Niskanen (FIN) roars to the top of the podium in Ruka opener

Iivo Niskanen loves racing in Finland. More specifically, he loves racing in Ruka, where he won for the fifth time on Friday with a dominant display in the men's 10km to start the season with a bang.

It was a ninth World Cup victory – all skiing the classic technique – for the three-time Olympic champion and made even sweeter by the fact that he just missed out on topping the podium in the same race last year, dropping his ski polls in disgust after losing narrowly to Martin Loewstroem Nyenget (NOR).

On this occasion, Niskanen crossed the line ahead of a stellar cast of five Norwegians, including third-placed Nyenget, unleashing a reel of emojis to the delight of the home crowd as darkness descended.

First, he pointed one finger to the air, then he spread out his arms. Next, he whipped up the fans with both hands before putting a ‘shushing’ finger to his mouth, dropping his poles (microphone style) and finishing with a double flex of his arm muscles.

“It feels great to be back,” the 32-year-old said. “The last two seasons have been more sick than healthy during the wintertime so at least I managed to start well this season and hopefully it will continue.”

“Great to take the Norwegians again, that this lazy guy can beat these super athletes.”

Like the women’s race earlier in the day, the men’s 10k started amid a flurry of snow, putting the early starters at a disadvantage.

In truth, Ruka’s challenging, hilly layout suited Niskanen perfectly, his lighter frame and climbing prowess making short work of the three steep ascents and tricky flat sections.

“It was impressive,” World Cup favourite Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo admitted, after finishing fourth. “Iivo seemed to be really strong and he really pushed hard on those parts where I was struggling."

Harald Oestberg Amundsen, last season’s Crystal Globe winner, finished second, 12.5 seconds back, just ahead Nyenget.

“It’s tough to be a cross-country skier,” Amundsen said, having crossed the line in exhaustion. “It doesn’t come for free to be on the podium and I think classic races are the hardest ones. But I had a really good day and I’m really satisfied. It’s maybe my best classic race ever so it was only a joy, but yeah, I was really tired.

“My classic technique has improved a lot. I have been training with the other guys on the team and I think I have learned a lot from them. Today, I managed to use my energy right during the race and have a bit more left on the last 5K. I had the perfect set-up and really good skis so today was as good as it could be.”

Nyenget, too, was happy with a podium. “It was a really good fight,” he laughed. “I started a bit earlier so I heard I was a bit behind Iivo on my first lap. Last year, he broke some poles and this year he celebrated with a mic drop and telling everyone we should be quiet, so I will use this as a big motivation for the upcoming races.”

The men’s World Cup season continues on Sunday with the Sprint Classic.

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