Magdalena Olsson, Sweden and Jørgen Baklid, Norway are the 2024 SkiO World Cup champions, both finishing in second place today, Baklid just 1 second behind Eevert Toivonen, Finland. Home athlete Daisy Kudre Schnyder won the women’s race.
Ella Turesson, Sweden was an early leader in the women’s race over 8.8 km, held on a mild, cloudy day with snow beginning to disappear in some open spots and quite mushy elsewhere. As in the Pursuit, good route choice was a key to success, and on some legs there were several alternatives on the tracks and many small paths in the moderately hilly terrain.
Daisy Kudre Schnyder invariably chose the best routes and was skiing strongly, whilst her closest challengers made a number of small errors. “I had a problem throughout with a loose map-holder,” she said, “but I enjoyed the race. I was very careful not to lose focus on the map today. In the World Championship races I was too focused on results and got in a bad mood when I didn’t do well, but here I have managed to be more focused on my own performance.” She finished 0.42 ahead of Magdalena Olsson, Sweden, and third place went to Anna Ulvensøen, Norway, yesterday’s winner.
Photo: Reigo Teervalt
The very consistent young athlete Maria Hoskari, Finland took gold in the U-23 World Championships, with silver going to Aasne Haavengen, Norway and bronze to Ella Turesson.
Eevert Toivonen, who started 2 minutes after Baklid, was 17 seconds down on Baklid at the second-last control, but took a far quicker track route to the last control and, urged on by his Finnish team-mates, sustained a very long sprint to the finish line to get ahead of Baklid by just 1 second. Earlier in the race it was Niklas Ekström, already with 2 victories here, who seemed most likely to better Baklid’s time, but he fell away towards the end and finished fourth. Third place was taken by another Finn, Aapo Viippola, 1.03 down on the winner.
Photo: Reigo Teervalt
This was 26-year-old Toivonen’s first World Cup victory. “My legs started shaking a bit at the arena passage when I heard I was second,” he said, “but I steadied myself and made no mistakes after that. When I heard my team-mates shouting, I realized there was something on here and gave it all I’d got!”
Niklas Ekström’s fourth place ensured him the gold medal in the U-23 World Championships. Silver went to Olle Ilmar Jaama, Estonia and bronze to Tuomas Outinen, Finland.
So ends the 2024 international SkiO season, in both rounds not blessed overall with the best conditions for skiing. The Estonian organisers had to work hard, first in moving the Sprint venue and then preparing adequate tracks for the three races. The courses were were well planned and very challenging, and the organizing team can look back on a very successful three days of competition.
Leading results, Middle distance
Women
- Daisy Kudre Schnyder EST 49:05
- Magdalena Olsson SWE + 0.42
- Anna Ulvensøen NOR + 2.22
- Maria Hoskari FIN + 3.44
- Aasne Haavengen NOR + 4.02
- Sari Vaaranen FIN + 4.30
Men
- Eevert Toivonen FIN 53:26
- Jørgen Baklid NOR + 0.01
- Aapo Viippola FIN + 1.03
- Niklas Ekström FIN + 1.50
- Stanimir Belomazhev BUL + 2.15
- Henrik Fredriksen Aas NOR + 2.28