Johannes Kläbo Fired Up by Yle Expert’s Remark – Jasmi Joensuu Dismisses the Controversy

Trondheim’s skiing tracks have been the subject of heated discussion in the run-up to the World Championships. In the mornings, the tracks were so icy that, for example, the Swedish team had to relocate their training session on Tuesday.

Swedish star Edvin Anger reportedly faced dangerously icy conditions, while double world champion in sprint Jonna Sundling admitted to feeling some fear during her training run. The Swedish team moved their practice to another location on Tuesday, whereas the Finnish team had to wait for their turn.

Finland’s sprint coach Ville Oksanen explained to STT: “We went to the service vehicle, had a laugh and waited for an hour. After that, we went back to training and managed a good workout,” adding that none of the athletes felt the conditions were dangerous and that they likely wouldn’t have been able to perform all their planned exercises had they started an hour earlier.

Norwegian organizers decided not to rework the tracks on Tuesday, which surprised Finland’s ski preparation chief Heikki Tonteri. According to Tonteri, after one grooming session the tracks would have been in top condition.

During a track briefing on Tuesday, Heikki Tonteri explained the situation. Yle sports expert Ville Nousiainen even speculated that the icy tracks might be a form of sabotage by the Norwegians to gain an advantage in ski preparation, as other nations were not able to test their skis as extensively.

“We see a lot of snow around here; it’s not about that. They do want to get a competitive edge. They groomed the track at a specific time during the night to deny others the chance to test their skis in the morning,” Nousiainen said while describing the conditions in Trondheim.

These speculations received a strong rebuttal in Norway. World Championships director Åge Skinstad told Iltalehti that the tracks are naturally icy in the morning after cold nights, and that during the day the temperature rises and the tracks soften. “That’s a complete lie – I promise you this is not a Norwegian tactic,” Skinstad exclaimed.

Superstar Johannes Kläbo dismissed Nousiainen’s claims as maybe the dumbest he had heard. “You can’t do anything about the weather. They should have looked at the forecast in advance. It can shine and then rain or snow for a short time. That’s certainly how it is at the World Championships. Welcome to Trondheim,” Kläbo told Dagbladet.

World Championship track manager Daniel Myhrmael Helgestad also strongly refuted the Finnish expert’s views in an interview with Expressen, stating that the tracks were not groomed because of a shortage of snow. “We try to make the competition as fair as possible for all nations. There is no conspiracy here. It never even occurred to me,” Helgestad said.

On Wednesday evening, top Finnish sprinter Jasmi Joensuu, who leads the World Cup sprint standings, was asked about his thoughts on the track conditions and whether the weather might somehow favor the Norwegians.

He replied, “It’s the same for everyone and all athletes ski on the same track, so there’s no point in overthinking it.” When pressed on whether he worried about the track conditions favoring the Norwegians, he said, “Not at all.”

Joensuu noted that while the downhill sections of the track are demanding, the interval parts are very clear. “Especially one of the sections is long enough. You have to dare to hold your pace. That is my strength, and you must dare to use it in the race,” he explained.

He added that his preparations have gone exceptionally well. “Everything has gone exactly as planned. It’s a great situation to be able to enjoy the track tomorrow. The biggest challenge has been figuring out exactly what the problem was. I feel very relaxed—which is the best possible state,” Joensuu said.

Images from Trondheim’s stadium show Kuisma Taipale and Jasmi Joensuu getting a feel for the venue. Joensuu has reached the podium in the World Cup this season, but at the World Championships he will be up against the toughest sprint stars from Sweden and Norway simultaneously.

Regardless, Joensuu is approaching these prestigious championships with a renewed perspective compared to previous experiences.

He concluded, “It sounds great to be one of the favorites, yet I’m coming in as a challenger. There are very tough opponents out there. Anything is possible. These prestigious events are rare, so they’re nerve-wracking for everyone.” He did not mention any specific target time; his goal is simply to make sure he doesn’t have any regrets at the end of the day.

The atmosphere at Trondheim’s stadium is electric, and Joensuu already feels the championship mood. “Back in 2011 I got to ski in front of a young audience at the World Championships in Oslo – back then they said we might never see such a crowd again. Now we are at least close. It’s an amazing feeling,” he said while his pre-race thoughts were captured on video.

Finland’s top sprinter Lauri Vuorinen noted that track condition largely depends on the time it is groomed.

“Today, on Wednesday, it was good – a little softer. It was also pretty good yesterday once the sun started warming up after the morning frost,” Vuorinen explained. He added that being the first on a long uphill finish is crucial.

“Even if there is a long downhill before the finish, the finish isn’t typically overtaken with a burst. That way the track remains fair and proper,” Vuorinen said in his interview before Tuesday’s sprint day.

A video interview with Lauri Vuorinen was also shown, discussing his views on the sprint race conditions.