WMMTBOC 2015: Four "tugas" on the podium

The Portuguese National Day couldn't be better signed on the second day of the World Masters MTB Orienteering Championships 2015. At Vale das Eiras, in a demanding Middle Distance course, the portuguese athletes creased their presence with four podiums. Regaining the World title achieved in 2013, Carlos Simões deserves a particular mention.

Vale das Eiras, in the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova, was the scenery this morning of the Middle Distance final in the World Masters MTB Orienteering Championships 2015. Lined at start, 161 athletes representing 21 countries fought for the World titles in 15 competition classes. The highlight goes, of course, to the victory of the Portuguese Carlos Simões in the H40 class, over a rival of the caliber of the Danish Lasse Brun Pedersen, a man bearing on his resume “only” four gold medals, two silver and two bronze in Elite World Championships. In the D40 class, Susana Pontes repeated the second place achieved in yesterday's Sprint, again behind the Spanish Monica Aguilera, while Francisco Moura and Luisa Mateus had also climbed on the podium, the first by finishing his race in H60 class in the second position and the second after the third place achieved in D55 class. Still a word for the 4th place of Inácio Seralheiro (H55) and the fifth place of Marco Palhinha (H40), both staying really close to the podium.

Besides Finland and Great Britain, France becames again the most winning team of the day, with two triumphs thanks to the superior performances of Aurelie Villar and Jean-Charles Lalevee, in the D45 and H55 classes, respectively. Of the 41 athletes that climbed to the podium in the opening stage, 23 repeated their presences, highlighting the Spanish Monica Aguilera (D40), the French Aurelie Villar (D45) and Jean-Charles Lalevee (H55), the Australian Carolyn Jackson (D50), the British Charlie Sommers-Cocks (D55), the German Harald Maennel (H60), the Swiss Monika Bonafini (D60), the Danish Birgit Hausner (D65), the New Zealand Yett Gelderman (D70) and the Austrian Herbert Lackner (H75).

At the end of the second day of the World Masters MTB Orienteering Championships 2015, the Board of Medals didn't registered significant movements. For the fourteen countries with a seat in this very special Hall of Fame, only Hungary remained unchanged on the day that Britain moved up two positions, settling in third with three gold medals, five silver and five bronze . France keeps the leadership, with five gold medals, one silver and two bronze medals, followed by Denmark with three gold medals, seven silver and seven bronze. With one gold medal, three silver and one bronze, Portugal occupies the 11th position in the list of the most awarded.

Results

WMMTBOC 2015

M40

1. Carlos Simões (Portugal) 47:22

2. Lasse Brun Pedersen (Denmark) 49:34

3. Simon Seger (Austria) 51:31

W40

1. Monica Aguilera (Spain) 57:59

2. Susana Bridges (Portugal) 1:03:46

3. Angela Imboden (Switzerland) 1:17:31

M45

1. Killian Lomas (Britain) 50:10

2. Beat Oklé (Switzerland) 50:26

3. Andy Conn (Great Britain) 52:02

W45

1. Aurelie Villar (France) 1:00:33

2. Tamsin Barnes (Australia) 1:14:35

3. Konchy Ureña (Spain) 1:25:00

M50

1. Olli Savikko (Finland) 48:44

2. Jose Luis Morcillo Laiz (Spain) 50:59

3. Trévisan Georges (France) 51:03

W50

1. Carolyn Jackson (Australia) 50:15

2. Elizabeth Clayton (Great Britain) 1:02:46

3. Ursula Hausermann (Switzerland) 1:07:56

M55

1. Jean-Charles Lalevee (France) 47:27

2. Allan Topp (Denmark) 55:29

3. Troels Bent Hansen (Denmark) 57:07

W55

1. Charlie Somers-Cocks (Great Britain) 55:19

2. Tove Andersen (Denmark) 1:07:45

3. Luisa Mateus (Portugal) 1:33:17

M60

1. Harald Maennel (Germany) 46:09

2. Francisco Moura (Portugal) 47:38

3. Joergen Nielsen (Denmark) 47:47

W60

1. Monika Bonafini (Switzerland) 43:48

2. Caroline Dallimore (Great Britain) 1:00:16

3. Kay Haarsma (Australia) 1:01:41

M65

1. Heikki Saarinen (Finland) 47:30

2. Walter Rahm (Switzerland) 55:13

3. Esbjorn Andrén (Sweden) 55:45

W65

1. Birgit Hausner (Denmark) 52:36

2. Licia Kalcich (Italy) 58:19

3. Annelise McLassen (Denmark) 1:05:58

M70

1. Ronny Hedlund (Sweden) 50:26

2. Wolf Eberle (Austria) 51:20

3. Seppo Kettunen (Finland) 53:20

W70

1. Yett Gelderman (New Zealand) 1:08:58

M75

1. Herbert Lackner (Austria) 56:44

Full results and other information at http://mtbo15.fpo.pt/.

[Photo courtesy of Maria Vieira]

Joaquim Margarido