The Finnish cross-country skiing season continued this Sunday with the first relays of the 2025/2026 Finnish Cup held in Vuokatti.

On a crisp early-winter day, Vuokatti Ski Team and Pohti SkiTeam took convincing wins in the women’s and men’s races, respectively.

In the women’s 3×6km freestyle relay, Vuokatti Ski Team dominated from start to finish. Vilma Nissinen created a solid gap on the second leg, and Jasmin Kähärä sealed the victory with a strong anchor, crossing the line more than 30 seconds ahead of the competition. Katri Lylynperä opened the race for the winning team.

“I was in such a good position when I started my leg. I could just focus on keeping my own pace,” Kähärä said to Yle after the finish, according to Maastohiihto.com.

Despite her solid performance, she remained cautious about assessing her early-season form:

“This was just the first harder effort on snow, so I’m still finding the feeling.”

Ikaalisten Urheilijat finished second with Hilla Niemelä, Katariina Lonka, and Olympic medalist Krista Pärmäkoski, while Teho Ski Team from Iisalmi took third with Silva Kemppi, Nora Kytäjä, and Vilma Ryytty.

Pärmäkoski secured second place for her team in a tight finishing sprint against Ryytty, despite breaking a pole mid-race.

“I managed to ski reasonably well even with the short pole,” she said with a smile.

“It wasn’t even that close at the finish.”

Mäki anchors Pohti SkiTeam to men’s victory

In the men’s 3×9km freestyle relay, Pohti SkiTeam from Pyhäjärvi took a clear victory, anchored by Joni Mäki (photo on the top). Teammates Niilo Moilanen and Juuso Haarala gave Mäki a comfortable lead heading into the final leg.

“It was nice that the guys gave me a good gap for the last leg. I didn’t have to push too hard, and the skiing flowed nicely,” Mäki told Yle.

Behind Pohti, Kuusamon Erä-Veikot secured second place with Kalle Parantainen, Arsi Ruuskanen, and Juuso Tossavainen, while Vuokatti Ski Team finished third with Eero Rantala, Veeti Pyykkö, and Emil Liekari. Liekari clocked the fastest anchor leg, five seconds quicker than Mäki.

Iivo Niskanen also impressed on the second leg for Puijon Hiihtoseura, skiing the fastest time and briefly taking the lead before the team dropped out of podium contention.

“The pacing was a bit too fast early on, but a good effort considering I’ve only done base training so far,” Niskanen commented, adding that his focus remains on finding balance before the World Cup season begins.

Season continues in Ruka

The Finnish Cup will continue in Ruka on November 22–23, before the FIS Cross-Country World Cup commences at the same venue from November 28 to 30.

Also Read: Cross-country skiing World Cup: Calendar for the 2025/2026 winter season

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