Aino-Kaisa Saarinen Explained

Aino-Kaisa Saarinen
Birth Date:	1979 2, df=yes
Birth Place:	Hollola, Finland
Height:	1.67 m^[1]
Club:	Lempäälän Kisa
Seasons:	21 – (1998–2018)
Wins:	4
Totalpodiums:	35
Teamwins:	3
Teampodiums:	26
Individual Starts:	354
Team Starts:	48
Wcoveralls:	0 – (3rd in 2009)
Wctitles:	0
Show-Medals:	yes

Aino-Kaisa Saarinen (born 1 February 1979) is a retired Finnish cross-country skier who competed in the World Cup between 1998 and 2018. With 354 individual World Cup starts, Saarinen is the current record holder for both men and women, with Stefanie Böhler in second place with 343.^[2]

Career

Competing in two Winter Olympics, she won three bronze medals with one in 2006 (Team sprint) and two in 2010 (30 km, 4 × 5 km relay).

Saarinen also won six medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with four golds (Team sprint: 2009, 10 km: 2009, 4 × 5 km relay: 2007, 2009) and two bronze (7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit: 2009, 10 km: 2011). She has six individual victories in FIS races since 2002, but did not win her first World Cup event until she won the 30 km classical event at the Holmenkollen ski festival on 17 March 2007.

Saarinen finished second in the 2008/09 Tour de Ski behind Virpi Kuitunen.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).^[3]

Olympic Games

• 5 medals – (2 silver, 3 bronze)

Year	Age	10 km   individual	15 km   skiathlon	30 km   mass start	Sprint	4 × 5 km   relay	Team   sprint
2006	27	7	-	17	26	7	Bronze
2010	31	15	5	Bronze	13	Bronze	-
2014	35	4	5	21	-	Silver	Silver
2018	39	-	-	20		4	-

World Championships

• 10 medals – (4 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze)

Year	Age	10 km	15 km	Pursuit	30 km	Sprint	4 × 5 km   relay	Team   sprint
2001	22	-	-	-		11	-
2003	24	-	25	-	22	29	-
2005	26	-		30	4	8	5	-
2007	28	-		6	4	18	Gold	-
2009	30	Gold		Bronze	7	-	Gold	Gold
2011	32	Bronze		8	23	-	Bronze	Silver
2013	34	-		-	17	-	-	-
2015	36	-		15	7	18	Bronze	-
2017	38	-		-	14	-	Bronze	5

'a.' Cancelled due to extremely cold weather.

World Cup

Season standings

Season	Age	Discipline standings					Ski Tour standings
		Overall	Distance	Long Distance	Middle Distance	Sprint	Nordic Opening	Tour de Ski	World Cup Final	Ski Tour Canada
1998	19					-
1999	20					-
2000	21	49				31
2001	22	28				15
2002	23	62				53
2003	24	27				33
2004	25	14	16			7
2005	26	8	17			4
2006	27	12	13			18
2007	28	5				7		4
2008	29	9	8			6		17	11
2009	30					5			16
2010	31	4	6			4		4	9
2011	32	9	7			19	-	13	13
2012	33	8	8			20	7	9	27
2013	34	26	21			35	31		18
2014	35	13	8			21	28	9	24
2015	36	29	28			46	-	13
2016	37						43	-		-
2017	38	24	21			41	-	17	19
2018	39	22	19			38	32	15	23

Individual podiums

• 4 victories – (3, 1)
• 35 podiums – (24, 11)

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place
1	2002–03		Oslo, Norway	30 km Individual C	World Cup	3rd
2	2004–05		Gothenburg, Sweden	1.0 km Sprint F	World Cup	2nd
3	2005–06		Düsseldorf, Germany	0.8 km Sprint F	World Cup	2nd
4	2006–07		Cogne, Italy	10 km Individual C	World Cup	3rd
5			Cavalese, Italy	15 km Mass Start C	Stage World Cup	2nd
6			Rybinsk, Russia	15 km Mass Start F	World Cup	3rd
7			Drammen, Norway	1.0 km Sprint C	World Cup	3rd
8			Oslo, Norway	30 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
9	2007–08		Davos, Switzerland	10 km Individual C	World Cup	3rd
10			Nové Město, Czech Republic	3.3 km Individual C	Stage World Cup	2nd
11			10 km Individual C	Stage World Cup	1st
12			Otepää, Estonia	10 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
13			Falun, Sweden	7.5 km + 7.5 km Pursuit C/F	World Cup	3rd
14	2008–09		Gällivare, Sweden	10 km Individual F	World Cup	3rd
15			Rukatunturi, Finland	10 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
16			La Clusaz, France	15 km Mass Start F	World Cup	2nd
17			Davos, Switzerland	10 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
18			Prague, Czech Republic	1.3 km Sprint F	Stage World Cup	2nd
19			Nové Město, Czech Republic	9 km Individual C	Stage World Cup	2nd
20			1.2 km Sprint F	Stage World Cup	3rd
21			Val di Fiemme, Italy	10 km Mass Start C	Stage World Cup	3rd
22		- 4 January 2009	Tour de Ski	Overall Standings	World Cup	2nd
23			Otepää, Estonia	10 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
24			1.2 km Sprint C	World Cup	2nd
25			Stockholm, Sweden	1.0 km Sprint C	Stage World Cup	2nd
26	2009–10		Rukatunturi, Finland	10 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
27			Davos, Switzerland	1.0 km Sprint F	World Cup	3rd
28			Oberhof, Germany	10 km Pursuit C	Stage World Cup	2nd
29			1.6 km Sprint C	Stage World Cup	3rd
30			Cortina–Toblach, Italy	5 km Individual C	Stage World Cup	2nd
31			Otepää, Estonia	10 km Individual C	World Cup	3rd
32			1.2 km Sprint C	World Cup	3rd
33			Drammen, Norway	1.0 km Sprint C	World Cup	2nd
34	2010–11		Rybinsk, Russia	7.5 km + 7.5 km Pursuit C/F	World Cup	3rd
35			Drammen, Norway	10 km Individual C	World Cup	3rd

Team podiums

• 3 victories – (2, 1)
• 26 podiums – (20, 6)

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place	Teammate(s)
1	2000–01		Soldier Hollow, United States	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Rauhala / Välimaa / Sirviö
2	2002–03		Nové Město, Czech Republic	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Välimaa / Pienimäki-Hietamäki / Varis
3	2003–04		Otepää, Estonia	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Välimaa / Sarasoja / Kuitunen
4			Umeå, Sweden	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Salonen / Sarasoja / Venäläinen
5	2004–05		Gällivare, Sweden	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Välimaa / Kuitunen / Roponen
6			Asiago, Italy	6 × 1.2 km Team Sprint C	World Cup	2nd	Kuitunen
7			Pragelato, Italy	6 × 1.2 km Team Sprint C	World Cup	3rd	Manninen
8			Falun, Sweden	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	1st	Välimaa / Roponen / Kuitunen
9	2005–06		Beitostølen, Norway	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Välimaa / Roponen / Kuitunen
10	2006–07		Düsseldorf, Germany	6 × 0.8 km Team Sprint F	World Cup	3rd	Kuitunen
11			Gällivare, Sweden	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Välimaa / Kuitunen / Roponen
12			Davos, Switzerland	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Manninen / Venäläinen / Roponen
13			Falun, Sweden	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Kuitunen / Roponen / Muranen
14	2007–08		Beitostølen, Norway	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Sarasoja / Roponen / Muranen
15			Liberec, Czech Republic	4 × 1.4 km Team Sprint C	World Cup	2nd	Muranen
16			Falun, Sweden	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Kuitunen / Roponen / Sarasoja
17	2008–09		Gällivare, Sweden	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Muranen / Kuitunen / Roponen
18			La Clusaz, France	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	1st	Muranen / Kuitunen / Roponen
19	2009–10		Beitostølen, Norway	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Muranen / Kuitunen / Roponen
20	2011–12		Sjusjøen, Norway	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Lähteenmäki / Roponen / Sarasoja-Lilja
21			Nové Město, Czech Republic	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Sarasoja-Lilja / Roponen / Lähteenmäki
22	2012–13		La Clusaz, France	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Kyllönen / Roponen / Niskanen
23	2013–14		Lillehammer, Norway	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Kyllönen / Niskanen / Lähteenmäki
24			Asiago, Italy	6 × 1.25 km Team Sprint C	World Cup	1st	Kyllönen
25			Nové Město, Czech Republic	6 × 1.3 km Team Sprint C	World Cup	2nd	Malvalehto
26	2016–17		La Clusaz, France	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Kyllönen / Roponen / Mononen

External links

• • • • Official website
• Holmenkollen winners since 1892 – click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file

Notes and References

1. Web site: Team Nordic Aino-Kaisa Saarinen . . 2013-03-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140221214429/http://www.rossignol.com/SE/SE/aino-kaisa-saarinen_team_RIDERINTER:47ygen2seodh_nordic-team.html . 2014-02-21 . dead.
2. Web site: Ahlnäs . Mats . Känslosam Saarinen efter avskedet: "Det här är underbart och fruktansvärt på samma gång" . . 7 January 2019 . sv . 18 March 2018.
3. Web site: SAARINEN Aino-Kaisa . . FIS-Ski . International Ski Federation . 20 December 2019.