Johanna Matintalo's Training Camp Interrupted in a Dramatic Way: "Sometimes Life Feels Unfair"

Johanna Matintalo experienced a severe setback before the start of the skiing season. She shared on Instagram a photo of herself sitting on a train heading to Zurich Airport and opened up about her illness.

"Sometimes life feels unfair. I was contemplating whether to share this, but the biography of Krista Pärmäkoski made me rethink about being open in such matters," Matintalo began.

She mentioned that it is easier to showcase a flawless life, while small challenges are discussed less often.

"I generally don’t have much to complain about. My summer and autumn have been pretty perfect. There hasn’t been anything bad to report; everything has gone really well.

However, things turned when the skiing star was training in Livigno. The camp was cut short by over a week.

"I fell ill a few days ago with a severe stomach virus. My fever soared to nearly 40 degrees Celsius, and I was uncertain if I would survive this illness. I was in such poor condition that traveling home before today was impossible.

In her post, Matintalo expressed her gratitude to her camp friends Krista Pärmäkoski, Jasmin Kähärä, and Bettina Wikström for keeping their phones on at night and being helpful.

"It's frustrating and quite annoying, but this is life, especially high-level sports. We all do our best, but sometimes things happen this way. The Livigno camp was a piece of the puzzle towards the competition season, but now that puzzle needs to be put together again.

In conclusion, Matintalo conveyed her belief that the work completed will eventually pay off. She has already returned to Finland to recover. Last season, she finished in a commendable 28th place in the overall World Cup standings and secured a second position in the 10-kilometer event in Falun.