JWOC 2015: Middle distance titles to Ojanaho and Ahlsand

By the same margin - 14 seconds (!) - Olli Ojanaho and Anine Ahlsand won the gold medal in the final of Middle Distance that filled the third day of the program of the Junior World Orienteering Championships JWOC 2015.

The Finnish Olli Ojanaho and the Norwegian Anine Ahlsand are the new Junior World Champions in Middle Distance after victories by the same margin of 14 seconds face their most direct opponents. Bronze medalist in the last Junior World Championships in this distance, Ojanaho showed once more why he is already a “guarentee” of the world Orienteering, coming this time to the gold medal, after having already won his qualifying heat, yesterday. The young Finnish athlete demonstrated again an impressive technical capacity and, thanks to of a strong start, managed to grant a valuable distance over his adversaries. Despite the difficulties in the latter part of his course, Ojanaho eventually reach the victory with a time of 25:13, against 25:27 of the Swedish Erik Andersson, second placed. The third place fell to the Swiss Sven Hellmuller, with more 1:03 than the winner.

The women's course had a more "tight" outcome, with the first six ranked separated by differences of less than one minute. Playing home, the young Anine Ahlsand, of only 18 years old, turned out to be the strongest, fulfilling her course in 26:57 and offering to Norway a much acclaimed victory. As in Men class, here also Sweden reached the silver medal, by Johanna Oberg, while the bronze medal went to Switzerland, by Sandrine Mueller. Defending the world title achieved in Borovets (Bulgaria, 2014) and big favourite for the victory, the Swedish Sara Hagstrom was again in “day out”, finishing in the 11th place with more 03:01 than the winner.

Results

M20

1. Olli Ojanaho (Finland) 25:13

2. Erik Andersson (Sweden) 25:27 (+ 00:14)

3. Sven Hellmuller (Switzerland) 26:16 (+ 1:03)

4. Jonas Madslien Bakken (Norway) 26:22 (+ 1:09)

5. Audun Heimdal (Norway) 26:43 (+ 1:30)

6. Nikita Stepanov (Russia) 26:57 (+ 1:44)

7. Emil Granqvist (Sweden) 27:21 (+ 2:08)

8. Jens Ronnols (Sweden) 27:32 (+ 2:19)

9. Markus Holter (Norway) 27:33 (+ 2:20)

10. Anton Kuukka (Finland) 27:44 (+ 2:31)

W20

1. Anine Ahlsand (Norway) 26:57

2. Johanna Oberg (Sweden) 27:11 (+ 0:14)

3. Sandrine Mueller (Switzerland) 27:14 (+ 00:17)

4. Anna Haataja (Finland) 27:30 (+ 0:33)

5. Ingeborg Eide (Norway) 27:48 (+ 00:51)

6. Tilda Johansson (Sweden) 27:55 (+ 0:58)

7. Paula Gross (Switzerland) 29:04 (+ 02:07)

8. Pihla Otsamo (Finland) 29:25 (+ 2:28)

9. Andrea Svensson (Sweden) 29:26 (+ 2:29)

10. Marie Olaussen (Norway) 29:52 (+ 02:55)

Complete results and further information at http://www.jwoc2015.org/.

[Photo: Jan Kocbach / twitter.com]

Joaquim Margarido