Rib Shattered While Messing Around With a Car – Inkki Inola Aims to Be the World's Best Despite Summer Mishaps

Para cross-country skier Inkki Inola is one of Finland’s rare medal hopes for the Winter Paralympics, which will be held in Italian Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in March 2026 – the 14th edition of the Paralympic Games.

Competing with a visual impairment, Inola has enjoyed a promising season. In the trial events held last week in Val di Fiemme, he, together with his guide skier Arttu Kaario, finished fifth in the traditional sprint and fourth in the traditional ten‐kilometer race. Despite these strong results, Inola was not completely satisfied with his early performance, noting that his sharpness seemed to wane on flatter sections. He pointed out that technical parts such as descents and curves are clear areas for further development.

Inola also gained valuable experience from the race conditions in Val di Fiemme. He remarked that while the uphill sections were navigated well, the flat parts revealed a gap in pace. He hopes that when these courses are used next year, slower conditions will prevail – a scenario that would better suit his technical strengths on downhills.

Earlier in January, Inola earned two gold medals at the Universiade. He claimed the ten‐kilometer freestyle victory alongside his guide Reetu Inkilän and added another gold in the traditional sprint. This marked the first time that Finnish para athletes were included in the Universiade team. Last season, he had even secured second place overall in the World Cup series for visually impaired skiers for the second consecutive year.

The summer and autumn training sessions were spent primarily in Finland—in Laukaa, Levi, and Vuokatti. However, his season almost took a turn for the worse when a car accident in his yard resulted in a broken rib. Inola explained that while working around the car, he ended up hitting it at a particular angle that led to a heavy impact on his front shoulder area. Although this incident temporarily interrupted his strength training and affected his free skiing technique, he was able to resume running and steady skiing shortly thereafter.

Looking ahead, Inola views his recent experiences on the Val di Fiemme tracks as invaluable. They have provided him with clear insights into which aspects of his skiing require further refinement, and where he might have an advantage over his rivals. His next competitive challenge will be at the Para Cross-Country World Championships in Toblach, Italy, where he will race over 10 km using the classic technique and 20 km in freestyle. Additionally, para skiing sprint competitions will be held in Trondheim as part of the International Ski Federation’s World Championships—marking a first for the sport.

Balancing his athletic career with academics, Inola is nearing the completion of his law degree at the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu and has even started studies in business. He has gained practical legal experience in Jyväskylä and hopes to smoothly transition into a career in law after his sports career. Since 2022, he has also contributed to the development of elite sports as a member of the Athlete Committee of the Paralympic Committee.

Having already competed in two Paralympic Games – finishing seventh in the traditional sprint in Pyeongchang 2018 and impressively fourth in the traditional 20 km in Beijing 2022 – Inola now has his sights set on winning a medal at Milan. “It really just requires hard work. Every aspect – endurance, speed, technical skills, and tactics – needs to be improved,” he summarizes. With a positive mood and significant progress over the past two years, he is confidently moving towards Milan.

The insights gathered from Val di Fiemme have not only clarified the strengths of his competitors but also highlighted the specific areas he must continue to develop. Inola’s journey continues as he prepares for the upcoming World Championships in Toblach and Trondheim, determined to add more medals to his collection and ultimately become the world’s best.