Finnish Skiers Face Tough Day in Davos – Coach Finds Simple Reason

Highlights from the Weekend Sports Studio - December 13-15

• Suvi Minkkinen continued her strong performances in the biathlon World Cup, finishing 14th in the sprint in Hochfilzen, while Olli Hiidensalo was the top-performing Finnish man at 37th.
• The Finnish women’s top team in the sprint finished sixth, while the second team came in 12th.
• The men’s second team placed 11th, and the top team finished 13th in the team sprint

Finnish Team's Struggles in Skiing

Ville Oksanen, the coach of the Finnish team, has provided a clear insight into the team’s underwhelming performance in the Davos sprint competition.

"Yes, it was a matter of physical capacity. Of course, there are technical and tactical aspects we could improve, but that was not what caused the downfall," Oksanen stated.

He emphasized that they were always competing at a distance from the top teams but noted that in the women's event, they were performing well initially.

Oksanen pointed out that the performance level of the Finnish teams in the free technique sprint was reflective of their results, indicating that on some days they perform better, but the second men's team outperforming the first is noteworthy.

For the women, the first team was close to a podium finish, but still needs improvement.

Concerns about Joni Mäen's performance have surfaced, which Oksanen acknowledged, mentioning that the situation is not as anticipated and where Mäen should ideally be at this stage of the season.

"Things opened up quickly last year, even though he had a challenging start. There are still many events left this season, and we will take it one step at a time," he said.

Laura Arffman contributed to the interview.

Upcoming Events

Sa 14.12: 9.55 Biathlon World Cup, Hochfilzen, Women's Pursuit
12.25 Skiing World Cup, Davos, Men's 20 km (free technique)
13.40 Biathlon World Cup, Hochfilzen, Women's Relay
14.55 Skiing World Cup, Davos, Women's 20 km (free technique)
15.10 Biathlon World Cup, Hochfilzen, Men's Relay (TV1)
16.35 Legendary Skiing Events in Malmö
18.10 Skiing World Cup, Finals in Davos
18.30 Biathlon World Cup, Budapest

As seen on YLE.