The Finnish men’s team finished fourth in the 4×7.5 kilometer cross-country ski relay at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday. The Finnish team consisted of Lauri Vuorinen, Iivo Niskanen, Arsi Ruuskanen and Niko Anttola.
Finland battled Italy until the very conclude for the bronze medal. Italy’s Federico Pellegrino overtook Finnish anchor leg skier Anttola before the Zorzi climb.
A Measured Start
Vuorinen was the first skier for Finland. During the opening leg, the gaps remained small, and Vuorinen stayed with the leading pack.
In the final kilometer before the first exchange, Vuorinen fell slightly behind in pace. Finland was fourth, 7.2 seconds behind Norway, when Vuorinen sent Niskanen out for the second leg.
Vuorinen assessed his performance as “relatively clean.”
“That 7.5 kilometers is a really tough distance. You start slowly and then suddenly it’s fast. You can hit a wall quickly. Luckily, the gap didn’t grow any further,” Vuorinen said in an interview with Yle Urheilu.
The United States, Canada, and Italy were ahead of Finland. Surprisingly, Sweden was last after the opening leg.
Niskanen Moved into Second
Niskanen quickly closed the gap to the lead group. At 11.2 kilometers, Finland was second, just half a second behind Norway.
At 13 kilometers, Norway’s Martin Löwström Nynget increased the pace. Niskanen couldn’t retain up, and the gap quickly grew to several seconds.
“The Canadian (Antoine Cyr) started skiing really fast and I was in trouble. I had to catch my breath on the uphill, but on the second lap, at the top of the climb, I knew Nyenget would be able to open up with fresh legs. The last five kilometers were difficult, but I was able to manage reasonably well,” Niskanen commented.
Niskanen also received a warning for a technique violation in classic skiing.
A Strong Leg from Ruuskanen
At the end of the second leg, Niskanen sent Ruuskanen out to ski second, more than 10 seconds behind Norway.
Italy, France, the United States, and Canada all closed in on the Finns and soon overtook them.
Ruuskanen pushed back from sixth place to rejoin the leading group. At 20 kilometers, Ruuskanen was third – more than 25 seconds behind Norway – but more importantly, more than 10 seconds ahead of Italy.
“There’s nothing to fault Ruuskanen for today! That was a top performance! Absolutely brilliant, incredible leg,” exclaimed Yle Urheilu commentator Kimmo Porttila.
Anttola’s Medal Hunt
Norway started the final leg with a clear lead. France was in second place when Finland began its final push in third, 37 seconds behind the leaders.
Anttola had a 25-second lead over Italy’s Federico Pellegrino at the exchange, but Pellegrino quickly closed the gap.
Pellegrino stayed close behind Anttola for much of the final leg. The Finnish skier didn’t provide up easily, but Pellegrino ultimately passed Anttola before the Zorzi climb.
Anttola finished fourth, about ten seconds behind Pellegrino.
“No Regrets”
Head coach Teemu Pasanen acknowledged that the team couldn’t have done anything more to beat Pellegrino.
“There’s no point in dwelling on what might have been. We fought for a medal until the end, but today there were three better teams,” Pasanen said.
He believed that each of the four skiers had a good performance.
“Of course, This represents a bitter fourth place, but we were in the fight. Today it just didn’t fall our way,” Pasanen said.
“We got a medal yesterday, so the mood was up. Today it was really close, but Notice still a couple of days of competition left.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Who skied the anchor leg for Finland?
Niko Anttola skied the anchor leg for Finland.
Who won the gold medal in the men’s relay?
Norway, with Johannes Hösflot Kläbo as the anchor, won the gold medal.
What place did Finland finish in the men’s relay?
Finland finished fourth in the men’s relay.
Given the incredibly close finish, how much of a factor do individual skier strengths and weaknesses play in the outcome of a relay race?
