Iivo NISKANEN

Finland

Cross-Country Skiing

Date of Birth: 12 Jan 1992

Age: 30

Gender: Male

Height (m/ft): 1.87/6'1''

Place of birth: OULU

Birth Country:

Finland

Residence: KUOPIO

Residence Country:

Finland

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank
Cross-Country Skiing	Men's 15km Classic	1
	Men's 15km + 15km Skiathlon	3
	Men's Team Sprint Classic FIN Finland	2
	Men's 4 x 10km Relay FIN Finland	6

Schedule

Location	Event	Status
Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre	Men's 15km + 15km Skiathlon	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre	Men's 15km Classic	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre	Men's 4 x 10km Relay	Finished
Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre	Men's Team Sprint Classic Final	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Athlete:

Historical Results

Olympic Games
Rank	Event	Year	Location
1	Men's 50 kilometres Mass Start, Classical	2018	PyeongChang, KOR
1	Team Sprint, Classical	2014	Sochi, RUS
4	Men's 4 × 10 kilometres Relay	2018	PyeongChang, KOR
4	15 kilometres, Classical	2014	Sochi, RUS
6	4 × 10 kilometres Relay	2014	Sochi, RUS
10	50 kilometres Mass Start, Freestyle	2014	Sochi, RUS
14	Men's Sprint, Classical	2018	PyeongChang, KOR
19	Men's 30 kilometres Skiathlon	2018	PyeongChang, KOR
25	30 kilometres Skiathlon	2014	Sochi, RUS

World Championship
Rank	Event	Year	Location
1	15 km C Men	2017	Lahti, FIN
2	Team Sprint Finals Men	2021	Oberstdorf, GER
3	15 km C Men	2019	Seefeld, AUT
3	Rel 4x5 km M Ladies	2017	Lahti, FIN
3	Team Sprint C Men	2017	Lahti, FIN
3	Rel 4x5 km M Ladies	2015	Falun, SWE
4	Rel 4x10 km M Men	2019	Seefeld, AUT
4	Skiathlon 15/15km C/F Men	2019	Seefeld, AUT
5	Rel 4x10 km M Men	2017	Lahti, FIN
5	Team Sprint C Ladies	2017	Lahti, FIN
5	Team Sprint F Men	2015	Falun, SWE
6	Rel 4x10 km M Men	2021	Oberstdorf, GER
6	50 km C Mst Men	2021	Oberstdorf, GER
6	Teamsprint C Final Men	2019	Seefeld, AUT
8	Rel 4x10 km M Men	2015	Falun, SWE
10	Team Sprint F Ladies	2015	Falun, SWE
13	Skiathlon 15/15km C/F Men	2021	Oberstdorf, GER
18	15 km F Men	2021	Oberstdorf, GER
26	Skiathlon 15/15km F/C Men	2015	Falun, SWE

World Cup Rankings
Season	All	Sprint	Distance
2021/2022	4	53	6
2020/2021	23	84	19
2019/2020	6	31	3
2018/2019	20	92	13
2017/2018	15	24	13

Best performances per season in World Cup events from 2018/2019 - Individual events until 15km

Season	SP C	SP F	10km F	15km C	15km F	15km P	15/15km C/F
2021/22	1 x 20th	1 x 40th	1 x 12nd	2 x 1st	1 x 20th
2020/21	1 x 26th			1 x 5th	1 x 33rd	1 x 16th	1 x 8th
2019/20	1 x 9th	1 x 42nd	1 x 27th	2 x 1st	1 x 2nd	2 x 4th	1 x 8th
2018/19	1 x 37th	1 x 28th		1 x 1st	1 x 6th	1 x 16th

Best performances per season in World Cup events from 2018/2019 - Individual events longer than 15km

Season	>30km F	50km C	30km P	50km P	Overall
2021/22
2020/21				1 x 27th	1 x 5th
2019/20	1 x 19th	1 x 16th	1 x 2nd		1 x 3rd
2018/19		1 x 32nd			1 x 7th

Best performances in World Cup races from 2018/2019 - Team events

Season	SP	4x7.5km M
2021/22		1 x 11st
2020/21		1 x 2nd
2019/20		1 x 6th
2018/19	1 x 2nd	1 x 3rd

Ten Best World Cup Performances in Current Season
Rank	Event	Season	Location
1	15 km C Men	2021/2022	Ruka, FIN
3	FIS Tour de Ski Men	2021/2022	FIS Tour de Ski, FIS
11	Rel 4x7.5 km M Men	2021/2022	Lillehammer, NOR

Nickname:

Messias (from when he was a junior skier)

Hobbies:

Harness horse racing: Co-owns two horses, Victory Bonsai and Cameron Evo. In recognition of his 2018 Olympic gold medal, received ownership of a horse initially called Gunvald Hoss but now known as Goldiivo Hoss. (seura.fi, Mar 2018; travronden.se, Feb 2018; yle.fi, Feb 2021)

Occupation:

Athlete

Education:

High school diploma.

Family:

Wife Saana (nee Kemppainen). Father, Eero Niskanen. Mother, Tarja Niskanen. Sisters, Kerttu, Katri and Iita.

Languages spoken:

Finnish, English

Club name:

Puijon Hiihtoseura (Kuopio, FIN)

Coach:

Olli Ohtonen (FIN)

Sporting relatives:

Sister Kerttu Niskanen (Cross-country skiing): Two-time Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games silver medallist (team sprint, 4x5km relay) and two-time Olympian (2014, 2018); two-time World Championships relay bronze medallist (2015, 2017); four-time U23 World Championships individual medallist from 2009, 2010. 2011 (two gold, two bronze); Junior World Championships relay bronze medallist (2008); two World Cup 10km victories (2014, 2019).

Other sports:

Football: Until high school age.

Debut:

2011 World Cup in Lahti (Pursuit - 69th)

National team:

2014

Start:

Grew up on skis, including skiing the 2.5km journey to his primary school. Recalls racing for the first time at age six. Always competing with older sister Kerttu. (koululainen.fi, Feb 2017)

Ambition:

Winning.

Training:

Has trained as much as 1100 hours a season, excluding stretching and coordination units. (Il.fi, Oct 2019)

Hero:

Cross-country skier Mika Myllyla (FIN), six-time Olympic medallist (one gold, one silver, four bronze) over three Olympic Winter Games (1992, 1994, 1998).

Award:

Athlete of the Year at the Finnish Sports Gala (together with Sami Jauhojarvi in 2014), and alone in 2017 and 2018.

General Interest

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 he was a year old. The village is home to Ponsse, a forest machinery producer, whose owner Einari Vidgren was a keen horseman and a cross-country skiing supporter and a key partner for him over many years. (seura.fi, Mar 2018)

Milestones

OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
Debuted at Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, where he won Olympic gold in the team sprint with Sami Jauhojarvi, and missed an individual medal by a mere 0.2 seconds finishing fourth in the 15km race.

At his second Olympic Winter Games at PyeongChang 2018, he won his second career Olympic gold medal (50km), becoming only the fourth Finn to win this distance at the Olympic Winter Games. Was a member of the 4x10km relay team that finished fourth by just over one second.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Became world champion in the 15km classical technique event at his home World Championships in Lahti in 2017, where he also won a bronze in the team sprint after a dramatic final stretch where he collided with Emil Iversen of Norway and saw both Russia and Italy pass. 2019 bronze medallist in the 15km.

At the 2012 Junior World Championships, he won bronze with the relay team, and at the 2014 U23 World Championships he won in the 15km classic. The following year, at Erzurum 2013, he narrowly missed an individual medal by finishing fourth in the 10km.

WORLD CUP
Had his first World Cup victory in November 2014 by winning the 15km classic race at Ruka. Altogether to date, he has 13 World Cup podiums, of which five are individual victories.

Social Media

Legend

:: Gold
:: Silver
:: Bronze
:: Gold Medal Event

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