Iivo Niskanen fastest in Vuokatti Aateli Race prologue

Traditional skiing

Iivo Niskanen fastest in Vuokatti Aateli Race prologue

by Teemu Virtanen/Leandro Lutz • 25.06.2024

Photo: Touho Häkkinen

The Vuokatti Aateli Race started today with a fast-paced prologue roller ski race and will continue tomorrow with a cross-country running race and a 12.5 km roller ski competition.

The Vuokatti Aateli Race started with the traditional 1.6km freestyle prologue. Nine-time race winner and three-time Olympic gold medallist Iivo Niskanen was the fastest in the men’s category. Olli-Pekka Laitila, who also skied at the World Youth Championships, was second, and Lauri Lepistö, who skied the 50km race of his life in Holmenkollen last season, was third. The race also features many biathletes, and Otto Invenius, who did well last season, was ninth in the prologue.

Iivo Niskanen was satisfied with the first part of the three-race event.

“The weather was warm, and you could sweat a lot. It was a bit together at the beginning of the race, but the gap started to get bigger at the end. I’ve started a bit too hard, so it wasn’t so easy to get going,” Iivo Niskanen said after the race, adding about tomorrow:

“Tomorrow, we’ll start running and then (roller) skiing and see what we can get out of it at this stage. I’ve trained more than I’ve ever trained so far this year.”

The Vuokatti Aateli Race continues tomorrow with a cross-country running race and a 12.5km roller ski competition. The race program is available after the results below.