October 14, 2014 (Finland0 – From the 2014/2015 season onwards, Randall will be going for gold with YOKO ski gloves and poles. Finnish sporting goods and textiles company YOKO has entered into a significant partnership with US Ski Team member and 2013 World Champion Kikkan Randall.

“We joyfully announce that 3-time World Cup Sprint Champion Kikkan Randall has chosen YOKO products to aid her in her pursuit of success. Competition is tough at the top, and victory cannot be achieved without the world’s best equipment,” states Jani Gustafsson, CEO of YOKO.

In the coming season, Randall will be striving for her fourth consecutive World Cup Sprint Crystal  globe which is presented to the champion of the sprint skiing World Cup.

“I began my career on YOKO and I am very excited to be coming back on board as a YOKO “factory pilot,” said Randall. “YOKO has always impressed me with their energy and innovative products, along with the excitement they bring to the sport of cross-country skiing. It’s great to be coming home.”

YOKO products make use of Finnish elite skiing expertise. Skiing has an extensive history of success in Finland, and YOKO makes use of the expertise that comes from the Finnish skiing tradition in its products.

In addition to skis, ski poles, and ski boots, YOKO’s selection includes ski textiles and gloves. YOKO equipment is produced for both competitive and recreational skiers.

“We are happy to introduce the ’Kikkan Randall Signature Series’ which will be introduced across the globe during the 2015/2016 season.  This will give everyone an opportunity to go skiing with the same products used by a World Champion,” notes Gustafsson.

About Kikkan Randall
Kikkan Randall (b. 1982), who hails from Anchorage, Alaska, began her career with YOKO products and participated at her first Olympics in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah on YOKO poles. Randall became the first U.S. female cross-country skier to ever win a World Cup when she won a sprint in Rybinsk, Russia in 2007. Two years later, she became the first U.S. female to ever medal at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec, CZE in 2009, where she took home the silver medal in the individual sprint.  In 2013 at the Val di Fiemme, Italy Nordic World Ski Championships she won gold in the Team Sprint with teammate Jessie Diggins.

About YOKO
YOKO is a Finnish sporting goods and textiles company with over 35 years of experience in the industry. Product design makes use of Finnish expertise and the finest materials. YOKO skis are manufactured at the traditional Kitee ski factory in Finland, which has produced skis for decades. YOKO’s quality products have been designed for both professional and recreational athletes.