Kerttu Niskanen knew early on she would become a professional skier. Injuries, uncertainty, and hard work are part of the journey — but her passion for skiing has never faded. ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏

No Plan B Kerttu Niskanen knew early on that she was going to be a professional skier. Her love for skiing started as play, but over the years it became a profession — without losing the joy. At the beginning of 2021, Kerttu’s career was suddenly uncertain. Just before the World Championships, she fractured her fibula. The chase for medals turned into a question mark over her future. “With small injuries, you know they’ll heal eventually. But this was the first time I didn’t know if I’d ever ski again on a healthy leg,” Kerttu recalls.

The uncertainty felt especially heavy because she had committed everything to skiing from a young age. There was no backup plan — and none was made during recovery either. After a long rehabilitation and determined training, Kerttu returned to racing the following winter. She finished the season by stepping onto the podium twice at the Beijing Olympics. Behind the results are years of consistent work and a strong work ethic learned at home. Hundreds of training hours are spent alone, something Kerttu doesn’t see as a burden. “Some people might call it crazy. I’ve never seen it as a chore. In some way, that suffering feels good,” she says. Elite sport brings expectations, especially in Finland. For Kerttu, the most important ones are her own. “I say things as they are. Honest feedback is how you improve,” she says. Off the trails, Kerttu is the same person she is on race day. When the season ends, she returns to skiing without targets or heart-rate monitors — stopping for coffee when the trail café appears. The passion is still there. And that’s why there has never been a Plan B. Read the full story

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