Niko Anttola worked as a 20 kilometer pacesetter in the World Junior Championships. Finns have won five medals in three days.
Skier Niko Anttola was a hard worker and pacesetter in the under-20 world championships late on Monday Finnish time.
However, it did not bring the desired prize in the 20 km joint start (p). Anttola had to settle for a silver medal in Canada’s Whistler, while Norway’s Mathias Holbaek was the only one in the Finn’s pace and raced to victory in the last kilometer.
Anttola’s essence in the goal spoke of disappointment. He lost to the Norwegian by almost eight seconds.
On the first one in the five-kilometer lap, Anttola led the race and sometimes progressed in the top group.
After about seven kilometers had been covered, a group of six men started to separate. At the halfway point, the top five included Anttola and four Norwegians.
After that, on the long climb, Anttola picked up the pace, and only two Norwegians could follow. About a kilometer later, Anttola’s pace was overtaken by Holbæk.
Anttola was expected to succeed in many ways. The coach of the Finnish World Cup team Ville Maunuskelan according to Anttola was considered the biggest favorite to win elsewhere than in the Finnish camp.
“I would think that, apart from us Finns, in the papers of all the foreign coaches here, Niko is really the only early favorite on distance trips. Especially with the Norwegian and Swedish coaches, I have been talking about this issue,” Maunuksela told HS before the race on Monday morning Finnish time.
Anttola has already risen to the top six men in Finland on normal trips this season.
Just over a week ago, Anttola won bronze in the general category at the WC with 15 kilometers (year).
Last winter, Anttola won silver at the World Junior Championships in the 10 km (p) time-trial competition, where the other medalists were Russians. Now Russia is famously on the sidelines of almost all international sports.
In these games, ten are skied in free, and then Anttola has another chance to win.
On Monday, the second best Finnish man finished ninth Eero Rantala, who two days earlier won bronze in the sprint.
Young There are only three competition days behind the World Championships, but the Finns already have five medals.
Eevi-Inkeri Tossavainen won gold in the sprint and fought earlier on Monday for bronze in 20 kilometers.
In the under-23 sprint Jasmin Kähärä took an overwhelming victory.
