Kerttu NISKANEN

Finland

Cross-Country Skiing

Date of Birth: 13 Jun 1988

Age: 33

Gender: Female

Place of birth: OULU

Birth Country:

Finland

Residence: SOTKAMO

Residence Country:

Finland

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank
Cross-Country Skiing	Women's 10km Classic	2
	Women's 7.5km + 7.5km Skiathlon	4
	Women's Team Sprint Classic FIN Finland	4
	Women's 30km Mass Start Free	3
	Women's 4 x 5km Relay FIN Finland	4

Schedule

Location	Event	Status
Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre	Women's 7.5km + 7.5km Skiathlon	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre	Women's 10km Classic	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre	Women's 4 x 5km Relay	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre	Women's Team Sprint Classic Final	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre	Women's 30km Mass Start Free	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Athlete:

Historical Results

Olympic Games
Rank	Event	Year	Location
2	Team Sprint, Classical	2014	Sochi, RUS
2	4 × 5 kilometres Relay	2014	Sochi, RUS
4	Women's 4 × 5 kilometres Relay	2018	PyeongChang, KOR
4	30 kilometres Mass Start, Freestyle	2014	Sochi, RUS
6	Women's 30 kilometres Mass Start, Classical	2018	PyeongChang, KOR
7	15 kilometres Skiathlon	2014	Sochi, RUS
8	10 kilometres, Classical	2014	Sochi, RUS
16	Women's 15 kilometres Skiathlon	2018	PyeongChang, KOR
23	Women's Sprint, Classical	2018	PyeongChang, KOR

World Championship
Rank	Event	Year	Location
3	Rel 4x5 km M Ladies	2017	Lathi, FIN
3	Rel 4x5 km M Ladies	2015	Falun, SWE
4	Skiathlon 7.5/7.5km F/C Ladies	2015	Falun, SWE
4	30 km C Mst Ladies	2015	Falun, SWE
5	Team Sprint C Ladies	2017	Lathi, FIN
5	Rel 4x5 km M Ladies	2013	Predazzo, ITA
6	10 km C Ladies	2017	Lathi, FIN
7	SP C Final Ladies	2015	Falun, SWE
7	30 km C Mst Ladies	2013	Predazzo, ITA
8	10 km F Ladies	2015	Falun, SWE
8	10 km C Ladies	2011	Oslo, NOR
9	SP C Final Ladies	2013	Predazzo, ITA
12	Skiathlon 7.5/7.5km C/F Ladies	2013	Predazzo, ITA
22	10 km C Ladies	2019	Seefeld, AUT

World Cup Rankings
Season	All	Distance	Sprint
2021/2022	7	9	30
2020/2021	28	24	65
2019/2020	15	11	43
2018/2019	42	21	79
2017/2018	10	9	42

Best performances per season in World Cup events from 2018/2019 - Individual events until 15km
Season	SP C	SP F	10 km C	10 km F Pursuit	10 km F	10 km C Mst	10 km C Pursuit	10 km F Mst	7.5/7.5 km C/F	15 km F
2021/2022			1 x 7th	1 x 8th	1 x 12th
2020/2021					1 x 17th	1 x 12th			1 x 12th
2019/2020	1 x 18th		1 x 13th		1 x 6th		1 x 6th	1 x 20th	1 x 8th
2018/2019	1 x 46th	1 x 46th	1 x 1st		1 x 10th					1 x 33rd

Best performances per season in World Cup events from 2018/2019 - Individual events longer than 15km
Season	30 km C Mst
2019/2020	1 x 7th
2018/2019	1 x 11th

Best performances in World Cup races from 2018/2019 - Team events
Season	TSP C	4x5 km Mst R
2021/2022		1 x 5th
2020/2021		1 x 3rd
2019/2020		1 x 2nd
2018/2019	1 x 7th

World Cup
Season	FIS Tour de Ski Ladies
2021/2022	1 x 5th

Ten Best World Cup Performances in Current Season
Rank	Event	Season	Location
5	FIS Tour de Ski Ladies	2021/2022	FIS Tour de Ski, FIS
5	4x5 km Mst R	2021/2022	Lillehammer, NOR
7	10 km C	2021/2022	Ruka, FIN
8	10 km F Pursuit	2021/2022	Ruka, FIN
12	10 km F	2021/2022	Lillehammer, NOR
15	10 km F	2021/2022	Davos, SUI

Ten Best World Cup Performances in Current Season
Rank	Event	Season	Location
5	FIS Tour de Ski Ladies	2021/2022	FIS Tour de Ski, FIS

Nickname:

Kepa

Hobbies:

Baking, sports. (fis-ski.com)

Occupation:

Athlete

Education:

High school diploma.

Family:

Husband, Juho Mikkonen. Parents, Eero and Tarja Niskanen. Sisters, Katri and Iita. Brother, Iivo.

Languages spoken:

Finnish, English

Club name:

Viereman Koitto (Vierema, FIN)

Coach:

Personal: Husband Juho Mikkonen (FIN) - since 2019

Sporting relatives:

Husband Juho Mikkonen (Cross-country skiing): Competed at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (sprint), 2021 World Championships, two Junior World Championships (best of fourth in sprint in 2010), three U23 World Championships (sprint silver in 2013), and had six top-10 World Cup finishes. Retired in spring 2021.

Brother Iivo Niskanen (Cross-country skiing): Two-time Olympic champion (team sprint in 2014, 50km in 2018), three-time World Championships medallist, one gold (15km in 2017), and two bronzes (15km and team sprint in 2019). Closing ceremony flagbearer at Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Debut:

2007 World Cup in Ruka (10km - 61st)

Injuries:

January 2021: Broke her fibula in a World Cup competition in Falun, which ended her season prematurely and required a nine-week rehabilitation.

Autumn 2019: Overtraining due to heavy training in summer and early autumn months.

Autumn 2010: Had problems with Mycoplasma pneumonia and continued to struggle with related issues for another two seasons. (is.fi, Feb 2014)

National team:

2010

Start:

Learned to ski at age three, and competed in her first competition before she was five. Used to ski to primary school, just short of 2km. Her father would set a track around the house with a ski-doo where she and her siblings would ski and play all winter long. (seura.fi, Feb 2014)

Reason:

As a young girl she watched the Olympic Games on television with her father and wanted a gold medal. (Info 2018)

Ambition:

To win an Olympic gold medal and wear the World Cup leader's orange bib. (seura.fi, Feb 2014)

Hero:

Cross-country skier Virpi Kuitunen-Sarasvuo (FIN), two-time Olympic bronze medallist (2014 team sprint, 2018 4x5km relay) and six-time World champion. (il.fi, Apr 2019)

Influence:

Father. (Twitter, Nov 2017)

General Interest

HUSBAND JUHO MIKKONEN
She met skier Juho Mikkonen in Vuokatti in the mid-2000s, got engaged in 2010, and they had the wedding date of 8 August 2020 set for quite some time. They arrived at their wedding location of Vierema, Northern Savonia by helicopter. (tellerreport.com, 8 Oct 2020; iltalehti.fi, 23 Oct 2020)

COACH JUHO MIKKONEN
Has been coached by her husband since 2019. "We have had a good coaching relationship, but that's what I thought. Some may see it when their own spouse is coaching that there may be conflicts in it. But Juho was always interested in coaching and he already gave opinions and views on what was changed in the training program during the time of my previous coach Pekka Vahasyyring." (iltalehti.fi, 23 Oct 2020)

FROM NORTHERN SAVONIA
Was born in Oulu but grew up in the Northern Savonia region of Finland, at Vierema which is a 4000 inhabitant village where the family moved when she was five. The village is home to Ponsse, a forest machinery producer, whose founder Einari Vidgren was a keen cross-country skiing supporter and a key partner for her over many years. (seura.fi, Mar 2018)

VALIO AKATEMIA
Serves as an ambassador of Valio Academy which encourages youngsters to be active and adopt healthy lifestyles. (Instagram, May 2021)

Milestones

OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
Has two Olympic silver medals from relay events, the classic team sprint (with Aino-Kaisa Saarinen), and the relay from the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Best individual result of fourth in the 30km mass start in Sochi 2014.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Winner of two relay bronze medals at Lahti 2017 and Falun 2015. Just missed her first individual medal twice at Falun 2015 finishing fourth in the skiathlon and 30km mass start.

Competed at two Junior World Championships (2007-08), winning a relay bronze medal and finishing fourth in the 5km classic race, both at Malles 2008.

Two-time U23 World Championships champion (10km in 2010, classic sprint in 2011), and two-time bronze medallist (2009 classic sprint, 2011 pursuit).

WORLD CUP
Has won three World Cup races, during the Tour de Ski 2013/14 and 2021/22 in Lenzerheide, and in Cogne in February 2019 (all 10km classic). Celebrated her first podium with the relay team in La Clusaz in January 2013, and individually two months later in the Stockholm Royal Castle sprint where she finished third.

Social Media

Legend

:: Silver
:: Bronze
:: Gold Medal Event

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