Kerttu Niskanen satisfied four – Hufvudstadsbladet

Kerttu Niskanen boarded home favorite Sofia Bleckur after a cruel final sprint duel.
 - I knew I hit her, she says cocky.

Just over 40,000 spectators roar when Kerttu Niskanen and Sofia Bleckur circling toward peacefulness Stadium. Then Therese Johaug already a minute ago crossed the finish line as the winner before Charlotte Kalla and Astrid Jacobsen, but now it will be a terrible fight for fourth place.
A fourth place Niskanen do not intend to give away. She skate by and hit Bleckur with a button ski length – and cheering as if she won World Championship gold.

– I was already up there on the hill that I beat Swede says happiness pill Niskanen and laughs.

But it already looked like that Niskanen lost the fight. After the skiing together almost all the freestyle leg went Bleckur away from her in the hills towards the end and there was a good gap.

– Then I remembered how I struggled with Heidi Weng in the pursuit here in Falun a year ago . Then I lost the stretch and then, someone told me that there is no reason to fall into panic though one is second on the crest, but it can be just as good to get back up to the riot, she says.
– Luckily neither of us is a cruel sprinter.

Defeated Bjørgen

Niskanen took some nice scalps with his fourth place. The most successful cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen came to shift after 7.5 km classic while Niskanen, but were distanced by half a minute for 7.5 kilometers by free style. Medal favorite Heidi Weng, an additional ten seconds behind.

– I never set any specific investment goal, but fourth place … says Niskanen and hesitates for a moment before she laughs.
– I’m satisfied with fourth place. There were some tough girls that I left behind me.

Niskanen as expected, good after 7.5 km, but given how hard she had it with her free style – in the skate races in Rybinsk and in Ostersund just before the World Cup, she was twice 22th – was her contribution during the freestyle leg really good. She did not let anyone pass after ski prey.

– I’m accustomed to girls come by from left, right and

almost between her legs, she laughs.
– So it was fun to nobody came past today.

The shape of the way up

Niskanen’s third place in Davos in December suggested that she get her big break this season, but in Tour de Ski, she became ill and lost form. She was forced to take some risks with the training before the World Cup to compensate for the setback, but it seems to have worked.

– The preparations were not quite according to plan. Some have been concerned about my form, others have trusted me. Personally, I have always believed in myself and relied on the form is on the rise, she said.
– Of course, when it’s the World Cup fight you in a completely different way though you would be just a bit worse shape.