Freeskier Kuura Koivisto believes her original tricks will gain recognition

Freeskier Kuura Koivisto, who competed in a sleeveless top at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, is spending her summer break in her hometown of Inari and already planning new tricks for the upcoming season, Yle reports.

Koivisto, 25, gained international attention during the Games for her minimalist outfit, which she says was purely practical. “I wear bigger clothes when skiing, and they create a lot of wind resistance. So I took off my hoodie to gain more speed,” she explains.

She did not expect the outfit to attract so much notice. “I’ve done this before, even at the last World Championships,” she says. Since the Olympics, she has often had to correct people who refer to her as the “shirtless skier”: “I always say, I was wearing a shirt underneath.”

Koivisto also faced frustration in Milan-Cortina when judges struggled to evaluate her unconventional tricks. “It’s annoying, especially when the judges say it’s really hard to compare my tricks to others because no one else does the same thing,” she says. Still, she remains confident that her approach will eventually be appreciated. “In our sport, it has happened before that it takes a few years for new tricks to be valued. I hope and believe that will happen for me too.”

Her fellow competitors have been supportive. Koivisto says that at the Olympics, coaches from other countries even advocated for her with the judges. “It’s nice to hear. My plan is to develop my tricks so far that it will be hard for others to catch up by the time they start to be appreciated.”

During her break, Koivisto has spent time with her girlfriend in northern Norway, a region she knows from childhood trips with her parents. Back in Inari, she has also balanced her studies with summer training, including sprints, jumps, interval running, and football.

Koivisto, who studies at Aalto University’s School of Business, represents Mountain Club Ounasvaara and competes in big air and slopestyle. She made her Olympic debut in Milan-Cortina, finishing 14th in both events. Her best result in major competitions is 12th in big air at Bakuriani in 2023, and her best World Cup finish is 6th in Klagenfurt big air in 2025.