Finlandia-hiihto freestyle competitions were skied on Sunday in fine, sunny, frosty weather

The Sunday day of the 50th Finlandia skiing in freestyle was completed in sunny, freezing weather. Today, more than 1,500 skiers competed on the slopes in excellent condition. Sunday's race distances were the same as Saturday's, i.e. in addition to the main distance of 58 km, I also skied distances of 32 km and 20 km. The skiers were able to enjoy the sunshine from start to finish.

Anssi Koirikivi skied to a clear victory in the 58 km race with a time of 2.26.08. "They resisted for a bit, but then they fell behind," said the winner Koirikivi about his competitors. Iiro-Mikko Harju (Pohti Ski Team) crossed the finish line second with a time of 2:27.19, followed by Vili Hämäläinen (Hiihtokulma) 2:27.20.

Winner of the women’s 58km race was Sini Alusniemi 2.38.18.  According to Alusniemi, the successful lubrication of the skis and good skiing condition played a key role in victory. Katariina Lonka finished second with a time of 2:39:32 and Maija Hakala (Suunnistajan Kauppa) 2.45.19 came third.

The men’s 32 km competition was a thriller. Oliver Suhonen 1.38.51 skied to a narrow victory finishing just ahead of Jani Mikkonen 1.38.52 and Kai-Uwe Lehnung 1.38.54. "The ending was quite tight, but fortunately it was able to manage it," said Suhonen about the tense ending.

In the women's division, the 32 km race was won by Heta Jalonen (Tampereen Pyrintö) 1:38:57. "It went quite well. I also had to pull the hose a lot myself," said Jalonen, who skied together with the men. Ekaterina Gordeeva came second with a time of 1:42:53. Noora Kanerva finished third 1:45:59.

Aatos Hämäläinen skied to a clear victory in the 20 km race, his finishing time was 1.01.04. "At the beginning it felt a bit heavy, but I got lighter towards the end," said Hämäläinen about his own skiing. Second place went to Olli Seppälä (Hämeenlinna Ski Club) 1.02.40. Juuso Ruohonen arrived at the finish line in third place with 1.03.47.

The fastest women in the 20 km distance was Jatta Tuominen at 1.08.31. "It went really well and the skis worked well," summed up Tuominen about his day's work. Angelika Immonen came second with a time of 1:14:06. Hilma Hyyrynen 1.14.13 crossed the finish line as the third fastest.