Eemil Juntunen

Eemil Juntunen Nordic 20K Freestyle RMISA Qualifier 2026 January 8 Lake Placid

Photo by: Matan Coll/CU Athletics

Position:
Nordic
Height:
6-1
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Iisalmi, Finland
High School:
Sotkamon Lukio
Prev Team:
Colorado / Pohti Ski Team Pyhajarvi

RMISA Race-by-Race Results

Honors & Awards: 2026 Second-Team All-American in Nordic 7.5K Classic ... 2026 All-RMISA Second Team (Men’s Nordic) ... RMISA Skier of the Meet (2026 RMISA Championships) ... 2x National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team (2025, 2026) ... DU Skiing’s 2026 Men’s Nordic MVP

2026: Registered a career high with seven top-10 finishes in 12 races during his sophomore campaign and his first with Denver … He recorded his first career top-five results by coming in fourth in both the 7.5K freestyle at the DU Invitational on Feb. 8 at Frisco Nordic Center and in the 20K freestyle at the RMISA Championships on Feb. 28 at Soldier Hollow, Utah … Finished in the top 10 in five-of-seven classical races … Led Denver with a seventh-place finish in the 7.5K classic at the NCAA Championships on March 14 … Made his Denver debut on Jan. 4 by placing 25th in the 10K classic at the RMISA Invitational during the 2026 U.S. Cross Country National Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y. … Did not race in the RMISA Nordic Qualifier 20K freestyle on Jan. 7 before matching a then-career best in sixth place in the RMISA Invite’s classic sprints on Jan. 9 at U.S. Nationals … Came in 23rd in the 7.5K freestyle on Jan. 24 at the Utah Invitational before producing a seventh-place result in the 15K classic the following day at the meet at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center … Began the DU Invitational on Feb. 7 in 19th in the 10K classic … Opened the Colorado Invite on Feb. 13 by placing 15th in the 20K freestyle in Steamboat Springs before beginning a run of four straight top 10s by placing seventh in the 7.5K classic on Feb. 14 … Placed in the top 10 in both RMISA Championship races at Soldier Hollow on Feb. 27-28: sixth in the 7.5K classic and fourth in the 20K freestyle … Closed the collegiate season in 16th in the 20K freestyle at the NCAA Championships on March 14 in Utah at Soldier Hollow.

2025 (Colorado): Raced in all 12 RMISA events during the season, earning four top-10 finishes and 11 top-15 results as a freshman at the University of Colorado … Recorded four straight top-10 finishes from Feb. 9-21, beginning with his first career top 10 in ninth place in the Denver Invitational’s 10K freestyle pursuit on Feb. 9 … Earned a season high in sixth place in classic sprints at the UAF Nanook invitational on Feb. 16 before coming in 10th in the 10K freestyle to wrap up the meet in Fairbanks, Alaska … Was eighth in the 7.5K classic at the RMISA Championships on Feb. 21 in Anchorage, Alaska, before wrapping up the year in 13th in the 20K freestyle at the conference meet … Made his collegiate debut with CU with a pair of 12th-places finishes in the 10K freestyle and 20K classic on Jan. 2-5 at the Alaska Anchorage Invitational and U.S. Cross Country National Championships … Was 13th in the 7.5K classic and 14th in the 15K freestyle at the Utah Invitational on Jan. 18-19 … After starting 23rd in the 20K freestyle on Jan. 24, finished the Montana State Invitational in 15th on Jan. 26 in the 7.5K classic … Began the DU Invitational on Feb. 8 at Maloit Park in Minturn, Colorado, with a 12th-place result in the 7.5K classic … Placed third in freestyle sprints in the U.S. Super Tour stop in Bozeman, Montana, on Jan. 25.

Before College: Earned five individual medals at the Finnish Junior Championships from 2022-2024, including silver in sprints in 2023 (freestyle) and 2024 (classic) and placing fourth in the 10K classic in 2024 … Represented Finland at the 2022 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Lygna, Norway, and came in 24th in freestyle sprints … Also raced for his country at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Festival in Vuokatti, Finland, placing 14th in freestyle sprints, 14th in the 10K freestyle and 28th in the 7.5k classic.

Personal: Graduated high school from Sotkamon Lukio in 2023 before enrolling in the University of Colorado in 2024-25 … Intends to major in finance at DU … Wants to compete at the highest level possible in Nordic skiing … Likes to do other sports and be outdoors in his free time … Would like to compete on the World Cup and on the international stage … Used to play soccer.

Why DU: “I chose the University of Denver because it lets me combine my passion for Nordic skiing with a great education. I love having the mountains nearby for training and as someone who loves traveling, studying abroad here is a super cool experience and opens up new opportunities for me.”