A picture from happy days.

“I lost you – I lost everything”

A Finnish cross-country skiing icon caused a stir with a heartbreaking statement on Instagram.

11 April 2025

From: det

She is an icon in Finnish cross-country skiing, has won medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships, and gained further fame in 2021 when she won bronze in the relay at the World Championships at the ripe old age of 43. But now, for once, Riitta-Liisa Roponen isn't making the sporting headlines.

The now 46-year-old caused quite a stir with a highly emotional post on Instagram. Her husband and former coach Toni Roponen has filed for divorce. "The winter was the darkest and hardest of my life," wrote the former cross-country skier, who has been retired from sports for three years.

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Riitta-Liisa Roponen Official (@rlroponen)

Riitta-Liisa and her husband Toni were a couple for more than 20 years. They had a child together in 2004, and they married two years later. But now their romance is over. And it's left the cross-country skiing icon devastated. "I lost my best friend, my husband, my rock. When I lost you, I lost everything. Toni filed for divorce."

Riitta-Liisa Roponen in action as a cross-country skier. © TT News Agency / ULF PALM

Riitta-Liisa, who reached the World Cup podium 30 times during her career, mourns her husband. "I was able to live and experience adventures by your side for 22 years. And I would have loved to have spent at least as many more with you. Life goes on, in small steps, but it goes on. Thank you for everything – you will always be in my heart."

The former cross-country skier's post is full of emotion, and it has resonated deeply in the Nordic winter sports world. Riitta-Liisa added a hashtag at the end: "I love you to the moon and back."