Drops his pro golf career for a cross-country skiing comeback and pays for it himself. Last weekend, he delivered a career-best at the season opener.

He has not focused on cross-country skiing since he was a junior. Instead, he went all in on golf and floorball. But now Eetu Isometsä wants to use the money he has earned from his golf career to commit systematically to cross-country skiing again. The goal is to become one of the 10-15 best cross-country skiers in Finland.

“I may not win any Olympic or World Championship gold, but it would be really cool if I can challenge the best in the country in the Finnish Cup,” Isometsä tells Ilta-Sanomat.

The 29-year-old is the son of Finnish Olympic and World Championship star Jari Isometsä, who was one of the athletes caught in the doping scandal at the 2001 World Championships in Lahti. He competed in three Olympics and four World Championships for Finland before the scandal-hit championships on home snow. Isometsä has a total of three Olympic bronze medals and four World Championship medals.

Aiming for the top, paying for everything himself

Eetu Isometsä still plays golf, but it is no longer his priority. However, he is funding his cross-country skiing project out of his own pocket. 

“I have enough sponsors and I work a bit as a ski coach on the side. That means I can focus professionally on cross-country skiing about 80 percent. That is enough for now,” he says.

“The dream of a cross-country skiing career has made me prioritize in a different direction. This summer I actually skipped a golf tournament, for the first time in my career,” he says, and explains: 

“The tournament would have taken a whole week, and it was a time when it suited to have a training camp.”

He believes this is realistic.

Career best in his comeback

Last weekend, Isometsä raced the season opener of the Finnish Cup in Vuokatti. There he finished 34th in the sprint prologue. The goal was to make the top 30, but he was only four tenths of a second from advancing, and with that he also achieved the best sprint result of his career.

“Of course I am a bit disappointed, since I was only four tenths from advancing to the heats. It is so little that it is not visible to the human eye,” Isometsä tells Ilta-Sanomat, and continues: 

“The sprint does not really start until the prologue is over. But on the other hand, this is the closest I have been to qualifying in my entire career.” 

Also Read: Olkkonen and Varis claim opening Finnish Cup sprint victories in Vuokatti

Best over distance

Isometsä believes the longer distances suit him better, and that he is better in skating. After the season opener, he is optimistic, and he is especially looking forward to the 20 km in Ruka at the end of the month. 

“I have never been better at running and roller skiing, especially toward the end of the summer. In addition to longer distances, I am better at skating. That is just how it is in this family,” he says, referring to his father. 

Read More: Pohti SkiTeam Pyhäjärvi claim first Finnish Cup relay victories of the season

Season continues in Ruka

The Finnish Cup will continue in Ruka on November 21–22, before the FIS Cross-Country World Cup commences at the same venue from November 27 to 29, 2026.

Read More: FIS 2026/2027 cross-country skiing World Cup calendar

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