This year, the Finnish Ski Association divided the A National Team for the training camp in August. Hence, the sprinters go to Norway to race at Toppidrettsveka while the remaining athletes train in Italy at high altitudes.

The Finnish cross-country skier Joni Mäki, who will participate in this week’s Toppidrettsveka, says he has been training all summer in Vuokatti, Finland, so going to Norway feels especially invigorating.

“I haven’t had a training camp anywhere yet, so a change of scenery is good for the mind. It’s nice to see how well your performance on rollers is against Norwegian skiers and what level we’re at in terms of form at the moment,” says Mäki to Maastohiihto.com.

Mäki considers the summer competitions good training and will not draw too big conclusions from the results.

“If it goes bad, you have to think about whether you have done too much and how to plan the training in the future. I’m really looking forward to it, as I haven’t been there before and don’t know what to expect.”

Preparing for future major competitions

Mäki’s training season has gone well so far, but his current condition is still a mystery even to himself. He says that he is satisfied that there is still time for winter.

Mäki’s long-term goals, like many others, are the 2025 World Championships and the 2026 Olympics. With them in mind, the current season is quite important.

“It is important to have a good training season and competitions for the winter. Next winter’s biggest goal is to ski the Tour de Ski. You can push yourself a little there when there are no major competitions.”

Motivation 

Mäki had experienced many adversities in his career, especially in his youth when he suffered from some illness. 

However, the passion for the sport and the will to succeed have always remained.

“When I was younger, I thought it would be a tricky road if I didn’t get the illness under control. Then they asked if I should go to study, but I have always been fully focused, and I have always wanted to look at this possibility.”

Mäki says that he doesn’t get motivation from outside, but it comes from himself.

“I know that not everything has gone perfectly and that I can do things better. It brings a desire always to perform a little better.”

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