Jasmi Joensuu finally got on the podium – Kerttu Niskanen also had a great start to the Tour

Jasmi Joensuu skied second in the opening sprint of the cross-country Tour de Ski tour in Italy on Saturday. The award is the first in his career.

“A lot of emotions from the last two weeks are coming out here,” Joensuu said in a TV interview with Viaplay.

Joensuu said before Christmas on social media that he broke up with his boyfriend Juho from Simose. The twists and turns of private life have taken away mental resources, but the road went on.

In Toblach, Joensuu fought for victory until the finish line, but the US Jessie Diggins was eventually better by 0.31 seconds. Free skiing was used in Toblach. The Swiss finished third Nadine Fähndrich.

“Now I’m going to enjoy this. This is not everyday”, Joensuu thought and said that of course one place could still be improved.

The 28-year-old Joensuu’s previous best finish in the World Cup was fourth place from Ruka in November 2022.

Joensuu represents the Vantaa Skiing Club, and the club reacts quickly to the success of its number one star. The Vantaa Ski Club sent a press release to the media in which it congratulated Joensuu on his first individual World Cup podium finish. According to the club, “the wonderful second place is proof of Jasmin’s hard work, commitment and talent in skiing”.

At the same time, VHS reminded that the Jasmi-cup, a low-threshold contemporary series named after Joensuu, will start on January 9 in Hakunila, Vantaa. Skiers are welcome regardless of age and skill level. The race series includes four races in January-March, two of which are sprints and two are so-called normal distances.

Finns was a good sprint day in Toblach anyway, because of the Finnish skiers who reached the semi-finals Kerttu Niskanen was ninth and Jasmin Kähärä 11:s. Krista Pärmäkoski stretched to 24th, although the freestyle sprint is not his forte. Even for Niskanen, who achieved the most success from longer distances and the traditional way of skiing, the semi-final place boded well for the rest of the tour.

“This was a good start to the Tour,” Niskanen told Viaplay.

Pärmäkoski commented in a Viaplay TV interview that the tune looks good. Kähärä estimates that a place in the semi-finals was the minimum goal.

Men’s Norway in the sprint Johannes Hösflot Kläbo took his fourth sprint win this season. French Lucas Chanavat was another and Swiss Janik Riebli third, so the top three in the time trial kept their position until the final.

Kläbo was the only representative of Norway in the final of six skiers, which was surprising. An equally big surprise was the weak contribution of the Swedes in the women’s sprint. Maja Dahlqvist was the sixth in the final after a rod break, and no other Swedes were seen in the women’s final.

From Finns Lauri Vuorinen and Niilo Moilanen reached the semifinal level. Moilanen was in the semi-finals for the first time in freestyle skiing. At the beginning of the season, he was fifth at Ruka in the sprint of traditional skiing. Vuorinen was third in the same race.