Janne Ahonen drew attention at the World Ski Championships - former competitor laughed at Toni Nieminen's challenge

Janne Ahonen drew attention at the World Ski Championships – former competitor laughed at Toni Nieminen's challenge

In the build-up to the World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Janne Ahonen is focusing not just on jump performances but is also preparing for the combined championships.

Ahonen is getting guidance from Petter Kukkonen, a long-time coach and Yle sporting expert, who is known for his expertise in Nordic Combined. Kukkonen provided advice on techniques like the mogren technique for efficient skiing.

Interestingly, Ahonen admitted that he hadn’t even acquired skis for the upcoming national championships until recently. This led to a quirky interaction with Goldberger, who humorously noted the friendly challenge posed by Ahonen and Nieminen at the championships.

“Ahonen isn’t as conditioned for skiing, but with a bit of training and Kukkonen’s help, he will manage just fine,” said Goldberger.

The piece also covers reactions from Yle sports analysts and discussions surrounding the strategies used in Nordic combined events. Kukkonen jokingly suggested that Ahonen should take the skis off early if he had a significant distance lead over Nieminen, adding to the camaraderie that highlights the competition.

With the insights from this piece, fans can look forward to the unique dynamics of the competition unfolding at these prestigious ski games, notably highlighting the interplay between the past legends of ski jumping and the modern-day competitors.