Quick Facts
Biography
Iivo Henrik Niskanen (born 12 January 1992) is a Finnish cross-country skier who has competed in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup since 2011. He is a two-time Olympic champion.
Career
Iivo Niskanen made his individual World Cup debut on 12 March 2011, when he became 69th in a 20 km skiathlon in Lahti, Finland. He had his breakthrough at international level when he won the 15 kilometre classic race at the 2014 under-23 World Championships in Val di Fiemme on 30 January 2014. He won the race with a 17.4 seconds margin to Sergey Ustiugov. Only three days after he won the gold medal at the under-23 World Championships, he became 8th in a 15 km classic World Cup race in Toblach, Italy.
He won the gold medal in men's team sprint at the 2014 Winter Olympics with Sami Jauhojärvi. Following the pair's achievement, Niskanen and Jauhojärvi shared the Finnish Sports Personality of the Year award in 2014. Niskanen finished 4th on the prestigious 50 km race in Holmenkollen on 8 March 2014.
In the following 2014–15 season, Niskanen won his first World Cup victory on 30 November 2014 by winning a 15 km classic race on home soil in Ruka, Finland.
At the 2017 World Championships in Lahti Niskanen won a bronze medal in the team sprint together with team mate Jauhojärvi. Niskanen led the race into its final stages, but a crash with Norway's Emil Iversen saw Russia and Italy surpass them. On 1 March, he became World champion on the 15 km classic event, winning the gold medal 17.9 seconds ahead of Martin Johnsrud Sundby. He won his second Finnish Sports Personality of the Year in 2017.
In the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Niskanen became individual Olympic champion on the men's 50 kilometre classical. In January 2019, Niskanen was awarded his third Finnish Sports Personality of the Year for the year 2018, the first since Marjo Matikainen in 1987 to win the award two consecutive years; the first male since Kaarlo Kangasniemi in 1969.
At the 2019 World Championships in Seefeld in Tirol, Austria, Niskanen won a bronze medal in the 15 km classic event. This turned out to be his only medal at the championships as he finished fourth in both the skiathlon and the relay.
Iivo Niskanen started the 2019–20 season with his third 15 km classic World Cup win in Ruka and a third place in the overall 2019 Nordic Opening.
Cross-country skiing results
All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Olympic Games
- 2 medals – (2 gold)
| Year | Age | 15 km individual | 30 km skiathlon | 50 km mass start | Sprint | 4 × 10 km relay | Team sprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 22 | 4 | 25 | 10 | — | 6 | Gold |
| 2018 | 26 | — | 19 | Gold | 14 | 4 | — |
World Championships
- 3 medals – (1 gold, 2 bronze)
| Year | Age | 15 km individual | 30 km skiathlon | 50 km mass start | Sprint | 4 × 10 km relay | Team sprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 23 | — | 26 | — | — | 8 | — |
| 2017 | 25 | Gold | — | — | — | 5 | Bronze |
| 2019 | 27 | Bronze | 4 | — | — | 4 | 7 |
World Cup
Season standings
| Season | Age | Discipline standings | Ski Tour standings | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Distance | Sprint | Nordic Opening | Tour de Ski | Ski Tour 2020 | World Cup Final | Ski Tour Canada | ||
| 2011 | 19 | NC | NC | NC | — | — | N/A | — | N/A |
| 2012 | 20 | NC | — | NC | — | — | N/A | — | N/A |
| 2013 | 21 | NC | NC | NC | 40 | DNF | N/A | — | N/A |
| 2014 | 22 | 50 | 31 | 90 | — | — | N/A | DNF | N/A |
| 2015 | 23 | 40 | 25 | 78 | — | DNF | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2016 | 24 | 66 | 43 | 73 | 27 | DNF | N/A | N/A | — |
| 2017 | 25 | 14 | 4 | 42 | 10 | DNF | N/A | DNF | N/A |
| 2018 | 26 | 15 | 13 | 24 | 6 | DNF | N/A | DNF | N/A |
| 2019 | 27 | 20 | 13 | 92 | 7 | — | N/A | — | N/A |
| 2020 | 28 | 6 |  | 31 | | 10 | 8 | N/A | N/A |
Individual podiums
- 5 victories – (4 WC, 1 SWC)
- 14 podiums – (10 WC, 4 SWC)
| No. | Season | Date | Location | Race | Level | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014–15 | 30 November 2014 | Rukatunturi, Finland | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 1st |
| 2 | 2016–17 | 27 November 2016 | Rukatunturi, Finland | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 1st |
| 3 | 19 February 2017 | Otepää, Estonia | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 2nd | |
| 4 | 11 March 2017 | Holmenkollen, Norway | 50 km Mass Start C | World Cup | 2nd | |
| 5 | 2017–18 | 25 November 2017 | Rukatunturi, Finland | 15 km Individual C | Stage World Cup | 3rd |
| 6 | 4 March 2018 | Lahti, Finland | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 2nd | |
| 7 | 2018–19 | 20 January 2019 | Otepää, Estonia | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 1st |
| 8 | 17 February 2019 | Cogne, Italy | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 2nd | |
| 9 | 2019–20 | 30 November 2019 | Rukatunturi, Finland | 15 km Individual C | Stage World Cup | 1st |
| 10 | 29 November – 1 December 2019 | Rukatunturi, Finland | Overall Standings | World Cup | 3rd | |
| 11 | 1 January 2020 | Toblach, Italy | 15 km Pursuit C | Stage World Cup | 3rd | |
| 12 | 18 January 2020 | Nové Město, Czech Republic | 15 km Individual F | World Cup | 2nd | |
| 13 | 23 February 2020 | Trondheim, Norway | 30 km Pursuit C | Stage World Cup | 2nd | |
| 14 | 29 February 2020 | Lahti, Finland | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 1st |
Team podiums
- 1 podium– (1 TS)
| No. | Season | Date | Location | Race | Level | Place | Teammate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018–19 | 10 February 2019 | Lahti, Finland | 6 × 1.6 km Team Sprint C | World Cup | 3rd | Hakola |
Awards
- Finnish Sports Personality of the Year: 2014 (shared with Sami Jauhojärvi), 2017, 2018
Personal life
His sister Kerttu is also cross-country skier, double silver medalist from the 2014 Winter Olympics, and his other sister Katri is a highly regarded Finnish fashion designer.
