AOM 2015: Hubmann and Mironova win Middle, Michiels and Mironova the best in Sprint

Daniel Hubmann and Svetlana Mironova were the big winners of the Middle Distance WRE stage, the most important of this edition of Andalucia O' Meeting, held this morning. In the afternoon, in a Sprint also counting for the World Ranking, Mironova repeated the triumph in the Women Elite, while Yannick Michiels was the winner in Men Elite.

After a particularly participated Prologue that had in the Norwegian Siri Ulvestad (Nydalens SK) and the British Murray Strain (Interlopers) the winners in the Elite classes, the Andalucia O' Meeting 2015's most expected moment arrived this morning, with the dispute of the Middle Distance WRE stage. With 6.8 km and 25 controls in the Men Elite class and 5.4 km and 21 controls in the Women Elite class, the stage was run on the map of Cartaya forest, at Punta Umbría's surroundings, having the participation of 779 athletes in the competition classes, to whom we must add close to a hundred athletes in the Open classes.

Considered as the big favourites, the Swiss Daniel Hubmann (Kristiansand OK) and the Russian Svetlana Mironova (KooVee) were the big winners. Hubmann fulfilled his course in 32:44, having dominated the race completely from the 8th control to the finish. The Latvian Edgars Bertuks (TuMe) still came to lead the race, but an error of more than one minute to the 8th control turned out to be fatal to his aspirations. Bertuks would finish third, 2:02 after Hubmann, while the second position would be to the British Alasdair McLeod (Clydeside Orienteers), with a time of 34:23. Another highlight is the excellent result of the Portuguese Tiago Gingão Leal (GD4C), 8th placed with the time of 36:59. In the Women Elite class, Svetlana Mironova did a race not absent of mistakes – she lost two minutes in the two long legs -, winning with a time of 34:53, ahead of the Finnish Heini Saarimäki (Angelniemen Ankkuri), by the margin of 13 seconds. Marttiina Joensuu (SK Pohjantähti), with a time of 35:29, finished third, while the best Portuguese athlete in this class, Raquel Costa (GafanhOri), achieved a very creditable 9th place with a time of 38:18. A word to the Portuguese Manuel Dias (Lisbon OK), winner of the H60 class and to the 3rd place of Roy Dawson (GafanhOri) in the H65 class.

Held in the urban center of Punta Umbría, the Sprint stage took over the competitive program in the afternoon, having in the Belgian Yannick Michiels (TuMe) the big winner in the Men Elite class with 14 minutes to 3.5 km and 20 controls. The British Scott Fraser (TuMe) and Alasdair McLeod finished by this order in the immediate positions, with more 8 and 20 seconds, respectively, than the winner. Tiago Gingão Leal repeated the 8th place of the morning stage, having spent over 1:10 than the winner and quoting again as the best Portuguese. In the Women Elite class, Svetlana Mironova didn't give the chance to the concurrence again, fulfilling her course of 2.9 km and 15 controls in 13:51, against 13:55 of the British Ruth Holmes (Southern Navigators), second placed. The third position was occupied by the Norwegian Marte Narum, with 20 seconds more than the winner. Raquel Costa was again the best Portuguese athlete, concluding in the 11th place with a time of 15:15. The Sprint stage counted with the participation of 527 athletes, 500 in the competition classes and the rest in the Open class.

Full results and further information at http://andaluciaomeeting.com/.

[Photo: Andalucia O Meeting / facebook.com/AndaluciaOMeeting]

Joaquim Margarido