LIOM 2016: WRE Long Distance maps

Joaquim Margarido

LIOM 2016: Three races, three distances, six winners

WRE Sprint - Daniel Hubmann (KooVee) and Marika Teini (SK Pohjantähti)

Urban Middle Distance - Tiago Gingão Leal (GD4C) and Galina Vinogradova (Alfta OSA OK)

WRE Long Distance - Fredrik Bakkman (IF Lidingö SOK) and Catherine Taylor (OK Linné)

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S !

Joaquim Margarido

LIOM 2014: Hubmann and Vinogradova took the triumph

Three stages and six different winners for a weekend full of excitement, good Orienteering and lots of fun. Overall, Daniel Hubmann and Galina Vinogradova confirmed their favoritism and were the Lisbon International Orienteering Meeting LIOM 2016's big winners.

The LIOM 2016 its over. Along a nice and warm weekend, almost one thousand participants said “hello” to Orienteering, competing against each other for the best possible result. The event had the organizing signature of CPOC, offering three different stages, in three different distances, spread for three distinct municipalities. It started yesteday with a cool Urban Sprint, in the typical quarter of Alfama, Lisbon, continuing with an Urban Middle Distance at Parque dos Poetas [Poet's Park] in Oeiras and finishing today with a Long Distance at Lagoa de Albufeira, Sesimbra. Both Sprint and Long Distance counted for the IOF World Ranking.

After the two first stages, it was possible to see four distinct athletes winning their courses, both in Men Elite and Women Elite. Daniel Hubmann and Marika Teini took the victory in the Sprint, while the Middle Distance had in Tiago Gingão Leal and Galina Vinogradova the big winners. Overall, Hubmann and Vinogradova followed in the lead in the end of the first day, but the distances to Tiago Gingão Leal and Siri Ulvestad were everything but relaxing.

The last day took the athletes to the South border of Tejo River, for a demanding Long Distance. This was the same terrain where, two years ago, the Qualifications Heats of EOC's Middle Distance and Long Distance took place, opening to Fredrik Bakkman and Catherine Taylor the doors to their bronze medals [in Long Distance]. Both athletes wanted to try again the challenging micro-contours and the toughness of “riding” the sand dunes, doing it in the best way. Bakkman took the winning over Daniel Hubmann by narrow 22 seconds, saying in the end: “It was a really good race and I could push pretty hard. I did some small mistakes but I'm very happy for beating Daniel [Hubmann] which is the first time I did it, I think. That was a big goal for me and I can feel now more confident about my training.” Catherine Taylor also had a good fight against Marika Teini, second, and Galina Vinogradova, third. To the third placed in the IOF World Ranking, “it was so nice to did this first race because I need to regain the rhythm and the routine of the race, to feel people behind me and to deal with the pressure. One get used to do it again and I hope this winning hasn't been the last.”

Results

Urban Middle Distance

Men Elite

1. Tiago Gingão Leal (GD4C) 27:13 (+ 00:00)

2. Daniel Hubmann (KooVee) 27:22 (+ 00:09)

3. Andreas Höye (Fredrikstad SK) 27:31 (+ 00:18)

4. Sergey Popov (Individual RUS) 28:49 (+ 01:36)

5. Tiago Martins Aires (GafanhOri) 29:17 (02:04)

Women Elite

1. Galina Vinogradova (Alfta OSA OK) 26:29 (+ 00:00)

2. Siri Ulvestad (Nydalens SK) 28:00 (+ 01:31)

3. Lone Karin Brochmann (Bækkelagets OK) 28:38 (+ 02:09)

4. Kristine Fjellanger (NTNUI) 29:00 (+ 02:31)

5. Alice Leake (SN) 29:04 (+ 02:35)

WRE Long Distance

Men Elite

1. Fredrik Bakkman (IFK Lidingö SOK) 1:12:35 (+ 00:00)

2. Daniel Hubmann (KooVee) 1:12:57 (+ 00:22)

3. Olli-Markus Taivainen (PelPo) 1:18:52 (+ 06:15)

4. Dave Schorah (DEE) 1:21:00 (+ 08:25)

5. Jo Forseth Indgaar (Frol) 1:21:24 (+ 08:49)

Women Elite

1. Catherine Taylor (OK Linné) 1:05:16 (+ 00:00)

2. Marika Teini (SK Pohjantähti) 1:07:50 ( + 02:34)

3. Galina Vinogradova (Alfta OSA OK) 1:07:58 (+ 02:42)

4. Lone Karin Brochmann (Bækkelagets OK) 1:10:32 (+ 05:16)

5. Kristin Lofgren (Varegg Fleridrett) 1:11:16 (+ 06:00)

LIOM 2016 Overall

Men Elite

1. Daniel Hubmann (KooVee) 2989.49 points

2. Tiago Gingão Leal (GD4C) 2761.89 points

3. Dave Schorah (DEE) 2706.16 points

4. Tiago Martins Aires (GafanhOri) 2660.80 points

5. Miguel Silva (CMo Funchal) 2620.50 points

Women Elite

1. Galina Vinogradova (Alfta OSA OK) 2921.77 points

2. Lone Karin Brochmann (Bækkelagets OK) 2745.66 points

3. Siri Ulvestad (Nydalens SK) 2720,77 points

4. Alice Leake (SN) 2684.67 points

5. Kristine Fjellanger (NTNUI) 2630.11 points

For further information and final results, please see the event's webpage at http://liom.cpoc.pt/.

Joaquim Margarido

LIOM 2016: Urban Middle Distance flash interviews

It was very good. We don't have this format [Urban Middle Distance] in Brazil and here it was really fun, in a very pleasant area. I felt well, despite not being in good shape. The European athletes' level its higher than ours but we try to participate in order to learn and improve continuously. The physical part and also the need to keep focused on the map reading were the most difficult parts.

Elaine Dalmares Lenz, ADDAN

It was a very nice course, with all this gardens. It was also very tough because its format, a very long Sprint race. Most of all, it was a good training today. I did a quite good race. Some route choices were difficult and I don't know yet if I did the good ones, but I have a good feeling. It's always great to come to Portugal. Always good maps, good courses and good organizations.

Annika Björk, OK Linné

An amazing race in a very nice terrain. I did one huge mistake and I've been disqualified but enjoyed it, anyway. The biggest challenge is the technical part, but also I'm not physicalli in good shape and it was tough. I think this format is a good idea. I did a good training having lots of fun.

Bartolomiej Mazan, KOS BnO Szczecin

I really enjoyed the race. It was quite difficult to places I've been at a Park. I think it was very tricky at the start, but than I liked the Urban area. I felt there like “home” and this second part of the race was much better for me. I enjoyed a lot this kind of contrast. In Great Britain, we often have Long Distances in urban areas, but not Middle Distances. This felt like a Sprint all the time. You have to keep focused for longer, which is a very good training if you're training for Sprint. The toughest part is to keep focused till the end and I did my biggest mistake next to the end, precisely.

Kirstin Maxwell, RR

Joaquim Margarido

LIOM 2016: Urban Middle Distance maps

Joaquim Margarido

LIOM 2016: WRE Sprint flash interviews

The most important thing is to do some hard training here. This map is a great full challenge, because it's physical on the hills but also really technical. It is great. I've travelled a long way to compete here and it worth it. My 'mp' doesn't matter. It takes some time to get into races, so... maybe next week, maybe tomorrow.

Catherine Taylor, OK Linné


It was a brilliant course. This is not the kind of terraind we have in Great Britain, so it was really exciting. It is very different and really fun those areas with lots of contours and all those little steps going up and down. Also, to be in t-shirt in January... we can't complain. My race, I had a few mistakes but I'm delighted with my third place.

Alice Leake, SN


It was my first time competing in Lisbon and I'm very impressed. This is one of the best areas for Sprint we have. I did just one small mistake for the 14th control, but I could run quite well. This is a technically very demanding area. You never fell that you're running full speed but I think I did a very acceptable race and I'm on the right track. I believe I'm in the best physical chape ever and I expect to keep it for the next months, until the really important events, EOC and WOC.

Tiago Gingão Leal, GD4C


Joaquim Margarido

LIOM 2016: WRE Sprint maps

Joaquim Margarido

LIOM 2016: Hubmann and Teini won WRE Sprint

Daniel Hubmann and Marika Teini were the big winners of LIOM 2016's first stage. On a tough and challenging urban Sprint, both athletes did good races, taking an important step towards the overall victory. 


After a night of bohemia and fado, Alfama woke up this morning with the excitement of an international Orienteering event. A map in one hand, a compass in the other, eight hundred orienteers tried the narrow and steep streets of this part of Lisbon, kicking off the Portuguese Orienteering season in the best way. 

 Showing to be already in good shape in the early season, the IOF World Ranking leader, Daniel Hubmann, Switzerland, took a comfortable triumph in 14:00. “An interesting course with many route choices”, was Daniel's first impression. After being many times in Portugal, this was the first time he tried Lisbon for a race and it was also the first event with the colors of KooVee, his new club. A fine debut, deserving also some words: “It's always nice to start a new year with a victory. When you go to a race you always try to give your best and you feel happy winning, even though it isn't the most important race of the year.” The Swedish Fredrik Bakkman and the Portuguese Tiago Gingão Leal were second and third with more 01:07 and 01:26, respectively, than the winner. 

More balanced, the Women Elite course had in Marika Teini, Finland, a surprising winner, over a really combative Galina Vinogradova, Russia. The difference between the two athletes was of 36 seconds, with Teini recording 14:59 in the end. The Finnish saw her race this way: “It was one of the best races I've ever ran. In such a tricky terrain, I just made one or two small mistakes and it was very good. I love Lisbon, the weather is fantastic and this particular terrain is amazing.” And she added: “With such strong runners like Galina Vinogradova or Catherine Taylor I didn't expect to win, but I did it and I feel really happy”. Alice Leake, Great Britain, took the third place with more 1:44 than the winner, while the best Portuguese was Raquel Costa, in ninth position, with 3:43 more than Marika Teini. 


Results 

Men Elite 
1. Daniel Hubmann (KooVee) 14:00 (+ 00:00) 
2. Fredrik Bakkman (IFK Lidingö SOK) 15:07 (+ 01:07) 
3. Tiago Gingão Leal (GD4C) 15:26 (+ 01:26) 
4. Dave Schorah (DEE) 15:51 (+ 01:51) 
5. Chris Smithard (DEE) 15:59 (+ 01:59) 

Women Elite 
1. Marika Teini (SK Pohjantähti) 14:59 (+ 00:00) 
2. Galina Vinogradova (Alfta OSA OK) 15:35 (+ 00:36) 
3. Alice Leake (SN) 16:43 (+ 01:44) 
4. Lone Karin Brochmann (Bakkelagets SK) 16:44 (+ 01:45) 
5. Siri Ulvestad (Nydalens SK) 17:02 (+ 02:03) 

Further information and complete results at www.liom.cpoc.pt. 

Joaquim Margarido

Lisbon International Orienteering Meeting LIOM 2016: Step by step

Along the next 17 days, Portugal becomes the Mecca for orienteers from all over the World. A unique orienteering opportunity to compete, train and have fun in the best terrains of Portugal is the main proposal of a triple journey that starts today. This weekend, CPOC presents you the Lisbon International Orienteering Meeting LIOM 2016, with a double journey on Saturday in the urban areas of Alfama and Oeiras and end up taking you through some of the best forests near Lisbon on a WRE Long Distance in Lagoa de Albufeira.

Welcome to the Lisbon International Orienteering Meeting LIOM 2016. This will be the first ever CPOC event counting with two WRE competitions. The event will start today with a Model Event in Bairro Alto, in the heart of Lisbon. On the morning of the 30th it will follow the most awaited moment of the event with an Urban Sprint in Alfama, also inside Lisbon, counting for the Sprint World Ranking. On the afternoon, the second stage will take the participants to Oeiras, this time for a Urban Middle course, using for the first time the whole Park of Poets, with his third and last phase opening only on the 2014's summer.

On sunday, the 31st, it will take place the Long Distance in Sesimbra, counting for the IOF World Ranking Event. All stages will also count for the Vitalis Portuguese FootO Cup 2016. Besides the event, there are multiple urban maps (and some forest ones in Jamor, Monsanto and Serra de Sintra) available for training in Lisbon and surroundings.

LIOM 2016 detailed program

29th January 2016

14:00 - Urban Model Event - Bairro Alto (Lisbon)
18:00 - Closing time for the model event

30th January 2016

08:00 - Opening Event Centre
09:45 - Deadline for quarantine entry
10:00 - World Ranking Sprint in Alfama (Lisbon)
12:30 - Prize Winning Ceremony for WRE Sprint Elite
15:00 - Urban Middle Distance - First start (Parque dos Poetas - Oeiras)

31st January 2016

08:00 - Opening Event Centre
09:30 - Long Distance (WRE) – First start (Lagoa de Albufeira - Sesimbra)
13:00 - Prize Winning and Close Ceremony (Lagoa de Albufeira - Sesimbra)

Note: All timings are in local time (GMT timezone).

Participants

The entries are closed since last Saturday, when the participants were in number of 845 from 26 different nations. Portugal is the most represented country (607 athletes), but we can still see a good number of athletes from Norway (36), Great Britain (24), Sweden (20), Spain (18), Brazil (16) and Poland (15). Israel, Hong-Kong, Taiwan or Uganda are also countries represented at LIOM 2016.

Daniel Hubmann, from Switzerland, is the brightest star of the competition. The current IOF World Ranking leader, both in sprint and forest distances, will have in the British David Schorah and Chris Smithard, the Finnish Olli-Markus Taivanen and the Portuguese Tiago Gingão Leal and Tiago Martins Aires his biggest opponents. As for the Women Elite, the Russian Galina Vinogradova and the British Catherine Taylor share the attention, but the British Alice Leake and Kirstin Maxwell, the Norwegian Lone Karin Brochmann and Kristine Fjellanger, the Swedish Kristin Lofgren and the Finnish Marika Teini also have a word to say.

Terrain and useful information

Stage 1 - WRE Sprint

The event will take place on a urban location with some traffic and with many people walking (mainly tourists). The event was scheduled for a Saturday morning to reduce the number of people in the competition área, but with so many narrow streets there may happen difficult situations to run trough some areas and we ask every participant to respect those who are calmly walking in Alfama and to take care concerning moving vehicles. In some crossings, there will be organizers helping participants.

The courses where set with an higher climbing rate than usual in sprint races. They were planned not to amplify unnecessarily the climbing rate, and there are connections where different options can lead to very different climbing meters. The start will be higher than the arrival. Pre-start will be made 6 minutes before the real starting time. The clock in quarantine will show the calling time, about 9 minutes sooner than the real time.

Stage 2 - Urban Middle Distance

There will be no quarantine procedures in stage 2, but the entrance to Parque dos Poetas will be forbidden before the event. The start location will be closeby to the Hard Floor pavillion, so we recommend free parking on the avenues closeby to the pavillion. The Arena will be inside Parque dos Poetas, 200 metres away from the Start.

Stage 3 - WRE Long Distance

The Arena on the 3rd stage in Lagoa de Albufeira (Sesimbra) will be very difficult to reach by public transportation. So, for those who doesn't have a private vehicle, CPOC will offer the possibility of going on a bus to the Arena. That possibility will be free of charge but the bus will have only 50 places available. CPOC already contacted other clubs with buses to make it possible for everyone to go to Sesimbra from the hard floor.

The time schedule for the bus will be:
07:30 - Leaving Hard Floor in Paço de Arcos
08:00 - Stoping in Marquês de Pombal (Lisbon) to get more participants lodged in Lisbon
08:45 - Estimated time of arrival at the Arena

To make possible to arrange transportation for all participants, organizers need that all requests can be stated again at the Event Centre with the number of needed places by group and the place where to take the bus.

Other information

- Car keys and bags can be stored at the Event Centre;
- First aid on Event Centre;
- Orienteering short briefings for all who will ask for them closeby to the start on the 1st stage (Alfama) and the 3rd stage (Sesimbra);
- LIOM bib number is mandatory. If the participant will not have it on the start, he won't be allowed to start. If an athlete will loose his bib number, another one will be available on the Event Centre for 1 euro;
- SI Card changes must be reported on the Event Centre;
- There will be no map hold at the end of the courses, so hopefully all athletes will have fair-play, not showing their maps to other athletes that didn't start their courses.
- Time limit for each course are 1h30 for WRE sprint, 2 hours for Middle Urban Distance and 3 hours for the WRE Long Distance.

- Results system in LIOM 2016: Individual and club results scored using the point system, adding points of the three stages all with same weight (WRE Sprint + Urban Middle Distance + WRE Long Distance).

For further information, please visit the Event's website, at http://liom.cpoc.pt/.

Joaquim Margarido

Oskar Sandberg: "I will be patient doing the work that has to be done"

For the first time, the Portuguese Orienteering Blog meets Oskar Sandberg, one of the most prominent junior MTB orienteers of all times. His three gold medals so far show not only the athlete's value, but also the excellent work that Sweden has been developing in recent years in MTB Orienteering. On a trip to his past as an athlete, Oskar tells us something else about a still short but extraordinarily successful career and designs some ambitious goals for his last season as a Junior.

When, two years ago, Cecilia Thomasson took the Sprint gold in the World MTBO Championships, most of people saw it as a fluke. The time took charge to prove the contrary and, in the last three years, we are seeing a “glorious revolution”. Sweden is now a well-known and respected country in MTBO and one of the names connected to this “revolution” is yours. How did it happen?

Oskar Sandberg (O. S.) - I wouldn’t say it was a fluke and, as you say, she has shown that she can do it again. The sport has grown enormously during the last years in Sweden and, of course, the number of athletes is one of the reasons why we start now getting results. Cecilia is our front-figure in Sweden and her success has given more media attention to the discipline. Success breeds success.

How did you know Orienteering and, particularly, MTB Orienteering?

O. S. - I came in contact with MTBO for the first time in 2011, and I would say this was probably the year when this so called “revolution” started. I have seen the number of Swedish riders increasing during the last years and the results have followed with them. I have always been running orienteering and was born into an orienteering family. I ran my first competition when I was six years old and I have always found it the most enjoyable sport on earth. I have also been competing in Ski-O since I was really young, so MTBO is the discipline I came in contact with last. When I went my first ride in 2011 I didn’t knew much about the sport. I saw an invitation to O-ringen MTBO just some weeks before, and thought it could be fun to try.

Could you talk about the first rides? Was there a particularly important moment in the beginning, for the best or for the worst, decisive in your choice?

O. S. - The first rides were even more fun than I had expected. Even though I had not practiced it before, it felt familiar to me. You need the same technical ability to choose route choices in Ski-O. I also had big advantage of having competed in ordinary Cross Country biking, which I began to do when I was 10. I remember the MTBO races as very short, but actually they were almost one hour each. Time flies when you’re having fun. I also remember O-ringen as a really tough week, both running orienteering five mornings and riding MTBO three afternoons. I rode some more races during the autumn that year and decided to combine all three orienteering disciplines the following seasons, a decision I didn’t regret.

Have you someone who was crucial in your MTBO career so far? Do you still keep his/her best advice?

O. S. - I have no special person who has been crucial, but I have taken some good advices from different persons. When I went to my first international Championships in Poland 2013, the sport was kind of new to me. I could count my number of previous rides on my fingers, and I was only there to see and learn. The result got way much better than expected, but I was still there to learn. After the Championships I realized some of my strong and weak sides. It’s much easier to develop as an athlete if you always know your weakest link. In my case I have been in front according to navigation skills, but is still way behind the fastest bikers on small and stony tracks. This is something I try to improve. I have got a lot of advice from riders in the national team about my riding technique.

Would you like to tell me about your group/club? How do you manage your trainings and competitions?

O. S. - I live in a region where many clubs have great MTBO activity. There are 4-5 clubs with an ambition to organize good training and competition opportunities. I’m riding for one of those clubs, and we are going to organize the Swedish Championships this year. Also, the school where I study is the only school in Sweden with an MTBO education. There, our trainer organizes at least one MTBO training every week. The number of opportunities to practise MTBO has increased, and I think the sport has been more respected by other orienteers in Sweden since the riders in the national team have reached successes. It’s the Swedish Orienteering Federation that sets the main program of events each season, and put all work of the clubs together.

By the way, who are you? You're a student, I believe, and to share the time between the studies and Orienteering is, for sure, everything but easy. But I'm sure that Portuguese Orienteering Blog's readers would like to know who Oskar Sandberg is.

O. S. - Actually, the life for me as a student and orienteer is really easy right now. In some Swedish high schools you can spread out the studies at four instead of three years, which I have decided to do. I have a schedule with much space, and I can now plan my training and my studies almost whenever I want. It’s my last year at Mora Ski High School and I can choose between eight disposed trainings during school each week, running, orienteering, skiing, Ski-O and MTBO, depending on which season it is. Beyond school I can also run orienteering two times a week with the local orienteering club. The surroundings are perfect for an athlete’s life. Also, the support from teachers, school and the Swedish orienteering federation couldn’t be better.

What attracts you in MTBO? What's the most difficult part of being MTB orienteer?

O. S. - Since I have been competing in all three orienteering disciplines I can compare them and say that all have their own charm. In MTBO it’s the speed that attracts me the most. Going full speed downhill with full map control is an awesome feeling. The fact that I am competing in all disciplines also makes my training varied, which is necessary to avoid injuries but also in order to keep trainings and competitions being fun. The most difficult part for me is when the tracks get really hard to ride. I have to prior in my training to develop the most important parts in each discipline. I have chosen more physical riding in my training since the tracks in MTBO often are flat and fast. This is why I loose time when the riding becomes more technical. If I come way behind the best athletes in some of the disciplines, I will perhaps select once for all which discipline I will focus on in the future, but I hope I won’t have to make that decision.

I believe your start of the season wasn't exactly what you expected. I didn't see you in Portugal, in the European Championships (?) ...

O. S. - No, you are right, but actually it was my plan to not compete at the European Championships (7th – 14th June). It’s hard to combine three disciplines and I have to prioritize some competitions, and my biggest goal for the season was to qualify and run well at JWOC in Norway (4th – 10th July). I thought my chances of being in good shape at JWOC would be better if I did not go to Portugal. Unfortunately, I had a bad spring season without any results showing what I could, and I wasn’t one of the Swedish runners competing in Norway. I felt really disappointed and took a break for some weeks without even looking to a map. After the break I was motivated to work out and perform well again. Hopefully I will enjoy Portugal next year instead, during WMTBOC.

Three individual Junior World MTB Orienteering titles, at the age of 19, is really something. I would like to hear you about each of them.

O. S. - The first gold in the sprint distance in Poland is really special for me. I was well prepared and knew exactly what was waiting out in the forest. Technical navigation with fast and dirty tracks, it would suit me very well. The first part of the course went trough an open grass area where you had to look up and ride the shortest way between the controls. I had a good flow from the start and was always one leg ahead in my mind. I pushed hard and made a 5 seconds mistake only in the end of the course. I started early and had to wait almost one hour until my major rivals finished. The middle distance this year was totally different. According to the old map it would become a physical challenge. Steep and long slopes and distances without map reading. This is actually the opposite of what suits me well. Before the championships I was unsure about my shape and I hadn’t competed for a long time. I knew I had capacity to perform well, even thought it would be a lot of physical biking, but I didn’t see myself as favorite. I rode well in the beginning of the course and was up the guy starting 2 minutes ahead already to the first control. I felt a bit stressed about it and prefer to race without riders around me. This is also something I must be better to handle. After 10-15 minutes my flow got better and I was able to focus on my own performance. I did some good shortcuts through the forest and heard I was in the lead at the spectator’s control. The last part of the course was a little bit trickier and I did some small mistakes. When I went to the finish I was unsure about how far the race would reach.

It’s hard to reload to a race later during a championship if you have succeeded early in the week. This was my case before the long distance. I was kind of happy with my bronze and gold medal and didn’t look forward to a hot and tough race with almost 1000 meters of altitude to climb, but the Swedish head coach managed to get me on other thoughts and before the start I felt totally different. After almost one and a half hour of hard work I finished really satisfied with my performance. The course was the best I have ever ridden, and it was worth every second. I think all course setters should take a closer look to the courses from WMTBOC just to see and learn. All courses had the right character with various challenges. I will probably steal some way of thinking to my mission as course setter to next year’s Swedish championship.

Is there one gold medal more significant than the others to you? Why?

O. S. - The first gold medal in Poland is the biggest for me. Even though the Middle and Long Distance races this year were very good, the race in Poland was as close as perfect you can come. The feeling after doing such a good race and see the last competitor cross the finish line and be unable to beat my time is unbeatable. For me the result isn’t that important, I want to be satisfied with my performance, which I really was in Poland.

How do you see MTBO in the next five years? Are we going to see Sweden improving and fighting for the gold in all classes?

O. S. - I really hope so. We have some upcoming athletes but it’s hard to know. It’s an individual sport, and even though the MTBO organization in Sweden works good and the recruitment looks good, no one than yourself can decide if you will succeed. Today Sweden has taken medals in all categories except men elite class, in five years we hopefully has.

And what about you? How are you preparing the “jump” to the Elite?

O. S. - The answer is pretty easy: more and tougher training. Some of the best juniors last years have taken the step from junior to elite class good - Andreas Waldman and Cedric Beillou, for example -, and I think I am also able to do it. You need to be humble against the challenge and accept the fact that your opponents have years of advantage with good training. I will be patient doing the work that has to be done.

Have you some goals already designed to 2016?

O. S. - Junior World Championships in all three disciplines. 2016 is my last year as junior and my goal is to qualify and take at least one medal at each championship. No one has done it before, so why not be the first? I know I have the capacity to succeed with good shape and the right day. I rather aim high and fail, than achieve a goal I’m not happy with.

What's your biggest wish?

O. S. - My biggest wish is to be healthy and free from injuries the whole winter and come to the next season and say that I couldn’t have done my preparations better.

[Photo: Mårten Lång]

Joaquim Margarido

SkiO World Cup round 2: A handful of gold to Erik Rost

After five victories and a second place in the individual races, Sweden showed up at the highest level once again, winning two out of three collective races which ended the second round of Ski Orienteering World Cup 2015/2016. With five gold medals in as many races, Erik Rost was crowned “king” of the competition.

Came to an end in Klingenthal, in the German region of the Ore Mountains, the second round of Ski Orienteering World Cup 2015/2016. The Swedish supremacy along the three individual races that filled the program last weekend, was confirmed once more through the achievement of two tasty victories and a second place.

Held yesterday, the Mixed Relay had in Tove Alexandersson and Erik Rost the big winners. A hard-fought victory by the narrow margin of 10 seconds over the competitive second team of Sweden (Magdalena Olsson / Ulrik Nordberg), with the two main teams of Russia (Mariya Kechkina / Eduard Khrennikov and Alena Trapeznikova / Andrey Lamov) being disqualified by “mp”. For the competition accounts, the third place of Finland meant the silver medal to the Finnish Salla Koskela and Janne Hakkinen, while the fourth position earned the bronze medal to the Norwegian Anna Ulvensoen and Oeyvind Watterdal

Ending the exciting German journey, the Relay courses took place this morning, with Sweden and Russia sharing equitably the top spots of male and female podiums. In the Men Elite class, Sweden finished again in the first position, earning Erik Rost to win five gold medals in a row and to be crowned as "King" of World Cup’s round two. And it was due to Erik Rost that Sweden got another amazing triumph, as the Swedish athlete left for the last leg with a disadvantage of 14 seconds for the Russian Andrey Lamov, ending in the lead with a time of 1:51:15 against 1:52:53 of his opponent. The victory in the Women Elite class smiled to Russia, but, in this case, the key of the victory in was the first leg, when Alena Trapeznikova took an advantage of 2:10 over Sweden. Magdalena Olsson and Tove Alexandersson were the fastest performers in the two final legs, but Polina Frolova, first, and then Mariya Kechkina, managed to hold an advantage that, in the end, lies in 23 seconds.

Results

Mixed Relay

1. Sweden (Tove Alexandersson / Erik Rost) 59:13 (+ 00:00)

2. Finland (Salla Koskela / Janne Hakkinen) 1:00:34 (+ 01:21)

3. Norway (Anna Ulvensøen / Oeyvind Watterdal) 1:00:52 (+ 01:39)

4. Russia (Polina Frolova / Stepan Malinovskii) 1:02:36 (+ 03:23)

5. Czech Republic (Hana Hancikova / Jakub Skoda) 1:05:34 (+ 06:21

6. Estonia (Doris Kudre / Udam Ilmar) 1:12:32 (+ 13:19)

Relay

Men Elite

1. Sweden (E. Blomgren / U. Nordberg / E. Rost) 1:51:15 (+ 00:00)

2. Russia (S. Malinovskii / E. Khrennikov / A. Lamov) 1:52:53 (+ 01:38)

3. Norway (J. Madslien / O. Watterdal / L. Moholdt) 1:56:00 (+ 04:45)

4. Finland (T. Linnainmaa / T. Kotro / J. Hakkinen) 1:58:54 (+ 07:39)

5. Czech Republic (J. Skoda / P. Horvat / R. Laciga) 2:06:53 (+ 15:38)

6. Germany (S. Gross / R. Rahtmann / A. Dannowski) 2:56:16 (+ 1:05:01)

Women Elite

1. Russia (A. Trapeznikova / P. Frolova / M. Kechkina) 1:31:48 (+ 00:00)

2. Sweden (E. Wickborn / M. Olsson / T. Alexandersson) 1:32:11 (+ 0:23)

3. Finland (M. Suutari / M. Kaskinen / S. Koskela) 1:37:02 (+ 05:14)

4. Czech Republic (P. Hancova / H. Hancikova / K. Kolinova) 1:44:38 (+ 12:50)

5. Germany (R. Bruns / A. von Gaza / H. Straube) 2:08:05 (+ 36:17)

For further information and complete results, please see the event's webpage at http://www.ski-orienteering.de/.

[Photo: Ski Orienteering in Germany / facebook.com/SKIOinDE]

Joaquim Margarido

1st TCR Orienteering Trophy: Antonio Martinez Perez and Marika Teini won WRE stage

It was hand in hand that Spanish League and Portuguese Cup in FootO gave the kick-off of 2016 season. Spread over three stages, one of which counting for the IOF World Ranking, the 1st Tierra de Ciudad Rodrigo Orienteering Trophy joined Portuguese and Spanish orienteers in that region of the province of Salamanca, for a weekend both emotional and fun.

Enthusiastically, 930 athletes from eight countries embraced the challenge of a great Orienteering weekend in Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain, near the Portuguese border. Organized by Escondite Nature Sport, Ciudad Rodrigo Orientación and Afecir, the 1st Tierra de Ciudad Rodrigo Orienteering Trophy stated the start of Foot Orienteering season in both countries, bringing with it the Iberian Championships 2016 in Men classes and also a stage scoring for the IOF World Ranking.

El Potril de Fuentiguinaldo was the place selected by the organization to carry out the stages of Long Distance and Sprint on the first day. The Middle Distance stage that ended the competition took place at Ciudad Rodrigo Historical Center. As for the Iberian clash, the balance fell somehow to the Spanish side, with 16 titles won against 13 from the Portuguese athletes. In the Elite class, Andreu Blanes Reig (Colivenc) reached the Sprint and Middle Distance titles, whereas the title of Long Distance fell to his team mate Antonio Martinez Perez. Rising to the highest place of the podium for three times in M16 class, the Portuguese Tomás Lima (COC) carried out the greatest achievement of the Championships and was the only athlete among all the present to get such achievement.

The “queen stage” opened the Trophy's program. Counting for the World Ranking, the Long Distance race had in the Spanish Antonio Martinez Perez and the Finnish Marika Teini the great winners. In Men's competition, it was very impressive the struggle between Martinez Perez and the Finnish athlete Olli Markus Taivanen, matching times throughout the course. The biggest difference between the two stood in 43 seconds at the entrance to the last third of the race. It wasn't until the antepenultimate control that Antonio Martinez Perez managed to reach the lead, winning by the narrow margin of 4 seconds. Contrary to what happened in Men's class, the Women's race had no history, so clear was the superiority of Marika Teini. The Finnish athlete won 19 of the 21 controls of her course, leaving in the end the Portuguese Mariana Moreira at a significant difference of 14:04.

Long Distance WRE

Men Elite

1. Antonio Martinez Perez (Colivenc) 1:14:31 (+ 00:00)

2. Olli Markus Taivanen (Pellon Ponsi) 1:14:35 (+ 00:04)

3. Andreu Blanes Reig (Colivenc) 1:15:18 (+ 00:47)

4. Eduardo Gil Marcos (Tjalve) 1:16:48 (+ 02:17)

5. Tiago Martins Aires (GafanhOri) 1:16:58 (+ 02:27)

Women Elite

1. Marika Teini (SK Pohjantahti) 56:21 (+ 00:00)

2. Mariana Moreira (CPOC) 1:10:25 (+ 14:04)

3. Rachel Costa (GafanhOri) 1:14:09 (+ 17:48)

4. Violet Feliciano Sanjuan (Colivenc) 1:18:35 (+ 22:14)

5. Guadalupe Moreno Zúñiga (Monte El Pardo) 1:19:14 (+ 22:53)

For further information please visit the event webpage HERE.

Joaquim Margarido

Tim Robertson: "NZ Orienteering is full of many self-motivated people"

An injury on the left shoulder forced Tim Robertson to end the last season earlier than expected, but it did not stop him from achieving some excellent results. The renewing of the world junior Sprint title or a top spot in The Orienteering Achievement of the Year 2015 are proof of that. Just some topics of a nice talk with one of the most promising values of World's Orienteering.

What comes in your mind first when you look back to the last season?

Tim Robertson (T. R.) - Many ups and one very big down. I had a great year and achieved many goals that I had set myself prior to moving to Norway. Obviously, the big down was my shoulder injury that cut short the end of my season. Of course, my biggest highlight was retaining my JWOC sprint title.

Are there other moments in 2015 that you would like to highlight?

T. R. - 10Mila and Jukola. Our young Fossum team had a great 10Mila and Jukola this year. Despite the oldest runner in the team being only 22, we came 26th at 10Mila. I had never run this event before and it was great to be woken up over an hour before schedule by my excited team mates, to be told that we were currently in the top 15. At Jukola, I ran in the clubs second team and handed over on second leg in 17th position. Our first team continued on to finish 30th.

Tell me about your shoulder injury. In what way does it affect your performances?

T. R. - Two days after arriving in Oslo I unfortunately dislocated my shoulder during a cross country skiing accident. It wasn’t long till I was training and competing again but I had to be extra careful running on the snow and ice in Oslo and especially racing at Bergen Sprint Camp (just one week after the dislocation!) However, I wasn’t careful enough and one month later I slipped on ice and once again my shoulder was out. My options now were either; Have surgery immediately and miss the 2015 season or spend summer strengthening my shoulder. Not wanting surgery to affect my last year of JWOC and preparations for WOC I decided I would work on strengthening it and continue with the season. For 6 months I had no problems with training or competing until the WOC Middle distance race where I got a branch stuck between my legs and flew from the top of a sharp hill to the bottom landing on my shoulder and dislocating it again. Seven and a half hours later my shoulder was back in position and I spent my birthday watching the WOC relay that I was supposed to be competing in. I made a hard decision to end the 2015 season there, apart from sprint orienteering (ASOM in Belgium) where falling was less likely.

Overall, how do you evaluate the last season for New Zealand’s athletes?

T. R. - Our New Zealand athletes have had a great year building on previous results. The WOC men were excited to move to division 2 for 2016 giving another athlete a chance to compete in Sweden. We have a strong group of juniors coming through and our seniors are getting stronger and stronger. Being from a country where orienteering is not well recognized as a sport it can be hard to motivate runners to keep in the sport and stick to their trainings but recent successes over the past 6 years by a range of athletes has fired up many New Zealand orienteers to reach the same heights or better.

How do you see the present moment of Orienteering in your country?

T. R. - Since returning back for surgery on my shoulder and a summer holiday I have attended a junior orienteering camp as a coach and it was exciting to see the up and coming talent of our junior orienteers. Athletes in New Zealand can sometimes be quite isolated from training partners or coaches, so it can be tough to train and motivate yourself. This has meant that NZ Orienteering is full of many self-motivated people working toward their own personal goals. However in recent years, in the main cities, there are training groups starting to build and this is motivating many to train faster and harder than on their own. Recently, out national organisation has put together a High Performance plan to assist our athletes to achieve their goals.

When we talk about the Orienteering Achievement of the Year 2015, we talk about Olli Ojanaho, the big winner, but we also talk about Tim Robertson, one of the nominees for the prize. Basically, we talk about two juniors. What do these distinctions mean? Did you expect to be nominated?

T. R. - It was an honor, of course, to be nominated for such an award alongside all my orienteering idols. I was travelling around New Zealand (with no internet) while this achievement was being voted on, so wasn’t able to follow this competition closely. I look forward to competing with Olli against the current elite men in the following years.

Changing of subject, when do we see you biking again on a MTB Orienteering course at the highest level?

T. R. - At the moment riding my bike is strictly forbidden. When I return to Oslo I will again use it a lot to cross train and next time the dates line up well with WOC foot orienteering I will consider racing. But for now the focus is just on enjoying riding as cross training and keeping the navigating with running.

Are you already preparing the season?

T. R. - Yes. I started to think of 2016 straight after WOC in August, where a third dislocation in the Middle Distance ruled me out of any more forest orienteering for the year. I started to plan where I would get surgery, and how early I could get it done to ensure that I would be fit and fighting again for 2016 WOC. I travelled home to New Zealand in October where I had shoulder reconstruction surgery. I have also taken the time off to travel around New Zealand coaching at some junior orienteering camps and showing off the country to my Austrian girlfriend. I have found having a complete physical and mental break from orienteering has been good for me, making me more excited about the season ahead.I can begin to run again in February, starting with 3km and progressing from there. I will compete in Danish Spring and JK Races which will be my WOC selection trials (for the NZ team) and hope to prove to the selectors that I am running close to my full potential by then.

What are your main goals for the current season?

T. R. - Firstly to get over the injury and ease into training again. I hope that by Danish Spring and JK I will be back running worry free in the forest and fast enough to be selected for our strong WOC team. I look to make a good start as an Elite both in Norway and internationally. 10Mila and Jukola is also a big goal for me and the Fossum club as we look to improve on strong results from last year.

I would ask you to make a wish for the Orienteering community in 2016.

T. R. - I would like to say a huge thanks for all the support I have received since my first shoulder dislocation. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of world wide support I have been given to help with payment for my shoulder surgery. I hope those who have been a part of supporting me with my injury will see my GPS dot racing in the big races again soon and know they have been a part of making that happen. Also thanks to Trimtex for their support with gear, Fossum IF for the great training environment, my flatmates for motivating me to get out the door and family for their number 1 support.

[Photo courtesy: Tim Robertson]

Joaquim Margarido

World Masters Ski Orienteering Championships 2016: 23 gold medals for Finland

Along with the World Cup program, Oberwiesenthal also hosted the World Masters Ski Orienteering Championships 2016. By achieving 23 world titles, Finland was the great dominator of a competition in which twelve countries signed their names on the medals board.

Oberwiesenthal was the stage, over the last three days, of the World Masters Ski Orienteering Championships 2016. Along with the great names of World Elite who competed in the second round of the Ski OWorld Cup 2015/2016, 263 veteran athletes from 18 countries fought for the Middle Distance and Long Distance titles, catching exciting duels and providing a show within the show. Note to the fact that most participants be coming from the Old Continent, with the United States being the exception and giving a “global” touch to a Championships that, otherwise, would be only “European”.

The Middle Distance World titles were found by the sum of times in two distinct stages, raced on Friday and Saturday. Finland immediately began scoring positions, winning eleven of the twenty titles up for grabs in this distance and fulfilling the podiums of classes M50, M55 and M70. Finnish Antti Virtanen (M45), Asko Sippola (M50), Pasi Martikainen (M55), Heikki Saarinen (M65) and Kyösti Jäppinen (M85) renewed their titles achieved in January last year in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, while the Finnish Toivo Ryyppö, World Champion at this distance in 2015 in M75 class, did an "upgrade" and was this year's winner in M80 class. As a curiosity it should be noted that the most significant difference was achieved in the W65 class by the Russian Tamara Ovsiannikova, leaving the Italian Licia Kalcich at 14:19 of difference. On the other hand, the most disputed victory went to the Czech Jan Lauerman who won over the Finnish Mika Häkkinen by 33seconds of difference in M40 class.

Finns even stronger in Long Distance

The Long Distance world titles were played today, with Finland to see strengthened its hegemony and to reach the highest place of the podium for twelve times. Antti Virtanen, Heikki Saarinen, Risto Orpana (M70), Jukka Luukko (M75), Toivo Ryyppö and Kyösti Jäppinen repeated the gold in the men's categories, while in women the Swedish Asa Zetterberg (M35), the German Anke Von Gaza (W45), the Czech Alena Rosecka (W60), the Russian Tamara Ovsiannikova (W65) and the Finnish Anne Pelt-Huikko (W55) and Pirkko Tahvanainen (W75) made “bis”. The Finns Mika Häkkinen (M40), Antti Virtanen (M45), Heikki Saarinen (M65) and Kyösti Jäppinen (M85) also renewed their Long Distance world titles. World champion in 2015 in the W35 class, the Latvian Lubova Pavlukova was this year's winner in W40 class. After losing Middle Distance title to the Russian Galina Vershinina, the American Sharon Crawford won the Long Distance title in the W70 class by the narrow margin of one second over Vershinina in what was the tightest duel of the Championships. Here too, Tamara Ovsiannikova get the largest advantage, beating again the Italian Licia Kalcich by the margin of 11:41.

Overall, the Championships' honor list was dominated by Finland with 23 gold medals, 16 silver and 7 bronze. With 6 gold medals, 6 silver and 14 bronze, the Czech Republic ranked second, while the third place went to Russia with 3 gold medals, 5 silver and 3 bronze. The following positions were occupied by Germany (3 gold medals, 4 silver and 6 bronze), Sweden (2 gold medals and 1 bronze), Latvia (1 gold medal, 2 silver and 2 bronze), United States (1 gold medal and 1 silver), Switzerland (1 gold medal), Italy (2 silver medals and 2 bronze), France and Lithuania (one silver medal and one bronze each). With one bronze medal, Austria closes this particular ranking.

Class	Middle Distance	Long Distance
M35	Christian Hohl (Wing OK) SUI	Ondrej Vodrazka (KOS Sl Plzen) CZE
M40	Jan Lauerman (OK Jihlave) CZE	Mika Häkkinen (Hiitomiehet) FIN
M45	Antti Virtanen (Tarpian Suunta) FIN	Antti Virtanen (Tarpian Suunta) FIN
M50	Asko Sippola (Kuortaneen Kunto) FIN	Määttä Kimmo (Ounasvaaran H) FIN
M55	Pasi Martikainen (Haapamäen Urh) FIN	Heikki Peltonen (Itä-Päijänt Rasti) FIN
M60	Udd Esko (SOC Asikkala) FIN	Radovan Kunc (OOB TJ Tatran) CZE
M65	Heikki Saarinen (SOC Asikkala) FIN	Heikki Saarinen (SOC Asikkala) FIN
M70	Risto Orpana (SOC Asikkala) FIN	Risto Orpana (SOC Asikkala) FIN
M75	Jukka Luukko (FIN-Veterans) FIN	Jukka Luukko (FIN-Veterans) FIN
M80	Toivo Ryyppö (FIN-Veterans) FIN	Toivo Ryyppö (FIN-Veterans) FIN
M85	Kyösti Jäppinen (FIN-Veterans) FIN	Kyösti Jäppinen (FIN-Veterans) FIN
W35	Asa Zetterberg (OK Djerf) SWE	Asa Zetterberg (OK Djerf) SWE
W40	Anne Heinemann (SVR Dresden) GER	Lubova Pavlukova (OK Stiga) LAT
W45	Anke Von Gaza (OLV Ulsar) GER	Anke Von Gaza (OLV Ulsar) GER
W50	Renata Neumannová (VSS Praha) CZE	Marita Väärälä (Ounasvaaran H) FIN
W55	Anne Pelto-Huikko (FIN-Veterans) FIN	Anne Pelto-Huikko (FIN-Veterans) FIN
W60	Alena Rosecka (UNITOP) CZE	Alena Rosecka (UNITOP) CZE
W65	Tamara Ovsiannikova (Veteran) RUS	Tamara Ovsiannikova (Veteran) RUS
W70	Galina Vershinina (Veteran) RUS	Sharon Crawford (RMOC) USA
W75	Pirkko Tahvanainen (FIN-Veterans) FIN	Pirkko Tahvanainen (FIN-Veterans) FIN

Joaquim Margarido

SkiO World Cup round 2: Rost and Alexandersson win (almost) everything

At a time when the last of three individual stages of SkiO World Cup's 2nd round comes to an end, Erik Rost and Tove Alexandersson are the event's big names so far. Five victories out of six are impressive numbers for the Swedish pair, resulting from almost perfect performances.

Since last Friday, Oberwiesenthal has been the stage of the largest international Ski Orienteering event ever in Germany. 90 athletes from 15 countries are here for the SkiO World Cup's second round, including the IOF World Ranking leaders, Tove Alexandersson from Sweden and Eduard Khrennikov from Russia. Before the Relay competitions at Klingenthal, next Tuesday and Wednesday, the individual races took place during the last three days and the final results have shown, on top of the list, the same name in Men class: Erik Rost from Sweden. As for the Women class, Tove Alexandersson took the gold in the first two days, but today she couldn't do better than a second place, with the Russian Mariya Kechkina keeping the first position.

Opening the program, the Sprint race had in Erik Rost and Tove Alexandersson the big names. Boosted by two victories achieved in the individual races in the first round, Tove was fastest throughout the race and get a new gold with a winning margin of 18 seconds at the finish. The Russian Mariya Kechkina was second and another Russian, Alena Trapeznikova, third. In the men’s race, Erik Rost did an almost perfect race, winning for 13 seconds from Bulgarian Stanimir Belomazhev. The Finnish Ville-Petteri Saarela finished third, 21 seconds down on Rost’s time. The sun on the Sprint turned to snow and icy rain, but this didn't hinder Tove Alexandersson who won the Middle Distance on the second day by 57 seconds and was overall fastest throughout the race. The closest opponent was again Mariya Kechkina, while the Finnish Mira Kaskinen had a fine race to finish third, 2:02 down on Alexandersson’s time. Erik Rost too was unhindered by the change in the weather, having a largely clean race to finish 43 seconds faster than Ville-Petteri Saarela, who is having an excellent season so far. Lars Moholdt, Norway was up in third position, 54 seconds down on the lead time.

Showing an insatiable appetite for the gold, Erik Rost was, once again, the big winner on the last individual race. With better weather conditions than yesterday, the Swedish started very badly, loosing six minutes in the four first controls. On the fifth control, however, Khrennikov lost five minutes and Erik Rost come again into the fight for victory. Till the end, it was possible to see both alternating in the lead, but another huge mistake of the Russian at the antepenultimate control gave the victory to Rost, with an advantage of narrow 21 seconds. Lars Moholdt was third again, with more 1:11 than Rost. The Women race seems to be decided on the fourth control, when Mariya Kechckina took advantage of a one and a half minutes slower Tove Alexandersson. Another two little mistakes explain the second place of the Swedish, 1:53 behind the Russian. Placed 24th in the IOF World Ranking, Evelina Wickborn, Sweden, was the big surprise by getting the third position with more 3:55 than the winner and an advantage of two seconds over the Norwegian Anna Ulvensøen, fourth today.

Results

Sprint

Men class (3.4 km, 150 m climb, 14 controls)

1. Erik Rost SWE 16:45 (+ 00:00)

2. Stanimir Belomazhev BUL 16:58 (+ 00:13)

3. Ville-Petteri Saarela FIN 17:06 (+ 00:21)

4. Lars Moholdt NOR 17:09 (+ 00:24)

5. Stepan Malinovskii RUS 17:38 (+ 00:53)

6. Andrey Grigoriev RUS 17:51 (+ 01:06)

Women class (3.1 km, 110 m climb, 12 controls)

1. Tove Alexandersson SWE 18:36 (+ 00:00)

2. Mariya Kechkina RUS 18:54 (+ 00:18)

3. Alena Trapeznikova RUS 19:09 (+ 00:33)

4. Polina Frolova RUS 19:14 (+ 00:38)

5. Anna Ulvensøen NOR 19:50 (+ 01:14)

6. Magdalena Olsson SWE 19:59 (01:23)

Middle Distance

Men class (7.4 km, 310m climb, 14 controls)

1. Erik Rost SWE 34:32 (+ 00:00)

2. Ville-Petteri Saarela FIN 35:15 (+ 00:43)

3. Lars Moholdt NOR 35:26 (+ 00:54)

4. Eduard Khrennikov RUS 35:27 (+ 00:55)

5. Janne Hakkinen FIN 35:51 (+ 01:19)

6. Stanimir Belomazhev BUL 36:02 (+ 01:30)

Women class (6.5 km, 250 m climb, 13 controls)

1. Tove Alexandersson SWE 33:23 (+ 00:00)

2. Mariya Kechkina RUS 34:20 (+ 00:57)

3. Mira Kaskinen FIN 35:25 (+ 02:02)

4. Magdalena Olsson SWE 35:33 (+ 02:10)

5. Linda Lindkvist SWE 35:54 (+ 02:31)

6. Polina Frolova RUS 36:13 (+ 02:50)

Long Distance

Men class (13,4 km, 710m climb, 22 controls)

1. Erik Rost SWE 1:11:33 (+ 00:00)

2. Eduard Khrennikov RUS 1:11:54 (+ 00:21)

3. Lars Moholdt NOR 1:12:44 (+ 01:11)

4. Stanimir Belomazhev BUL 1:13:07 (+ 01:34)

5. Ulrik Nordberg SWE 1:13:44 (+ 02:11)

6. Jyru Uusitalo FIN 1:14:44 (+ 03:11)

Women class (10,6 km, 510 m climb, 15 controls)

1. Mariya Kechkina RUS 1:04:08 (+ 00:00)

2. Tove Alexandersson SWE 1:06:01 (+ 01:53)

3. Evelina Wickborn SWE 1:08:03 (+ 03:55)

4. Anna Ulvensøen NOR 1:08:05 (+ 03:57)

5. Hanna Eriksson SWE 1:08:38 (+ 04:30)

6. Alena Trapeznikova RUS 1:09:26 (+ 05:18)

More details and full results at http://www.ski-orienteering.de/.

[Photo: Skogssport / facebook.com/Skogssport/]

Joaquim Margarido