Therese Johaug Offers a Cold Reception to Finnish Skiers, Say Norwegian Experts – Praise for Iivo Niskanen

Norwegian skiing experts believe Finnish women will not make it to the top three in Friday's World Cup opening.

Therese Johaug concluded her previous career with four World Cup victories in spring 2022. Will she continue that trend this weekend?

The traditional technique time trial has been a successful race for Finnish women in recent years. During the last season, three out of five World Cup races ended in Finnish celebrations. Kerttu Niskanen won two races and Krista Pärmäkoski one. Furthermore, Johanna Matintalo reached the podium once.

When the last championship medals were contested in the classic style during the women's 10-kilometer time trial in the Olympics, two Finnish skiers earned medals. It was at the Beijing Olympics where Norways Therese Johaug, saying goodbye to championship races, defeated Niskanen and Pärmäkoski in the gold battle.

The same distance will be contested on Friday at the Ruka World Cup. Johaug will return to international competitive trails after a two-year break. Last week, she was the fastest in a Norwegian trial race held in Beitostölen, beating Heidi Weng by almost 40 seconds.

Johaug's performance prompted positive feedback and predictions from Norway. Some of the wildest estimates suggest that the ski queen has returned and others are only competing for silver.

When Yle Sports asked Norwegian skiing experts for their views on the podium candidates for Ruka’s time trial, they unanimously agreed that Johaug would be in the top three.

However, among four respondents, only one believed Johaug would win on Friday. That was Öyvind Sandbakk, a high-level researcher utilized by the Norwegian ski team.

Multiple-time championship winner and former head coach of the Norwegian national team Tor Arne Hetland named Victoria Carl as a winning candidate. The German skier outperformed Kerttu Niskanen by 38 seconds two weeks ago in Oloksella.

Hetland predicts a tight contest for victory in Ruka.

"Victoria will beat Therese by 0.2 seconds."

Öyvind Sandbakk too believes that Johaug can secure third place but emphasizes the risk involved.

Magnar Dalen, the former head coach of Finland, and five-time world champion Odd-Björn Hjelmeset both supported Swedish racer Ebba Andersson for victory.

None of the aforementioned Norwegian experts included Finnish female skiers among their top three placements.

However, Hetland and Sandbakk later forecasted positive outcomes for the men's race coming up on Friday. Hetland predicted Iivo Niskanen to win, while Sandbakk suggested a third position for him.

Dalen and Hjelmeset refrained from predicting the podium for the men’s race but expected an exciting battle for podium positions among their countrymen.

Last season, Norwegian men dominated traditional-style time trials, winning four of five World Cup events and placing 11 out of 15 podium finishes.

Here is how Hetland, Sandbakk, Dalen, and Hjelmeset assessed the competitors for Friday's races.

Tor Arne Hetland
Women’s Race:
1) Victoria Carl
2) Therese Johaug
3) Frida Karlsson

Men’s Race:
1) Iivo Niskanen
2) Johannes Hösflot Kläbo
3) Harald Östberg Amundsen

"Iivo will win by 2.3 seconds."

Öyvind Sandbakk
Women’s Race:
1) Therese Johaug
2) Ebba Andersson
3) Frida Karlsson

Men’s Race:
1) Johannes Hösflot Kläbo
2) Martin Nyenget
3) Iivo Niskanen

Magnar Dalen

Dalen’s prediction for the women's race:
1) Ebba Andersson
2) Therese Johaug
3) Victoria Carl

"Kerttu will come in fourth. Estimating the men’s race is trickier. I hope Iivo can give the Norwegians a run for their money and that Finland’s young men can show their skills."

Odd-Björn Hjelmeset

Hjelmeset’s prediction for the women’s race:
1) Ebba Andersson
2) Therese Johaug
3) Frida Karlsson

Yle will broadcast both time trials on channel TV2. The women’s race starts at 10:55 AM on Friday and the men’s at 1:35 PM. Both events will also be streamed live on Yle Areena.