Finland secured bronze in the women’s 4×7.5km cross-country relay at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics, ending a 12-year wait for an Olympic medal in the event.

The quartet of Johanna Matintalo, Kerttu Niskanen, Vilma Ryytty and Jasmi Joensuu finished third in heavy, wet snow as Norway took gold and Sweden silver.

Norway won in 1:15:44.8. Sweden followed 50.9 seconds behind. Finland crossed the line 1 minute 14.7 seconds after the winners and 21.3 seconds ahead of Germany in fourth.

Matintalo opened the relay in testing conditions on the classic leg. She handed over in sixth place, 12.2 seconds behind Sweden’s Linn Svahn.

“Quite okay. Not super good, but the conditions and the course were challenging,” Matintalo said. “A few main rivals struggled more than I did.”

The opening leg saw several falls on the first downhill. Matintalo later said she had not been able to ski the course in advance and described the track as difficult.

“Conditions are the same for everyone. We won’t hide behind them,” she said.

On the second classic leg, Niskanen moved Finland into contention. She lifted the team to second at the exchange, 23.4 seconds behind Norway.

Her leg included drama as Sweden’s Ebba Andersson fell twice and broke a binding, losing more than a minute.

“It was eventful,” Niskanen said. “I started too hard. My mind wanted to go with Slind, but my legs were further back.”

Niskanen, competing in her fourth Olympics, claimed her fifth Olympic medal and her third in a relay across different Games. She later embraced coach Teemu Pasanen in the service area.

“I said earlier that on Valentine’s Day we have to succeed,” Niskanen said with a smile.

Ryytty, racing her first major championship relay, skied the first freestyle leg. Norway extended their lead to 48.3 seconds, but Ryytty held second place and broke clear of Switzerland’s Marina Kälin.

“I got into a flow state and did not think about the situation,” Ryytty said. “I knew I could ski faster than the ones around me. I just pushed hard uphill and hoped others would drop.”

Head coach Reijo Jylhä praised her performance in an interview with Yle.

“On freestyle, Vilma solved it with her effort. She exceeded herself,” Jylhä said. “We are not so good that without winning skis we can succeed.”

He added that the medal was significant for the entire team. “This has been a journey since summer. Everyone did their part. Also the service team was very good,” he said.

Joensuu started the anchor leg 18 seconds ahead of Sweden’s Jonna Sundling. Sundling closed the gap on the descents and overtook on the final lap to secure silver for Sweden.

Joensuu maintained her pace and ensured bronze, with the chasing group more than 40 seconds behind at one stage. The United States finished fifth, 1:52.2 behind Norway.

“In a way I felt relief at the finish,” Joensuu said. “We have been fourth so many times. I did not want it to come down to a sprint. I skied my own race.”

Finland had finished fourth in the women’s relay at the previous two Olympics. The last Olympic relay medal came in Sochi in 2014, when Niskanen also featured in the line-up.

For Matintalo, Ryytty and Joensuu, the bronze marked their first Olympic medal.

The result brought Finland’s total Olympic medals in cross-country skiing to 87 and their tenth in the women’s relay.

HT