Aino-Kaisa Saarinen Critiques Open Finnish Skaters—Marcus Grate is Still the Most Disturbing Sight

The Tour de Ski shifted to Val di Fiemme on Friday, and temperatures rose quickly in terms of opinions regarding the sprint course. Critics including Johanna Matintalo, Lauri Vuorinen, and Yle's ski expert Ville Nousiainen strongly criticized the course layout.

From the Finnish coaching staff, Ville Oksanen noted that he wouldn’t want to see such a course in the upcoming Olympics as initially planned.

Yle Sports analyst Aino-Kaisa Saarinen was also displeased with the overall standing still and the benefits it created. To her, the most disturbing sight was Sweden's Marcus Grate, who skied alongside Vuorinen in the same heat.

"Grate finished last in the descent and was struggling to come through. He managed to advance with a lot of luck," Saarinen mused.

Even in the final, Grate benefited from the slipstreaming system and finished third past Italy's Federico Pellegrino.

"It would be nice if factors like fitness played a role in sprint racing, rather than just tactics. You need to know how to ski, but you also need to be in good shape," Saarinen concluded.

While the sprint event had negative critiques from several Finnish competitors, the standout performance came from Jasmin Kähärä, who fought for a podium finish and ultimately placed fourth, marking her best personal result in the World Cup.

Saarinen praised Kähärä’s racing day as a top performance. "She had a clear plan during the competition. She was able to stick to it. When you're fit, your mind works well. In such a tactical race, you need to have a clear focus. Although Jasmin faced tough situations, if you’re in good condition, you won’t just drift away," Saarinen explained.

However, Saarinen did not spare criticism for Finnish men’s performance, describing their day as a missed opportunity. The best Finnish finish came from Niilo Moilanen, coming in ninth after previously placing third in qualification.

After his preliminary heat, Moilanen expressed disappointment that the race had turned into a tactical affair rather than a test of pure skiing skills.

Tomorrow’s event continues with combined competitions featuring 10 kilometers classic style and 10 kilometers freestyle skiing—Saarinen indicated that Kerttu Niskanen might need an exceptional performance if she hopes to close the gap on the leaders, currently led by Astrid Öyre Slind.