This winter’s biathlon breakout star paid about 13.000 euros out of her pocket – buying her way to success.

The 30-year-old from Joutsa, Finland, became the talk of the biathlon world last winter. After several years in the World Cup with overall standings in the 40s and lower, the Finnish biathlete went straight to the podium from the first round of the World Cup – on home soil in Kontiolahti.

And the progress continued. At the World Championships in Lenzerheide in February, Suvi Minkkinen took bronze in the sprint, her first World Championship medal, and four podium finishes in the World Cup. She was also among the top ten in 13 of the 20 World Cup races she competed in.

“The season exceeded all expectations. I managed to perform at a high level throughout the entire season,” Minkkinen told STT after the World Cup final in Holmenkollen.

But success has come at a steep price.

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She is crystal clear about what caused the sudden breakthrough.

Last year, she emptied her savings account and paid 13.000 euros for a private training plan. From mid-July to mid-October, Minkkinen was in Central Europe training – a sort of ultimatum to herself.

“I realized I had to make some changes. And I wanted to be in a position where, when I retire, I can honestly say I tried everything,” explains Minkkinen.

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Paid back with interest

In hindsight, there’s no doubt the investment paid off. The prize money from her World Championship bronze alone covered the entire training camp before the season. Third place at the Worlds is rewarded with 15.000 euros.

In addition, Minkkinen earned 23.000 euros in World Cup prize money. She also earned about 20.000 euros together with Tero Seppälä for a win and a third place in the single mixed relay during the season.

She also took three silvers at the 2024 Summer World Championships.

Now, the Finnish biathlon star hopes others will follow her example.

“I hope this gives national team athletes the courage to go all in and invest in their careers,” says Suvi Minkkinen.

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Aiming for the Olympics, starting at a higher level

This season, the Olympic Games in Italy in February are the clear main goal. Leading into the season and the World Cup opener in Östersund at the end of November, Minkkinen plans to repeat much of what worked last year.

“2024/2025 was a dream season, where I managed to raise my level significantly. Now I’m starting from a higher physical level. The goal is to take the next step – all the way to the top. I used to think that successful women had magical powers, and that I couldn’t achieve the same as they did. But now I am one of them,” Minkkinen told the Finnish newspaper Ilta Sanomat.

Behind her stands a proud Norwegian, now in his second season as Finland’s national team coach.

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Has become more selective

The first part of the summer, Minkkinen trained at home in Finland, but from mid-July she has been training at altitude in Central Europe.

“The plan is to stay there until the snow comes. That setup worked so well last year that there’s no reason to change it,” she says.

Because the Olympics are being held in Antholz at 1.600 meters, Minkkinen needs to be more selective this year. That means, among other things, she will skip the final World Cup round before the Olympics, held in Nové Město, Czech Republic, from January 19 to 25. She would have liked to compete but chose altitude as her final preparation for the Games.

“It’s not optimal to race at low altitude right before the Olympics, so I’m skipping that round to avoid disrupting my preparations. But it would have been nice if the IBU had scheduled the last World Cup round before the Olympics at altitude,” says Suvi Minkkinen.

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