1. The World MTB Orienteering
Championships came to an end and nine countries shared the 24 medals distributed in the Elite classes. With two gold and three silver medals,
Russia led the medalist of the Championships. The Czech Republic
ranked second, reaching two gold, two silver and two bronze
medals and thus ensuring the most robust portion of distinctions.
Finland, Italy, France and Austria achieved one gold medal each, with
the Finnish medalist to take extra advantage of two silver and
one bronze medal. With also a silver medal and one bronze, Italy
occupied the fourth position, leaving the fifth place, ex-aequo, to France and Austria. Sweden came in the seventh position with two
bronze medals. Estonia and Great Britain completed this list, with a
bronze medal each.
2. If we want to extend to the
top six the list of athletes awarded with diplomas in the World
Championships, we'll start by saying that were in number of 41 the athletes in these conditions, representing 11 nations. With four
medals achieved, the Czech Martina Tichovska was the most valuable
athlete of the Championships. The Finnish Jussi Laurila and the
French Gaëlle Barlet also returned home with four diplomas, but in
the case of Laurila two of them corresponded to two fifth places
while Barlet had a diploma because of a fifth place and two diplomas
corresponding to the fourth place. The Russian Anton Foliforov, the
Italian Luca Dallavalle, the Czech Marek Pospisek, the British Emily
Benham, the Finnish Susanna Laurila and Marika Hara and the Danish
Camilla Soegaard reached three diplomas each, but it's important to
say that the diplomas of Foliforov and Dallavalle represent as many
medals.
3. Individually, it must be
recognized in the Czech Martina Tichovska the “queen” of the
Championships. The two gold medals (Sprint and Long Distance), one
silver (Middle Distance) and one bronze (Courier) achieved for her
speak too high compared with the medals achieved by the concurrence.
The victory of Gaëlle Barlet in the Middle Distance and the Finnish
Ingrid Stengard, Susanna Laurila and Marika Hara in the Relay, are
also great achievements. To the gold in Relay, Laurila joins the
silver in the sprint, which makes of her the second female athlete of
the Championships.
4. On the other hand, if
Tichovska is the “queen”, Anton Foliforov must be elected as
“king” of the Championships. Two gold medals (Middle Distance and
Long Distance) and one silver (Relay) are strong arguments in favour
of the Russian. Achieving the historic Sprint title for Italy, which
adds a silver medal (Middle Distance) and a bronze medal (Long
Distance), Luca Dallavalle is another of the key figures of the World
Championships, alongside the Austrian Kevin Haselsberger, Bernard
Schachinger and Andreas Waldmann, surprising winners of the Relay.
5. In the second line of the
personalities that marked these Championships, particular reference
to the two podiums of the Swedish Cecilia Thomasson, bronze medallist
in the Sprint and Long Distance. The silver medals of the Czech
Vojtech Stransky (Sprint), the Finnish Jussi Laurila (Long Distance)
and the Russian Svetlana Poverina (Long Distance and Relay) are
strong arguments for their inclusion in this “second line” of the
Championships' stars.
6. On the side of
disappointments - not so much for what they did, but above all for
what they didn't, given the expectations - are the Norwegian Hans
Jorgen Kvale, “only” fourth in the Sprint and missing the other
individual podiums, and especially the French Baptiste Fuchs, Yoann
Garde and Cédric Beill, out of the top six in the individual races. From the Russian Valeriy Glohov, the
Lithuanian Jonas Maiselis, the Finnish Pekka Niemi, the Estonian
Tõnis Erm and the Austrian Tobias Breitschadel we would expect
something more. As for the women, the British Emily Benham is, in
spite of her bronze medal and two fourth places, one of the losers of
the Championships, together with the Finnish Marika Hara, whose gold
medal in the Relay can not delete her discoloured performances in the
individual races. The French Hana Garde, the Finnish Antonia Haga and
the Danish Caecilie Christoffersen stayed below the expectations.
7. In the Junior World
Championships, France led the medalist, earning six of the 24 medals
distributed, including two gold, three silver and one bronze. Also
with six medals (two gold, two silver and two bronze), Russia ranked
second in the table, while Sweden, with two gold medals and three
bronze, ranked third. Followed, the Czech Republic (one gold medal,
one silver and one bronze) and Australia (one gold medal). The
remaining medals fit to Slovakia and Switzerland, with a silver medal
each, and Finland, with a bronze medal.
8. Individually, the Swede Oskar
Sandberg was the “prince” of the Championships, with two gold
medals (Middle Distance and Long Distance) and one bronze medal
(Sprint). Angus Robinson, by winning for Australia the first medal
ever in the Junior World Championships - and a gold one, in Sprint
(!) - it's also worthy of a very special mention. In turn, the French
Lou Denaix deserves the title of “princess”, with a gold medal
(Relay) and three silver medals on her luggage. A special note to Darya
Mikryukova, not only for her extraordinary youth, but especially for
the achievements of gold (Long Distance), silver (Courier) and bronze
(Middle Distance and Sprint) that she took to Russia.
9. Finally we talk about the
Portuguese participation in these Championships, which had a really
positive note in the seventh place of the men's Relay, in what is the
best result ever from our team in the World Championships. Even far
from the podiums of 2011 and 2012, the 16th place of Davide Machado in
the Long Distance is also noteworthy. The results of the “veterans”
Daniel Marques and Carlos Simões also worth a flattering reference.
Far from what was expected, stayed the female Elite team and the male
Junior team, with results in the back of the respective standings.
Joaquim Margarido
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