Reijo Jylhä, the head coach of the Finnish women's cross-country ski team, has expressed urgent concerns following the team's poor performance in a ten-kilometer freestyle race held in Italy. With four Finnish women finishing between 18th and 30th place and trailing the gold medalist Frida Karlsson by 1:50 to 2:21, Jylhä emphasized the need for higher standards, noting that only Kerttu Niskanen had subpar equipment. Despite the disappointing results, he mentioned that it shouldn't be solely attributed to equipment issues, as the Finnish athletes generally perform better in traditional skiing techniques.

In his commentary, Jylhä acknowledged the historical strength of the Finnish squad in freestyle skiing, highlighting that the majority of the current team, including Niskanen, Johanna Matintalo, Jasmi Joensuu, and Krista Pärmäkoski, excel more in traditional styles. He pointed out that only Vilma Ryyty represents a strong freestyle competitor among the current selections. This suggests that the team needs to focus on aligning their training strategies with their strengths to boost performance in future competitions.

Moreover, Jylhä expressed a desire for cooperation with Sweden, particularly since a Swedish head coach has been appointed to assist Finland's skiing efforts. He sees the potential for cross-border collaboration to improve Finnish athletes' skills in freestyle skiing, especially in light of Sweden's recent successes. Jylhä's call for help emphasizes not only the immediate need to address performance but also the long-term strategy of learning and adapting from successful neighboring teams in international competitions.