Swedish Skier Demands Penalty for Kerttu Niskanen – Finnish Winner Surprised in Interview

During the Cogna sprint relay in Italy, the Finnish top team members Jasmi Joensuu and Kerttu Niskanen celebrated their win. However, the Swedish skier Johanna Hagström was incensed by Niskanen’s track change on the final lap. Hagström felt that Niskanen’s move, which allowed her to jump ahead, disrupted her rhythm and warranted a yellow card from the jury, a decision which she believes could even have cost Sweden the win.

After the race, in an interview with SVT, Kerttu Niskanen said she did not notice the incident while racing, but learned about it afterwards. She apologized if her actions were seen as wrong, explaining that the conditions in the race forced her to change tracks in order to follow the fastest competitor from her team as the Norwegian pace was slower. Jasmi Joensuu, who anchored the sprint relay and celebrated the victory, added that such fast-paced sprint races come with many unpredictable situations and emphasized that Sweden has many strong skiers, notably mentioning the absence of sprinters like Jonna Sundling from their ranks.

The incident has sparked further discussion on race conduct during sprint events, with Hagström insisting that a penalty should have been issued. The debate highlights the intensity and split-second decisions inherent in cross-country sprint events.