Antwerp Sprint Orienteering Meeting 2015: Victories of Yannick Michiels and Galina Vinogradova

Yannick Michiels and Galina Vinogardova were the big stars of the Euro City Race Tour 2015's opening round. In the beautiful city of Antwerp, the two athletes were unstoppable, counting for victories the three stages.

Confirming their favouritism, the Belgian Yannick Michiels and the Russian Galina Vinogradova were the big winners of the Antwerp Sprint Orienteering Meeting ASOM 2015. First round of the City Race Euro Tour 2015, the event that saw its first edition this year, called to Antwerp, in northern Belgium, over three hundred participants from 19 different nations. Organized by the Orienteering Club TROL, the ASOM 2015 was distributed by three urban stages in brand new maps - two of them in the distance of Sprint and the third, named Antwerp City Race, in Middle Distance -, offering to all participants “a spectacular adventure where buildings and streets of the 13th century meet creations of the 21st", in the words of the organizers. Note also that the event relied on prize money for the Elite classes amounting to € 2,000.00, leaving € 500.00 to the winners.

In the Men Elite, Yannick Michiels was the strongest, leading the three stages on the Norwegian Øystein Kvaal Østerbø and the New Zealander Tim Robertson, respectively second and third placed. The differences between the three athletes weren't particularly significant in any of the stages, but the Belgian made avail of a more consistency, especially in the Middle Distance stage, ending this ASOM 2015 with the total time of 54: 25, against 56:45 and 57:21 from Østerbø and Robertson. In the Women Elite, Galina Vinogradova had an excellent performance in the first stage, ensuring immediately a comfortable margin over a Norwegian “triad” of athletes. The Russian also won the remaining stages, recording a total time of 53:45 in the end. The Middle Distance stage turned out to be fundamental in scaling the immediate positions, with the Norwegian Elise Egseth and Lone Karin Brochmann spending more 2:52 and 4:47 than the winner, respectively, and occupying the second and third positions.

Portugal was represented in Antwerp with a set of seven athletes, highlighting the performances of Fernando Costa (GD4C) in the Men Superveteran class, with two good results in the second and third stages (12th and 10th, respectively). The circuit now heads to London, where, in the coming 12th and 13th of September, will take place the London City Race, and then will settle in the city of Porto, the last weekend of September, with the Porto City Race's third edition.

Results

Men Elite

1. Yannick Michiels (BEL K.O.L.) 54:25 (+ 00:00)

2. Øystein Kvaal Østerbø (NOR IFK Lidingö SOK) 56:45 (+ 02:20)

3. Tim Robertson (NZL Fossum IF) 57:21 (+ 02:56)

4. Tristan Bloemen (BEL COLiège) 59:00 (+ 04:35)

5. Antonio Martinez Perez (ESP Halden SK) 59:18 (+ 04:53)

Women Elite

1. Galina Vinogradova (RUS Alfta Ösa) 53:45 (+ 00:00)

2. Elise Egseth (NOR Nydalens Skiklub) 56:37 (+ 02:52)

3. Lone Karin Brochmann (NOR Bækkelagets SK) 58:32 (+ 04:47)

4. Kristine Fjellanger (NOR NTNUI) 1:00:10 (+ 06:25)

5. Alice Leake (Great Britain) 1:00:12 (+ 06:27)

More information and full results at http://www.asom.be/en/home.

[Photo: Yannick Michiels / instagram.com]

Joaquim Margarido