The 33-year-old Finn showed top form when he won the 10 kilometer classical event in Falun in the last World Cup start before the World Championship, but fell ill afterwards, writes Ilta-Sanomat.
Unfortunately, I got a gift in the form of influenza from Sweden, in addition to the victory, says Niskanen to the newspaper.
He has already decided to skip the distance skiers' first World Championship event, Saturday's skiathlon. But he hopes to be at the starting line when the 10 kilometer classical event is decided on Tuesday in a little over a week.
The Swedish national team's men's coach Lars Ljung, on site at the Swedish waxing trailer at the World Championship arena Granåsen, receives the news of Niskanen's withdrawal with interest.
Are you saying that? That's more than I knew.
He believes it can have a greater impact on Saturday's event than just the loss of a strong competitor.
It's a shame. He's a profile, a strong skier and of course a challenger to the red group on the men's side, says Ljung, referring to the expected Norwegian dominance.
I also think he could have had some significance for how the skiathlon competition might look. A Iivo Niskanen in top form, for example, could be a skier who wants to keep a high pace on the classical part. So it can be a thing that changes.
The Championship in Trondheim starts with sprint on Thursday.
