Amanda Saari, a member of the B Finnish national team, has started her season strong, especially in sprint events. Her most recent achievement was a victory in the traditional sprint at the Lillehammer Scandinavian Cup.

Saari began her season with a fourth-place finish in the Olos sprint and continued impressively in the Ruka World Cup, where she posted the second-fastest qualifying time. She finished ninth overall. While she missed out on a heat place at the Lillehammer World Cup, last Friday’s Scandinavian Cup sprint performance was so strong that she claimed victory in the highly competitive event.

“It felt really great. Scandinavian Cup races, especially in Norway, are extremely competitive, so it signaled progress and brought me one step closer to the world’s best,” Saari said.

Read also: Koirikivi and Saari winners of Lapponia Ski Week stage 3 – Lepistö and Böök winners overall

While Saari is generally satisfied with her start to the season, she admits there have been disappointments in some races. While her sprint results have been solid, her performances in longer-distance events have not met her expectations.

“Based on autumn tests, I had higher expectations for distance races. Ski selection hasn’t been on point, and in some races, I’ve completely drained my legs. I strongly believe I can deliver better results as the season progresses,” she told Maastohiihto.com.

Amanda Saari’s Strengths in Sprint Skiing

For Saari, it is clear that her strengths are best suited for sprinting. Her training is currently focused entirely on the traditional sprint at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Nevertheless, she doesn’t want to be labeled solely as a sprinter.

“In Finland, competing in distance races also serves as good training and contributes to achieving my ultimate goal. I don’t want to pigeonhole myself, but it’s a fact that my strongest attributes are in sprinting“, she explains.

Saari has a versatile sports background, having competed in swimming before switching to cross-country skiing. She believes her swimming years have also helped her develop as a sprint skier.

“In swimming, my strengths were the 50- and 100-meter events, lasting from half a minute to just over a minute. A sprint in skiing takes a bit longer, but there are downhill segments where you can recover. So, there are definitely similarities between the sports“, she states.

“By engaging in a variety of sports, I’ve avoided major injuries. Plus, swimming has given me excellent core control, making the skiing position feel natural and easy to maintain” explains Amanda.

Additionally, Saari believes her natural attributes are well-suited for sprint events:“I’m fast, strong, and have excellent anaerobic energy production. No matter the sport, I’ve always enjoyed short bursts of intense effort.”

Amanda Saari and Her Path to the Top

This winter, Saari aims to participate in more World Cup sprint races and gain experience in heat skiing. She feels her primary area for improvement in heats lies in tactical awareness. She says: “I believe my physical capabilities are sufficient to make a final in the traditional style this season, but I need to work on my tactical awareness.”

Saari sees her lack of tactical experience as primarily due to insufficient race exposure. She also believes that heat skiing skills can only develop through participating in heat.

“When your muscles are full of lactic acid and situations arise quickly, your thoughts don’t flow as clearly at that moment. Watching races on TV afterward, I think, ‘That wasn’t a smart move,’ but in the moment, you just don’t have eyes in the back of your head.”

Find more traditional cross-country skiing articles at ProXCSkiing.com.

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