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.
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).
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 25 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 standingsSki Tour standingsOverallDistanceLong DistanceMiddle DistanceSprintNordicOpeningTour deSkiWorld CupFinalSki TourCanada 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, Norway30 km Individual CWorld Cup1st 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 CStage World Cup1st 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, Finland10 km Individual CWorld Cup1st 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, Finland10 km Individual CWorld Cup1st 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 PlaceTeammate(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, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup1st 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, France4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1st 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, Italy6 × 1.25 km Team Sprint CWorld Cup1st 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
References
External links
Official website Holmenkollen winners since 1892 – click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file