Kerttu Niskanen and her competitors face harsh reality – Finland's head coach demands change: "Too expensive"

Kerttu Niskanen and other top names in the World Cup did not secure personal World Championship medals. Yle posed a challenging question to Ville Nousiainen and Teemu Pasanen regarding the implications of this outcome.

Kerttu Niskanen was quite cheerful before the start of the World Cup season in Ruka. But how will it be as the World Cup season ends? Image source: Tomi Hänninen/Chilipictures

• Roope Visuri

This weekend's FIS Cross-Country World Cup culminates in Lahti with the Salpausselkä races. Kerttu Niskanen has a lot riding on the overall cup standings, competing for third place against Norway's Astrid Öyre Slind.

Niskanen is 14 points ahead of Slind before Friday’s free style sprint and Sunday’s traditional 50-kilometer race. Since Slind will not compete on Friday, Niskanen has the chance to extend her lead.

Yle Sports’ skiing expert Ville Nousiainen predicts an exciting battle for third place. In the 50-kilometer race, there will be six sprint points available, with the top ten finishers earning points. The winner secures an additional 15 points.

Nousiainen estimates that Niskanen might face challenges if Slind can accumulate points from the sprint race without over-exerting herself.

There’s also a significant monetary incentive. The prize for the overall victory is €36,400, while fourth comes in at €22,900. That's a whopping €13,500 difference at stake.

Nousiainen sees that amount as substantial for an individual athlete. While it’s not everything for Niskanen, it’s still a significant sum that most will recognize as valuable for ordinary jobs, akin to three and a half months of salary.