Aino-Kaisa Saarinen celebrates an exceptional Finnish day – "It can't just be a coincidence" | Sports | Yle

Finnish athletes had a remarkable day at the Ruka Sprint, with seven skiers advancing to the semifinals. Saarinen noted that this indicates significant progress in Finland's sprint training.

Lauri Vuorinen's third-place finish during the Ruka traditional sprint was the highlight of this outstanding sprint day for Finland. Several Finnish competitors, led by Jasmi Joensuu, made impressive performances as well.

In the sprint qualifications, it was noted that while Finnish athletes traditionally excel in qualifying, this year they performed significantly better in the heats, with five women and two men making it to the semifinals. This achievement has not been witnessed since 2005 in the Lahti World Cup.

The coach Ville Oksanen emphasized the success of the Finnish sprint athletes. According to Saarinen, the results show that the Finnish training system is yielding positive outcomes.

• This can't just be a coincidence; it marks a significant step forward. Athletes are clearly improving their performance.

Highlights of the day included Amanda Saaren’s performance, who quickly advanced through the qualifications, and Vuorinen’s and Moilanen’s finals.

Joensuu's hopes for a podium finish were high, but despite her consistent performance throughout the day, she finished fifth in the finals. The day concluded with strong showings overall from the entire Finnish team.

Results from the sprint finals at Ruka:

Women:
1) Johanna Hagström SWE 2:49.95
2) Julie Myhre NOR +0.38
3) Maja Dahlqvist SWE +0.83
4) Jonna Sundling SWE +1.76
5) Jasmi Joensuu FIN +2.71

Men:
1) Johannes Hösflot Kläbo NOR 2:25.25
2) Erik Valnes NOR +2.01
3) Lauri Vuorinen FIN +3.70

This sprint event demonstrated significant achievements for Finland on the international stage.