Finland has won its first medal in the world competition for Nordic skiing events it is hosting for 12 days in the southern city of Lahti. Krista Pärmäkoski won silver in the women’s double pursuit, also known as a skiathlon, which consists of a 7.5 kilometre section raced in the classical style, followed by a 7.5 kilometre portion raced freestyle.
Norway’s Marit Björgen won the gold, the 15th medal she has earned in her skiing career. Finland’s Pärmäkoski was hot on her heels at the finish, winning her first medal in a individual world competition.
"The classic portion was really easy for me today. I actually skied that part with skis that I’ve been using in my training all winter. They had really dependable traction, so I could ski confidently. I was surprised how easily the ascents went. Today was a really good day," Pärmäkoski said shortly after her win.
A tough battle for the lead
Pärmäkoski said on the eve of the race that she was not planning to take the lead spot in the classic portion of the race. She kept the same pace for the first half of the competition with Björgen and the other lead skiers.
Even so, she came to the half-way point of the race in first place. Her ski change before the freestyle section went quickly, which meant she was also the first to start. Soon she and Björgen had a good lead on the other competitors.
Björgen tried to gain some ground on her Finnish opponent at the ten-kilometre mark, but the 26-year-old Ikaalinen native kept on her tail. After a half-hour, Björgen forced Pärmäkoski to take the lead, but after consulting with her coach, she moved to the front again.
A few kilometres before finish, Pärmäkoski made a break, but the seasoned Norwegian pulled out a spurt with less than a kilometre to go, leaving second-place Pärmäkoski 4.8 seconds behind at the finish line. Charlotte Kalla from Sweden came in third, 32 seconds behind first-place Björgen.
The medal was the Finn’s first medal of her career for success in an individual event, although she has previously won five medals in relay competitions.
