Krista Pärmäkoski Understands Controversial Decision at Holmenkollen – Amazed by the Wonderful Weather

Krista Pärmäkoski and Kerttu Niskanen enjoyed the sun in Oslo after the Trondheim World Championships, which presented a range of weather conditions. Niskanen only lamented the stones on the track.

This weekend, Pärmäkoski will compete in her final skiing events of the season. She is unable to participate in next week’s World Cup finals in Lahti due to a tear in her hip flexor. Pärmäkoski revealed her injury the week before during the 50-kilometer freestyle event that was held under tough, slushy conditions.

The World Cup tour will continue in Oslo at the legendary Holmenkollen, where Krista Pärmäkoski's last races of this season are scheduled.

Pärmäkoski reported having her first solid training after the tough events at Holmenkollen on Friday. She acknowledged that her leg felt uncomfortable during the workout. "My leg is quite sore. I have to admit, the 50 kilometers at the World Championships did not improve the condition of my leg, but probably not made it worse either." She said that she will have to be careful with her leg when skiing on slopes, especially during high-speed turns.

She found the weather superb, admiring the conditions, noting how great the tracks are while chatting with a maintenance man about the unusually good skiing conditions. "I’ve never skied on tracks this perfect at this time of year in Holmenkollen. It’s like skating in the middle of winter," Pärmäkoski described.

In recent days, there has been quite a stir about the decision not to hold a men’s 50-kilometer race at Holmenkollen this year. The International Ski Federation (FIS) justified this change last year, stating that Holmenkollen would immediately follow the Trondheim World Championships.

This decision has received criticism currently, similar to this week. "Kollen" has hosted the men’s 50-kilometer race since 1902 annually, except for a few exceptions.

The 2021 race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2009 race was canceled due to stadium construction.

Swedish skiing star William Poromaa criticized this decision earlier this week. Nevertheless, in recent years, this race has been suffering from a lack of participants, as many have skipped the classic event citing championship fatigue. This was the case, for example, two years ago after the Planica World Championships.

Now FIS has decided that the 50-kilometer races will be just after a single break weekend in Lahti. Pärmäkoski considers this a wise decision. "If I had to ski 50 kilometers on Saturday, I would probably skip it. It’s quite a tough task. I understand the men's perspective better now since it's been scheduled immediately after championships, and many have chosen to skip it," Pärmäkoski describes.

Kerttu Niskanen did not reach her best form during the World Championships.

Niskanen admits that she feels the burden of the season in her legs, but she will not let it disrupt her performance.

Like Pärmäkoski, Niskanen praises the sunny weather and the quality of tracks after the challenging conditions in Trondheim. Oslo is located almost 500 kilometers south of the World Championship city Trondheim.

Kerttu Niskanen trained on the sunny Holmenkollen on Friday.

Niskanen expressed her surprise at the good conditions but mentioned one issue. Due to the absence of snow, Saturday’s 20-kilometer interval start race will not be a true two times 10-kilometer race, but rather an 18.6-kilometer race with three laps of 6.2 kilometers.

"There’s not much snow. My skis get scratched a bit. There are some stones on the path," Niskanen reported.

Niskanen believes that no miracles should be expected from her.

"Most of the World Cup athletes feel the strain of the races. Few are in fresh condition. Maybe those who haven't competed much this season will be energized for the race," Niskanen describes.