A corporate supporter of sports, Robit signed a sponsorship and cooperation agreement in 2021 with Hilla Niemelä, one of the most promising young skiers in Finland. Hilla has been keeping a training diary for our readers; here is episode seven.

The first year on the national A-team is now behind me. It was a season full of lessons, both in training and competition. Making the jump to the A-team was incredibly motivating, and I got to train alongside skiers stronger than me. I was excited about the training season, and it went very well. As winter approached, I felt great physically and confident mentally.

The first races of the season got off to a promising start. But getting sick threw a wrench in my plans, and I had to take my time to recover and rebuild.

Overall, the competition season wasn’t what I had hoped for. I narrowly missed making the World Championship team for Trondheim, which was a huge disappointment. My expectations were high, and while my skiing wasn’t exactly bad, I had set much bigger goals for the year. I still believe I was in the best shape I’ve ever been, but that didn’t directly translate into results.

Mid-winter brought a long break from racing (there just weren’t any), so I had time to train well at home. The ski tracks in Tampere were in great condition, and after all the setbacks, it felt good to be home, focusing on training.

The end of the season went pretty well. Two highlights stand out: the team sprint at the Lahti World Cup and placing fifth in the Finnish Nationals in Taivalkoski, just three seconds off the podium. All in all, my performance level stayed steady, and my baseline clearly improved. Even on off days, I was able to perform decently, which is important for your mental game as well. That said, I’m still hungry for more in the seasons to come.

The Olympic season is now officially underway. In May, the main focus is prepping my body for summer training, where stringing together good days, weeks, and months really matters. Our first A-team camp was in mid-May in Vuokatti, and we’re heading back there again the week after Midsummer. There’s an excellent spirit in the team right now. We’re pushing each other forward in a season where everyone’s ultimate goal is, of course, the Milan–Cortina Olympics in February. That’s where we’re headed, focused, but not forcing it.

Cheers,
Hilla