So Finland's cross-country skiing ace prepared his own death

In March 2018, Mona-Liisa Nousiainen competed in her 110th World Cup race. Then it was over for the sprint specialist: together with her husband and her then 8-year-old daughter, she wanted to start life after her sports career. But then everything turned out differently: a few months after the end of his career, Nousiainen was diagnosed with aggressive cancer.

Mona-Liisa Nousiainen won 2 World Cup races in her career. © AFP / ANDREAS SOLARO

For the Finn her biggest battle now began. A battle in which World Cup points or podium places suddenly seemed like trivialities. It was about something much greater, about the greatest good, life. But the cancer proved to be too aggressive. In the summer of 2019, a year after her diagnosis, the two-time World Cup winner died at the age of just 36. A death that shocked not only Finland, but the entire cross-country skiing world. Planned your own funeral But Nousiainen left a legacy for posterity. In the last months of her life, she wrote an autobiography with a sports journalist, which will be published next fall. Finnish media have already received an excerpt. The words contained within are moving. Mona-Liisa was already planning her own funeral in the winter before her death. She wanted her ashes to be scattered in different parts of the world with which she had a special connection. It was important to her to spread the ashes in places where they could visit their loved ones.

“Home is the most important place for me. I just want to be home with my loved ones. Someone asked me if I had unresolved issues with other people. I replied that there was no one,” Nousiainen says in her autobiography. Moving words from a strong woman, as her husband Ville explained in an interview: “She never struggled with her fate and accepted it bravely.”

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So Finland's cross-country skiing ace prepared his own death

A year ago, the Finnish world-class cross-country skier Mona-Liisa Nousiainen died at the age of just 36. Now poignant details are coming to light.

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