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Kerttu Niskanen explains how she decided to retire
🇫🇮 Finland /Sports

Kerttu Niskanen explains how she decided to retire

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Outcome reported
  • Kerttu Niskanen, 38, has ended her elite cross-country skiing career after winning three Olympic silver medals, two Olympic bronzes and two world championship bronzes.
  • She says injuries that cut short her most recent season contributed to the decision, although no single event prompted her retirement.
  • Niskanen says she did not want a prolonged farewell period that might weaken her focus on high-level competition.

Kerttu Niskanen says her decision to retire came gradually, shaped partly by injuries that ended her latest season early. The 38-year-old Finnish skier announced the end of a career that brought three Olympic silver medals, two Olympic bronze medals and two world championship bronze medals.

She also won the World Cup distance title in the 2022-23 season and enjoyed years of strong results on the circuit. Niskanen says the decision surprised many people, judging by the messages she received after making it public. She described herself as emotional and relieved, but not sad.

The decision surprised many people, I noticed that just from all the messages I received during the day.

— Kerttu NiskanenShe describes the reaction to her retirement announcement.

Niskanen says she had followed a year-by-year approach, with the previous winter especially important because of the Olympics. Injuries late in the season forced her to miss the final World Cup and domestic races. She continued training as much as her condition allowed during the summer, but the injuries took time and weighed on her thoughts.

There was no single revelation or bad news that settled the matter. Instead, she discussed the decision with people close to her through the spring and summer. Once retirement became a serious thought, she felt it affected the complete focus required for elite sport. She therefore chose to step away rather than spend one or two years on a slow farewell tour.

I am someone who has always done sport at full intensity.

— Kerttu NiskanenNiskanen explains why the idea of retirement affected her approach to competition.
About this summary

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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