio on Saturday, revealed that he had suffered a severe illness himself and had to dedicate time to recovery instead of training.

Ville Kotikumpu, another YLE expert, commented,

“Some cases passed quickly, but for others the illness lingered. This will surely have some impact on the results.”