When Lars Jakob Waaler left Trondheim
towards Strömstad, his goal was clear. After thirteen presences in
many WTOC editions, he wanted a medal. But he didn't expect a gold
one. “No I didn't”, he said with a smile, adding: “Not even
when I finished my course today, because I made three mistakes. I
said to myself that they would have been too many.” As it turns
out, Lars was wrong.
He was one of the first to start. Like
in the last WTOC, in Croatia, the qualification wasn't what he had
expected and the story turned out to be the same. Well, not the same:
Last year he finished fourth; this year, he was the first. Could it
be an advantage for him to be one of the first to start?, we asked.
Lars' answer seems to point that way: “I don't know... It's good to
be one of the first to leave because you don't find queues. And maybe
the pressure isn't the same. I believe it's worse if you're the 30th
to start (laughs). Last year I was also one of the first to start and
I had a good race. So, I guess it could be an advantage but I think
the most important thing is to reach the final.”
Talking about his course, Lars was
expecting “constant changes in the type of tasks and different
terrains from station to station”, as it happened. The reason is
because “last year, in the Pre-WTOC, it was the same, and I've been
in some of Bosse Sandström's events and I know he likes different
tasks and different stations. I can say that I was prepared for what
happened.”
Now, with the gold on his chest, the
feeling is great. “Finally, after thirteen World Championships, I
feel great!” And it seems that he's also ready for the next
challenge and for the gold in the PreO competition: “I'll certainly
fight for the gold again. It will be a different race, lots of
competitors will want the same, but I'm one of them and I can do well
too.”
The last words are dedicated to his
family, who supported him throughout his career, “especially for my
father who introduced me to Orienteering and still helps me with the
trips, he travels with me... of course, he's part of the medal.”
Joaquim Margarido
No comments:
Post a Comment