Skiier Niskanen selected Sports Personality of Year

Olympic Gold medalist Cross-country skiier Iivo Niskanen bagged the award Finland's Sports Personality of the Year for second consecutive year, local media reported.

The award was handed over to the 27 years old Niskanen late Thursday night in the Finnish Sports Gala 2019, reported National broadcaster Yle.

Niskanen is the first athlete, who won the award twice in a row in the last 32 years.

Earlier, cross-country skiier Marjo Matikainen won the award in 1986 and 1987.

The Sports Personality of the Year award was introduced in 1947 and since then it is being awarded every year.

"It's unbelievable to be here for the second time in a row," said the Yle report quoting Niskanen as saying in his acceptance speech.

The award was elected through voting by Finnish sports journalists and got 4,740 votes followed by biathlete Kaisa Mäkäräinen who got 3,058 votes.

Niskanen won the gold medal in the men’s 50-kilometre cross-country race in the winter Olympics in Pyeongchang last year.