National title for Korhonen and Hirvonen

Lahti was venue of the Finnish national championships in Nordic Combined last weekend.

After the Individual competitions on Saturday, Minja Korhonen of Siilinjärvi Ponnistus and Eero Hirvonen of Jyväskylä Ski Club were awarded as Finnish champions 2022.

Korhonen showed strong performances throughout the day and was already in the lead after the Ski Jumping part with 88.5 meters. Therefore, the 15-year-old went into the rollerski race 36 seconds ahead of Annika Malacinski from Ounasvaara Ski Club, and defended her lead until the finish line. 
Malacinski, who usually starts for the United States in World Cup competitions but was eligible to start since she is half-Finn, kept the second place, ahead of Vörå IF's Alva Thors on rank 3.

“My jumping was at a basic level, due to a few problems with my position", explained Korhonen, who just participated in her first Summer Grand Prix a week ago. "However, it was enough for a comfortable lead during the rollerski race, so I was able to ski with a relaxed feeling. My skiing was surprisingly good! After the Grand Prix I've been feeling a bit tired in my body and I was wondering what I’ll be able to accomplish here, but it was really good skiing."

Also in the men's competition, the same winner remained from the Ski Jumping part to the end of the rollerski competition. Eero Hirvonen, who reached 128 meters on the hill winning the Ski Jumping round 17 seconds ahead of Overall Summer Grand Prix champion Ilkka Herola, also kept his lead during the rollerski race.

“The jumping competition today was very good”, said Finlands new national champion afterwards. “I am at the same level as already during Summer Grand Prix, and skiing was a blast, although I noticed in the middle of the race that the tip of my pole was off. Fortunately, the gap was big enough, so it didn’t do any harm.”

Ilkka Herola, who was still recovering from an intense but very successful Summer Grand Prix, did not start the rollerskiing part of the competition.

Therefore, the other medals in the men's competitions went to Arttu Mäkiaho (Kainuu Ski Club) and Niklas Malacinski (Ounasvaara Ski Club).

Lahti also held a championship competition in the under-18 category. There, Heta Hirvonen (Lahdi Ski Club) and Valtteri Holopainen (Siilinjärvi Ponnistus) secured the junior titles for 2022.

Source: Suomen Hiihtoliitto