Perttu Hyvärinen was interviewed by Maastohiihto.com last fall before the start of the season, and parts of this article have been published on our website previously. Perttu had a really good summer, and there wasn’t any major drama.

“Our profession is such that it’s enough to be in good shape in January, February, and March, and otherwise, you can be as carefree as you like. It doesn’t matter how the training sessions are going at this stage or how the running tests turn out because they don’t bring prize money or World Cup points,” Perttu told Maastohiihto.com before the winter season.

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A more relaxed approach to skiing

Perttu hasn’t kept a training diary for 11 years, but he estimates his annual training hours to be around a thousand. What interests the skier more is the results rather than jotting down training volumes in a diary.

“I want to enjoy sports and everything it offers now. In a way, I’ve had a more relaxed approach to sports, and surprisingly, the results have been better when I haven’t squeezed the pole so tightly,” Perttu analyzes his attitude towards his profession.

Reflecting on life, the 33-year-old skier returned to his past and pondered the question of what today’s Perttu is like compared to the young skier at the beginning of his career.

“Maybe I’m now able to enjoy sports in the same way as I did when I was a junior. After that, it was a bit more of a chore when the expected results didn’t come. It’s much nicer to do sports again than it was between the ages of 22 and 26. I definitely enjoy sports much more now than I did back then, and I can see the wonderful things that come with this sport. I still have a strong motivation for success, and that’s why I do sports. Of course, physical activity and sports are enjoyable as part of a lifestyle, but pure success is what interests me,” he says to Maastohiihto.com.

Life is more than just sports

The hunger for success is Perttu’s strength, but he no longer pushes himself in sports as he did when he was younger. In his free time, Perttu also focuses on things outside of sports, such as planning advertising shoots, working on the farm at home, getting to know people, following sports in Savonia, and expanding his network. It’s important for him to keep an eye on the world and news outside of skiing, but dreams still burn brightly.

“After the pandemic, I’ve been following Savonian sports more than ever. And there’s always plenty of work to do at home in the countryside, so it’s important to enjoy life sometimes. Sports has never been my whole life, and I have many interests. Even though I’m getting older, I have the mind of a young man. I’m good at dreaming and fantasizing. It would be nice to see the world beyond sports in the future and experience what it’s like to be a normal person without sports. That would be fun to try too.”

Thinking about the future and the length of his career, Perttu said he takes it one season at a time. The upcoming three-year stretch of championship seasons sounds like a long time at this point, but everything depends on how well his skis glide in the coming years.

“We’ll continue forward with goals in mind and take it one year at a time. It’s hard to deny that there are great championship winters ahead. I can’t say if they’re for me, but they’ll come for someone. Those upcoming championship venues are really great destinations.”

Taking it year by year, the skier always has an opportunity for analysis in the spring, focusing on strengths and working on improving weaknesses. One weakness has been skiing on flat terrain and efficient diagonal stride in those sections, and during the last training season, Perttu focused heavily, under the guidance of his coach, on improving this weakness.

As a student of forest science at the University of Eastern Finland, the athlete admits that if progress doesn’t happen, the skis will be thrown into the corner, and it’s time to do something else productive. Continuing education is an absolute step in life. However, sports aren’t his whole life, and the man has plans for other fields as well.

“We’ll see what we come up with. When skiing ends, then we’ll go on to pursue other dreams. Next up is certainly completing my studies. That’s a clear goal, and entrepreneurship is also of interest.”

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The goal is the podium

The long-awaited World Cup victory came to Perttu last winter, and he believes he can continue to ski among the top three in individual races in the world. There has also been progress in sprint skiing, although it’s not the skier’s favorite activity.

“Now I’m clearly more prepared than I was when I was younger, and I’ve been able to advance to the next round in the Tour de Ski sprint. I’m not talented in sprint skiing in any way, but through hard work, I’ve developed the skills to a level where I can achieve those speeds.”

Perttu admitted that the atmosphere of international competitions is what ignites his passion and provides fuel for training.

“I do enjoy the World Cup races as an athlete. After so many training camps and workouts, they’re not the number one priority anymore. What could be better than skiing a mass start in the World Cup, man against man.”

Ski Classics in the future?

Finally, Perttu was asked about the possibility of participating in Ski Classics races in the future. At this point, the man was still uncertain about his own contribution to long-distance skiing but left the door open.

“You never know what you’ll do in this life. There’s life outside of sports, but it’s probably quite difficult to let go. When Formula One skiing ends, then maybe it’s possible to ski on the Ski Classics side,” Perttu cryptically stated.

It remains to be seen whether Perttu will ski mass races towards the end of his career or if he will endure through three championship seasons. However, the skier is currently hungry, and his goals are still high. His new relaxed attitude will likely propel the athlete to great achievements, and it wouldn’t be impossible for more World Cup victories to come. And what could be better than podium finishes at next year’s World Championships in Trondheim, which Perttu is aiming for wholeheartedly.