WTOC 2015: Portugal (151 photos)

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WTOC 2015: Finland (69 photos)

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WTOC 2015: Spain (40 photos)

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WTOC 2015: United States (31 photos)

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WTOC 2015: Italy (67 photos)

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WTOC 2015: Denmark (46 photos)

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WTOC 2015: Turkey (24 photos)

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WTOC 2015: Hong Kong (34 photos)

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WTOC 2015: Czech Republic (53 photos)

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Latin Countries Cup: 20 years of History

Spain was the big winner of the Latin Countries Cup 2015, held at Vlessart in early May. Inside Orienteering takes a look at the history of the Cup, which is soon 20 years old, has 17 member countries so far and has served as a bridge, increasingly solid, between Europe and America.

By Joaquim Margarido

Varna, Bulgaria, 1994. The lunch period marked a break in the Congress of the International Orienteering Federation and by a chance, Alexandrescu Constantin and Coman Ciprian, respectively President and General Secretary of the Romanian Orienteering Federation and Livio Guidolin, the General Secretary of the Italian Orienteering Federation and his wife sat down around the same table. From the intersection of conversations to the discovery of what both federations had in common was only a small step.

The chat continued and what started as a simple exchange of complimentary words, soon became more serious however with Alexandrescu’s proposal to organise an Orienteering competition for the Latin Countries. Enthusiastically received by Guidolin and, immediately, by the representatives of Federations of Spain, France and Portugal, also present at Varna, the idea had a practical effect the next Latin Countries Cup – 20 years of history day, with a special meeting aimed to formalise the foundation of the Latin Countries Cup. Name of the competition, goals, timings, composition of the teams, competition classes, results calculation formula, trophies, organisation and participation in expenses, such were the issues on the table. They drafted the project of statutes, and moved it on to the ratification stage by the five founding federations and elected the Italian Livio Guidolin as first General Secretary of the Latin Countries Cup. At Buzau, Romania, between 12th and 15th October 1995, took place the first edition of the Latin Countries Cup – Latinum Certamen, with the Romanian representation being the first one winning the competition.

The years of consolidation

Between 1996 and 1999, Italy, France, Portugal and Spain received by this order, the following editions of the Latin Countries Cup. In the meanwhile, Livio Guidolin gave his place of General Secretary to the Belgian Eric Hully, who remained in office between 1997 and 2005. These will be the years of consolidation. Increasingly, the Latin Countries Cup is stated as the friendly meeting place between Latin orienteers, providing the exchange of knowledge on training, pedagogy and methods of learning, in short, contributing to the development of Orienteering in the countries of Latin origin.

Belgium is admitted as a member of the Latin Countries Cup in 1997 and the 1998’s edition, held in Portugal, witnessed the participation of Brazil, which was accepted as the seventh full member, the first Latin American country to join the Latin Countries Cup. Between 2000 and 2008, the Latin Countries Cup revisited Belgium and the five founding countries. In 2004, again in Portugal, Mozambique is as a guest and accepted as full member the following year, along with Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela, in an edition held in Spain. In 2004, Spain won the right to keep definitively the trophy after winning the Portuguese edition, the third of a series that started in Italy

and continued in France. In the 2005 annual meeting, held in Seville, the Spanish José Angel Nieto Poblete was elected General Secretary of the Latin Countries Cup, place that he still holds and has just renewed until 2017. In 2008, Switzerland is admitted as a full member of the Latin Countries Cup.

A bridge over the Atlantic

The year 2009 represented a step forward in the history of the Cup, with the holding of the 15th edition for the first time outside Europe. In a process that began two years earlier by Itamar Torrezan and was concluded by Otavio Dornelles, Brazil organised an event that got participants from Uruguay and Chile, members no. 13 and 14 of a “club” that continues to grow.

Brazil would be the big winner of this edition, preceding Portugal which obtained in 2010 its first and only triumph in the competition’s history. In 2011, with the return of the competition to Spain, Costa Rica, Peru and Paraguay are admitted as full members, making the number of members 17. In 2014, the Latin Countries Cup crossed the Atlantic for the second time in its history, with the competition taking place in Uruguay. The victory in this edition went to Spain, repeating it already in 2015, in Belgium, in front the strong opposition from Belgians and Italians. In 2016 we will have a new transatlantic voyage, this time to Chile, contributing to the project to merge Europe and Latin America as hosts of the successive editions of the event. The years 2017 and 2019 already have Italy and Portugal as candidates for organising the event. And in 2018, who will be the Latin American country to host the Latin Countries Cup?

[See the original article in the IOF's newsletter Inside Orienteering, at http://orienteering.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/InsideOrient-2_15.pdf. Published with permission from the International Orienteering Federation]

Inside Orienteering 02/2015: Anna Jacobson's last issue

The latest issue of Inside Orienteering, the newsletter of the International Orienteering Federation, is already published. Marked by Anna Jacobson's farewell from the charge of Assistant Secretary General of that organization and Editor-in-Chief of the O-Zine, this is a number with a very special meaning.

Unannounced, the invitation came by surprise. Anna Jacobson wrote me asking my collaboration in the edition of the World Orienteering 2012. She needed an “expert” in MTB Orienteering and... I was the “expert” (?) From the surprise to the doubt was the time of a second. Would I be able to correspond to what she expected from me? Over there, the conditions were simple: it is volunteer work. I just asked to not see “censored” my articles and to let me write about what is happening in the Latin countries. Anna accepted. Me too. When I see, in the latter number, an article about the life and work of the Catalan Carles Llado and a historical review of the Latin Countries Cup, I am sure I did well in accepting the challenge. This always open window, from Italy to Mozambique, from Cuba to Portugal, was my greatest reward in the nearly three years of collaboration.

But this collaboration was not reduced to Orienteering World. In December 2012 I signed, with an Interview to the Swiss Matthias Kyburz, my first article in Inside Orienteering and a photo of mine had Cover honours. The collaboration get more and more closer and in the following two years and half 24 articles were signed by me on 13 numbers. Adding to this 13 interviews for the “Athlete of the Month” and we can have an idea about the scale of this work. Volunteer, I repeat! And always, but always, with the huge support of Anna and the understanding and patience of Clive Allen, “washing” my English.

That is why, alongside of a sense of pride and commitment, I cannot help but feel some sadness today, in the precise day of Anna's departure from the office at Radiokatu. A major overhaul in the structure of the IOF and the changing of the office from Finland to Sweden eventually spell the end of a beautiful story, based on trust and friendship. I know Anna, wherever you go, whatever you do, that you'll always be successful. You're a fighter and your ability to work are the guarantee of a promising future. As for me, I don't know. Officially I've not received any invitation to keep the collaboration with the IOF, in current or new terms. But, about one thing, I'm sure: I'll miss you, Anna!

Joaquim Margarido

IOF Athlete of May: Baptiste Fuchs

From mountain biking via orienteering to mountain bike orienteering – and Baptiste Fuchs, our Athlete of May 2015, had found his sport. “From the beginning I enjoyed the ‘playful’ side of MTB orienteering and I felt I could spend hours and hours in the forest searching for controls without feeling the time passing”, he says. Yesterday, he became together with his team mates winner of the first World Cup Mixed Relay race of this season. And we expect much more success for him in the near future…

Name: Baptiste Fuchs
Country: France
Date of Birth: January 31st 1987
Discipline: MTB orienteering
Career Highlights: World MTB Orienteering Championships – Long Distance 2nd (2014), Middle Distance 10th (2014), Sprint 14th (2014), Relay 3rd (2014).World Cup overall – 8th (2014).
IOF World Ranking: 5th

Baptiste Fuchs was born on the last day of January 1987 at Ambilly, where he lived for the first 20 years of his life deep in the countryside, enjoying the majestic sight of the Northern Alps. Along with his three sisters, he was encouraged very early on by his parents to practise sports of nature. From walking and biking to the more “radical” mountaineering, climbing and paragliding: the Fuchs family did – and still do! – all of them.

In the life of Baptiste, however, there is an event that was crucial in the personal and sporting options taken thereafter. He tells: “When I was 10, I went to the Mediterranean, cycling with my father. We rode an average of 100 km daily, we bought our food along the way and slept in shelters or in the tent that we took. For me it was like doing the Tour de France, and I began to feed the dream of being a cyclist!” Baptiste Fuchs took up cycling as a sport at the age of 12, and seven years later he reached the French Cycling Elite. Divided between Cycling and the need to continue his studies, he chose a Physical Education course and he became a teacher. Based in the Paris region, that’s where he discovered Orienteering: in the Fontainbleau forests.

A beautiful evening …

It all started with an invitation: the challenge to be part of a team in a Foot Orienteering night race. Readers familiar with Orienteering can understand the ingredients assembled that night: the camaraderie, the team element, the competition, the challenge of finding the controls, all in a scenario of shadows and gloom. And when the team leader passed the map into Baptiste’s hands, there was light. “I had stopped Cycling some time back, and felt the need to find a sport that fitted with my taste and interests”. And so Orienteering took over as “the sport”.

For Baptiste, it was a surprise to take note that Orienteering was also practised on wheels. And on all types of terrain. “As I came from Cycling, MTB orienteering was of interest from a personal point of view”, he says about this unexpected discovery. Since the moment he left “his” mountains and moved to Paris, contact with nature had been reduced almost to zero and here was the chance of recovering it. But there was more: “From the beginning I enjoyed the ‘playful’ side of MTB orienteering and I felt I could spend hours and hours in the forest searching for controls without feeling the time passing”. Holding already the physical qualities and the control of the bike needed to perform well, Baptiste was just lacking the technical part. But that one can learn and improve with training and races. Motivated, he has become a habitual presence at all competitions. He loves the healthy atmosphere among runners. Above all, he enjoys this undeniable fact: “The physically stronger is not necessarily the one who wins!”

Started at the age of 24

Baptiste’s first races with map and compass were back in 2011. Baptiste was then 24 years old and the question has to be posed: Wouldn’t it be too late to start? The athlete sees things another way: “In fact, I started doing MTB orienteering at the age of 24 and I didn’t expect to improve so quickly! But I started with a good physical level, although it was a disadvantage in the beginning because the habit to ride too fast was huge and I ended up by getting lost. Looking to make up the time lost, I ride even faster and … get lost again. Actually, my first races weren’t very successful”, he confesses, a smile on his face.

As he improved his orienteering technique, however, Baptiste eventually achieved a balance with his physical qualities, becoming what he is today. And he has the ambition to get further away: “Some argue that it takes 10 years to produce a champion. When I see what Ruslan Gritsan is still able to do at the age of 37, I say to myself that I still have a long time ahead to improve”, he says.

An unexpected medal

From 11th place on 22nd October 2011, in the French Long Distance Championships – his first race counting for the World Rankings – up to his silver medal in the World Championships in Poland on 29th August 2014, goes a whole journey of success. With Baptiste, we dived in on this “silver journey”, the highest point of his career so far.

– What memories do you keep from that day?

“It was a very special day. Contrary to what occurred on the previous days with the Sprint and the Middle Distance races, I woke up with a feeling of great confidence, that this was my day. The day before I had already been amazed with the 10th place I achieved in the Middle Distance, especially since I had made too many mistakes. I knew that if I had a clean race there was no reason to fail in my original goal, which was to take a place in the top 10. I started the race wishing to do things well, to complete a course without mistakes according with my plan, and without thinking about the result, just for the pleasure of feeling the moment. And I got what I wished: I grabbed the race with the desire to give of my best, and to have a successful race without thinking about beating anybody. The silver medal is nothing more than a bonus. I prefer to finish a course in 20th place but pleased with my orienteering, rather than reaching the podium without the satisfaction of having had a good race.”

– Did you expect to get the silver medal?

“No, not at all. My best result until then had been 7th place in a World Cup stage! I think the difficulty of this Long Distance race in particular was not the choice of routes, but the number of control points (37): It was necessary to look ahead and keep concentration from the beginning to the end. And we can see that easily when we analyse Jiri Hradil’s race, the fastest passing through the spectator control but throwing it all away at the 31st control. I may have managed to make fewer mistakes than my opponents, keeping my concentration and holding to my race plan until the end: choose always the shortest route, think ahead, and keep well fed and hydrated.”

– One of the consequences of this medal has to do with your place in the rankings. What does being 5th in the IOF World Ranking mean to you?

“This is also a surprise. But it shows how consistent I was throughout the season, proving that my silver medal didn’t happen by accident. When I entered my first international competitions, I looked to the athletes of the Red Group and they were so strong… I was far from imagining that one day I would join them. Above all, this will allow me to be in contact this year with the best in the world and take the benefits from this additional motivation.”

Training

Baptiste Fuchs has no personal coach and he is the designer of his own training plans. But he admits that having someone who can put in questions about what he does, give some advice and, above all, force him to train when the will is poor, could be important. He confesses his passion about everything that concerns physical preparation, nutrition, recovery and the mental part. His studies at the University of Lyon allowed him to acquire a number of skills that he now seeks to deepen and complement with time and experience. “It is exciting to realise how your body reacts and measure the training effects on it”, he says, while finding the PowerMeter “essential” to his physical preparation process.

Baptiste’s training scheme takes into account the training of another great French athlete, Gaëlle Barlet, and is divided in cycles of four weeks each, with three weeks of progressive physical preparation and a week of recovery. In general, a typical week does not stray far from the following schedule: Monday – recovery, muscle strengthening and race analysis. Tuesday morning – individual training; Tuesday night – training with Gaëlle. Wednesday morning – muscle strengthening; Wednesday afternoon – training with Gaëlle. Thursday morning – individual training; Thursday night – training with Gaëlle. Friday – recovery, muscle strengthening and competition simulation. Saturday and Sunday – competition.

“The greatest enemy of the athlete is himself, his mind”

In the training process, the mental part plays a key role and Baptiste can identify perfectly its most important aspects: “It’s not always easy to have the necessary motivation to follow the workout plan, especially when it rains, snows or the conditions are difficult. It is then that we see how important the mental part is”, he says. However, his past in Cycling taught him to “like suffering” when on a bike and it proves to be particularly useful at this point. Directing attention to pleasant moments or seeing images of a competition are strategies that help him to overcome the difficult moments, to which he adds the fact that he knows that his opponents are also training in the same difficult conditions. Result: “My motivation returns quickly”, he notes.

But it’s not just over motivational issues that Baptiste focuses his particular attention in his mental preparation. According to him, his state of mind remarkably affects his performance during the competition: “We all have a similar physical and technical level at the outset of a World Championships. What makes the difference has to do with the ability to stay focused throughout the competition, not to be upset by a mistake or an opponent you meet or some mechanical trouble. The greatest enemy of the athlete is himself, his mind”, he says. It is here that Baptiste sees the reason for his improvement, especially during the last season: “The confidence I gained allowed me to always move forward being sure of the best option, and not come back to lose 15 seconds in analysing the map when I realised that this wasn’t the best way to go”, he concludes.

Man shall not live by MTBO only

In addition to MTB orienteering, Baptiste Fuchs finds some time for other types of physical activity and sport. Cross-country skiing and Ski Orienteering are two of the preferences of this athlete in winter, asserting that “orienteering technique in both skiing and mountain biking is the same; someone exemplifying that is Hans Jørgen Kvåle, a brilliant athlete in both disciplines.” Trail running, ski outings and some raids – “to develop endurance and mental toughness” – in winter, and cycling in spring are complementary activities, and then there are paragliding and climbing, these two limited by the fact that there isn’t enough time for all. Above all, Baptiste Fuchs can’t stand to be at home: “I like any sport, from the moment that I leave home and dive into the nature, preferably without having to take the car”, he concludes.

– What do you think of mountain biking “hard and pure”? Do you consider it essential as part of the training of an MTB orienteer with ambitions?

“I don’t go mountain biking. I train myself exclusively on my road bike and I think here’s the example that one can be successful in MTB orienteering without always going mountain biking! I’m aware of my weaknesses in terms of control of the machine: I don’t have the same agility as Kristof Bogar in downhill, for example. But I don’t think this is decisive in MTB orienteering. There are so many aspects that I must work on in order to win a few seconds, so I have no problem in putting this subject to one side.”

MTB and MTB orienteering: Two different realities

In addition to the wish to go further with his studies, the “bad atmosphere sometimes” among the athletes weighed in Baptiste’s decision to leave Cycling. “A certain mentality is maybe a consequence of money and prizes involved in the races”, he suggests, comparing it with what happens in MTB orienteering: “It’s fantastic that a good atmosphere remains preserved in our sport. To win a mug and a lamp when you’re 2nd placed in the World Championships may seem unbelievable to any rider used to receiving prize money, but I think it’s precisely therein that lies one of the charms of MTB orienteering. You can’t live by it, you spend a lot of money travelling to the four corners of the world where the events take place, but people who are willing to make financial sacrifices of this scale, do it through necessity just for the pleasure and for the passion”. And he concludes: “As long as things continue like this and doping and other derivatives remain away from our sport, it’s perfect.”

The topic of conversation remains on MTB, and we can’t avoid talking about the mass phenomenon that MTB is, whilst MTB orienteering continues to attract a much lower number of dedicated practitioners. Baptiste finds the explanation in the fact of MTB being “a very media-conscious discipline which has managed to adapt in order to make the races dynamic and spectacular. The circuits are shorter, allowing live broadcast of the races”. And also, “young people can easily identify with their champions, signing up in clubs and trying to imitate them. On the other hand, MTB orienteering is not easily broadcast as you don’t know the options of each competitor. And we have to admit that putting a camera next to a control to see a regularly repeated sequence is not exactly exciting. I think this is the greatest handicap to its development”, he concludes.

The risk is part of the game

When we see an athlete riding along a single track filmed by his own GoPro, we often feel a bit of vertigo, such is the speed that things happen. Speed is synonymous of risk, and the risk is part of the game, we all know, but is that risk necessary to be a World Champion? Baptiste talks of the last IOF Athlete of the Month, Hanka Doležalová, “the victim of a terrible accident in Portugal”, as an example of the ever-present risk. To him, “to ride a mountain bike is no easy task, but to ride and read a map at the same time makes it even harder. Ask Julien Absalon if is he able to read a newspaper and summarise it at the end of a World Championships race. I’m not sure that he would get to the end and win the race!”

His experience leads, of course, to him taking the risk factor into account. “It’s always with some uneasiness that I leave for a race. But from the moment I first look at the map, I end up forgetting some security rules and I take undue risks. One of the things I try to do is to memorise as much information as possible to avoid being forced to look at the map whilst riding downhill, for example. But unfortunately this is not always enough”, he concludes.

France a strong team

Baptiste’s endurance work in winter was distributed between skiing, running and biking. The athlete sought to participate in as many Foot Orienteering races as possible, especially urban Sprint – races that most resemble MTB orienteering in the taking of options and speed of decision. With the arrival of spring, Baptiste packs up the skis and focuses exclusively on the bike.

Recently he has been in Spain and Portugal together with his MTBO Team Elite colleagues. About the team, he says: “It’s a strong team, full of young people who are progressing very quickly and challenging the oldest. We will certainly have a very homogeneous Relay team this year.” It is clear, however, that what makes this team so special is its self-help capacity. Baptiste confirms: “We have a great atmosphere within the Team and do not hesitate to organise ourselves and move on to a Training Camp as a group, regardless of the meetings organised by our Federation. We also have this habit of meeting together out of competition. The creation of the MTBO Team Elite is a dream that has become true and I just hope that this positive moment will last”, he notes.

“I am eager to do my first WRE race”

– How is your physical shape?

“I feel quite well. I am lucky that I never get sick and rarely injure myself, so I have so far been able to follow my workout plan strictly. I’m a few pounds less compared to last season at this time, and I dare to believe that my preparation is also earlier compared to last season. I am eager to do my first WRE race to compare myself to the others.”

– Judging by results, it seems to be at Long Distance that you feel most comfortable. Is that true?

“Yes, it is true. In terms of results I am better in the Long Distance races. I think when we start Orienteering the most important thing is to simplify things, and the Long Distance races are the ones where you can more easily express your physical potential, rather than the technical side. But as I improve, I take a growing pleasure in an urban Sprint rather than a Long Distance race, for example, because of its ‘playful’ side. I have to say that the route choice options haven’t had a decisive importance in recent years with regard to the big Long Distance races. In Poland, the number of control points and the weak slope meant that the long-leg options didn’t have a decisive character. In this context, it is easier for a “non-orienteer” to be successful. But things will be different in Portugal. I look at Long Distance map samples, quietly sitting in my office, and I find I can’t draw a route to the first control that would clearly be the best one. On the other hand, I think Portugal is a country that is well suited to my skills. When I was into Cycling as a sport, I was a good climber above all. I like it when we are faced with real climbs, when there is enough slope. I live in the Alps and the peaks around me are my ‘beach’.”

Triangle of emotions

In a year when Portugal, Hungary and the Czech Republic form a triangle of high-level competitions, it is time now to address the big goals. As mentioned above, Baptiste nourishes a preference for Portugal and there is a strong emphasis on the European Championships. To the athlete, “there are all the conditions to enjoy the European Championships, but I also have good memories from Hungary where I participated in my first World Championships in 2012. I did the first leg of the Relay and guaranteed the leadership for France’s second team, and then I was second in the qualifying heats of Long Distance, to everyone’s surprise”, he recalls. But despite the many good expectations that Baptiste may have about the Portuguese and Hungarian competitions, it is on the Czech Republic that he focus his greatest attention: “The Czech Republic is the country of MTB orienteering. They are used to organising a large number of high quality events and I’m certain I will not be disappointed by the way the World Championships will be held”, he assures.

“To enjoy myself, especially since the results will be the logical consequence of well achieved races”; this is the way Baptiste Fuchs summarises the goals for the current season. The most difficult part, he keeps for himself: “To confirm that my podium placing at the last World Championships wasn’t an accident”. To do so, Baptiste knows that he cannot overlook the strong competition, admitting that “all the first 20-ranked in the World Rankings are capable of getting on to the Championships podiums”. Once again, “my biggest rival will be myself”. But if Baptiste shows the same state of mind as in 2014, then he knows – we all know! – that a medal is quite possible. And we keep the expression of his greatest wish: “To have a perfect race! But does such a thing exist?”

Athletes’ Questions

Hanka Doležalová, Athlete of the Month in April, put the following questions to Baptiste Fuchs: “Are you planning to participate in the Plzeň 5 Days 2015? What do you enjoy the most in this event?” And the athlete says: “I expect, indeed, to participate in the Plzeň 5 Days 2015, as part of my preparations for the World Championships that will take place in the Czech Republic in August. The first time I participated in this competition was in 2013 and I found a great atmosphere there. Athletes are all hosted in the same place and take meals together, and children from 4 years old participate on small bikes without pedals, among the other competitors. We can clearly see that MTB orienteering is more popular in the Czech Republic than in France. I also liked the “originality” of some of the organisation’s plans, in particular the classification of the best in the arrival corridor, the chasing start on the last day, the Relay triathlon and the semi-free order format, which gave me huge problems.”

Baptiste Fuchs asked Emily Kemp, the next Athlete of the Month: “I know that you have lived in France and you currently live in Finland. The dream of French orienteers is to be able to head for Finland and Sweden to continue improving. Are there many differences in the way that French athletes and Finnish athletes train? Are the training conditions for high-level athletes the same in both countries? What are the positive (or negative) differences between Finland and France in terms of improvement in Orienteering?

[Text and photo: Joaquim Margarido. See the original article at http://orienteering.org/sundays-mixed-relay-winner-iof-athlete-of-may/. Published with permission from the International Orienteering Federation]

IOF Athlete of April: Hanka Doležalová

Our Athlete of the Month has been representing her country in two orienteering disciplines in World Championships: MTB and Trail Orienteering. Hanka Doležalová started as a mountain bike orienteer, but after a serious accident at the World Championships 2010 she was no longer able to bike or walk. Soon after she however found herself a new orienteering discipline: trail orienteering. Quite soon she became a member of the national team of Czech Republic in her new sport too. Still, Hanka says that her MTB orienteering background has not helped her too much in TrailO: “I think that the only thing these two sports have in common is wheels!”

Name: Hanka Doležalová
Country: Czech Republic
Discipline: Trail Orienteering
Career highlights: European TrailO Championships 2014 PreO, 22nd; TempO Qualification, 42nd. World TrailO Championships PreO, 28th. Unofficial European Cup in TrailO 2014 overall, 35th.

It’s a warm July day from the now-distant year of 2010. In the surroundings of Avelelas, in the north-east of Portugal, the qualification heats of the Long Distance for the World MTB Orienteering Championships are taking place. For the participants in the Women Elite class, the goal is to finish the race as fast as possible, and not mis-punch. But suddenly Hanka Doležalová, the Czech athlete, rides off the road, the bike’s front wheel gets stuck and the athlete flies over her bike, falling in a ditch on her back. This nasty accident would mean a 180-degree turn in the athlete’s life, compromising indefinitely her wishes and dreams. “My spine did not handle this somersault and I stayed lying in the ditch. I couldn’t feel my legs and torso, I couldn’t move and I was breathing heavily. I screamed a lot and hoped that someone would find me soon. Luckily, Anke [Danowski] and Melanie [Simpson] appeared quickly. I waited a very long time for the ambulance. It was a really hot day and my thirst was unbearable.”

Hanka was taken by ambulance firstly to the Hospital de Chaves and then to the Centro Hospitalar do Porto, where she suffered a spinal intervention in the dawn of the next day. In the morning, the news broadcast the accident and gave the prognosis. “I realised what had happened, even when I was still lying in the ditch. I just waited for any development”, she remembers.

On the way up in MTBO

MTBO was always very important in Hanka Doležalová’s life. In Portugal, the athlete was fighting in the World Championships for the second time. Needless to say, this was her number one sport. Even as a junior she was able to join the Senior National Team and the results started to appear. To her three qualifications in the 2008 World Championships top 10 (4th place in Sprint, 6th place in Middle Distance and 9th place in Long Distance) she added a gold Medal in Relay, in the team with Michaela Maresova and Hana Hancikova.

In the following year, already competing in Elite, the athlete gained 11th place in Middle Distance in the European Championships (North Zealand, Denmark) and 13th place, also in Middle Distance, in the World Championships (Ben Shemen, Israel). The objective was to make progress, get into the top 10, reach the medals, but mostly to enjoy. “Most of all, I really enjoyed MTBO”, she says. Her best score would end up being the 10th place, reached in the Sprint Finals of WMTBOC 2010, three days before the fateful accident.

Remembering her first rides holding a map, Hanka Doležalová refers to them as a part of the natural evolution of her taste for Orienteering, as well as for Mountain Biking. Practising Orienteering since she was a child, the bike was always there for her amusement. “I was 12 years old when I tried MTBO for the first time and I liked it a lot. I began to ride regularly at the age of 16”. From the short period of time she practised MTBO, Hanka can’t highlight any special moment as the best one, but says “it was a great party”.

The first steps of a new life

- Since the first moments of your physical rehab process, did you want to forget MTB Orienteering or did things not happen exactly like that?

“Never. My MTBO friends visited me a lot at the beginning and I was glad for that. I was interested in what was new in the MTBO world. After all, it had been my world too.”

- Would you like to tell us about this whole process of rehabilitation and how your competitive attitude has been important in establishing a life of your own again?

“It was a long process. I went back home after eight months. I believe that, in my case, it is not so much about competitive attitude as it is about my nature.”

Radical experiences

Hanka’s nature and attitude prevented her from putting sport aside. The variety of adapted sports in the Czech Republic led her to try a wide range of sports, some of them really attractive, other ones not so much. “I like to explore and try new activities. Already during my convalescence (six months after the injury) I used to go home to the Krkonoše Mountains on weekends to learn how to ride a mono ski. And I found it absolutely normal. The less traditional activities are, for instance, my beloved water skiing or riding a four-wheeler.” But the athlete also does Cross-Country Skiing during the winter and participates in an annual survival competition: “It is a pair-race, the time limit is 24 hours and it includes about 16 different activities.”

On a short visit to Portugal in May 2012 Hanka was able to try adapted sailing. “It was incredible. I was amazed by the feeling of freedom”, she remembers, adding that: “Unfortunately there are not very good conditions for this activity in the Czech Republic.”

It’s TrailO time

Hanka Doležalová was introduced to Trail Orienteering by the organisers of an event. “My Orienteering club has organised a race for handicapped people for 18 years now and I worked there as an assistant and as an organiser”, she explains. It was around that time that she met Bohuslav Hůlka who, along with Jana Kosťová and others, would be decisive in her approach to TrailO after her injury; this has led to her entry into the Czech National Team. “They started to lure me right after the accident. They said I had to do TrailO because I was a successful orienteer”, she remembers.

One of her first excursions in this discipline took place in the city of Oporto in Portugal. Invited by the Desporto Adaptado Hospital Prelada, the athlete was the ‘godmother’ for their second open orienteering event and she participated in the competition as well: “I believe that the decision to participate in the Prelada Hospital Open race speeded up my introduction to TrailO”.

If I was in charge…

The adaptation to Trail Orienteering proved anything but easy for the athlete. The enormous differences to her other activities were the reasons that Hanka cites to justify her disappointment at that time. But what is there that makes TrailO so difficult? “To keep the sense of orienteering and not be put out by the range of measurement techniques one can use”, explains the athlete.

But there are other aspects that are relevant to this subject, one of which Hanka would pick as the one, if she had the power to, that would deserve the most attention and demand a rule of its own: “Make TrailO courses on asphalt roads! This is the only way I can be completely concentrated and focused on the map and the orienteering. Otherwise I put a lot of energy into just progressing, how to cope with narrow roads or how to pass rocks, roots and mud.”

Four brief questions

- For many, training for TrailO is a mystery. Could you tell me something about your work-out and what it is most important to train in order to apply it in a real course?

“It is a mystery for me too! I do not have any special training. I try to gain new experience by racing”.

- How important was the knowledge that you brought from MTB orienteering in this change to TrailO?

“I think that the only thing which these two sports have in common is wheels!”.

- Who are the athletes in this discipline that you most admire? Why?

“TempO athletes who are able to solve a cluster in 8 seconds”.

- Can anyone practise TrailO or is this, after all, not for everyone as we hear every day?

“Yes, everyone can do it, but it’s not granted you succeed. You do have to be precise”.

World Championships – yes, but…

Called in 2014 to represent the Czech National Team for the first time, Hanka Doležalová produced notable performances and, overall, pretty auspicious ones, not only in the European Championships in Portugal, but also in the World Championships which took place in Italy. Although Hanka keeps good memories from the times she wore the National Team’s sweater, she elects the Czech round of the Unofficial European Cup in Trail Orienteering as the best moment in 2014: “I ran a clear race and made no mistakes, including in the timed controls”.

In what matters in her objectives for 2015, the athlete is greedy in words. Will this be the year in which we see Hanka Doležalová step on to the podium of the World Championships? “First of all, I have to be successful in the qualification races”, she says.

A good reason to hold on to Orienteering!

Considered “a good way to go to places I never thought I’d go to in a wheelchair”, TrailO has for this athlete an added value in this particular time of her life. The reason is simple: “I´m not sure if I’m holding on to orienteering. But I am definitely holding on to one trail orienteer”, she says, smiling from ear to ear.

And she ends by saying that: “Some doors may be closed, but other doors will be opened.”

Questions & Answers

Tove Alexandersson, Athlete of the Month of March, asked: Where is your favourite place in the Czech Republic and why?

Hanka replied: “I have many favourite places in the Czech Republic, because it is a very beautiful and varied country. But my heart beats for the Krkonoše mountains where I live.”

Hanka Doležalová’s question to Baptiste Fuchs, Athlete of the Month of May: Are you going to come to the MTBO 5-days at Plzeň in 2015? What do you like the most about this event?

[Text and photo: Joaquim Margarido. See the original article at http://orienteering.org/i-think-that-the-only-thing-these-two-sports-have-in-common-is-wheels/. Published with permission from the International Orienteering Federation]

IOF Athlete of March: Tove Alexandersson

Tove Alexandersson was one year old when she was taken out on her first orienteering course. From that early beginning, she has moved up to taking three victories in a row in the first round of the World Cup in Foot Orienteering at the beginning of the season, and to gold medals in Sprint and Relay in the World Ski Orienteering Championships two weeks ago. A remarkable start to the year which places her, currently, in the lead in the IOF’s World Rankings both in Foot Orienteering and Ski Orienteering.

Name: Tove Alexandersson
Country: Sweden
Born: 7th September 1992
Disciplines: Foot Orienteering and Ski Orienteering
Career highlights:World Orienteering Championships: Six silver medals (2014, Sprint and Long Distance; 2013, Middle Distance and Long Distance; 2012, Middle Distance and Relay), three bronze medals (2014, Middle Distance and Relay; 2011, Relay). European Orienteering Championships: two bronze medals (2014, Middle Distance; 2012, Relay). Junior World Orienteering Championships: Five gold medals (2012, Sprint and Middle Distance; 2011, Relay; 2010, Middle Distance; 2009, Middle Distance). World Cup in Foot Orienteering: One victory and one second place overall (eleven winnings in stages).

World Ski Orienteering Championships: Five gold medals (2011, Sprint; 2013, Sprint and Mixed Sprint Relay; 2015, Sprint and Relay), one silver medal (2013, Relay), one bronze medal (2013, Long Distance). Junior World Ski Orienteering Championships: gold medal (2009, Relay; 2010, Relay; 2011, Sprint and Middle Distance; 2012, Sprint, Middle Distance, Long Distance and Relay). World Cup in Ski Orienteering: Two second places overall (thirteen winnings in stages).

IOF World Ranking position in Foot Orienteering: 1st

IOF World Ranking position in Ski Orienteering: 1st

“Foot orienteering is the most important discipline for me, but so far I feel that ski orienteering also makes me a better orienteer. I don’t focus on SkiO during the orienteering season, but I always focus on orienteering and do what I think is the best for me to be better”. It was in this way that Tove Alexandersson answered, one year ago, the Portuguese Orienteering Blog’s question about the “duality” of being both Foot orienteer and Ski orienteer. At that moment she was close to the top in the IOF World Rankings, both in FootO and SkiO, but now she is at the very top. The answer hasn’t changed, however. Just a little upgrade, so to say: “For the last few weeks I have been focused only on ski orienteering, but I’ll probably switch the focus soon”, Tove states.

These were the very first words of a conversation that will enable us to visit some of the most important moments of Tove’s career. But it’s important to set down, right now, a warning: The girl who saves all the energy she has, applying it only on what is essential (and the essential item is the competition, of course), is the same person who is answering these questions. So, don’t anticipate big revelations or extraordinary advice. Just small ideas, little pieces in this kind of puzzle that we’ll show you. Just … the essential!

“I love orienteering”

To be the number 1 in the IOF’s World Rankings both in Orienteeering and Ski Orienteering was something that she had never dreamed of. “Actually I have never cared much about the IOF’s Ranking List. I don’t look at it that often, so I didn’t know that I was on the top before someone told me.” Otherwise, to be the world number 1 is unimportant: “I see it most like numbers, the competitions are much more important”, she said.

Despite Tove’s short career, the number of times that she has climbed on to the podium in major competitions is amazing, and today she has no doubts: “I love orienteering and I’m quite sure that I will continue even after my elite career is over.” If not orienteering, Tove would choose a sport also linked to nature: “cross-country skiing or mountain running”, she admits. And she would be the best, that’s for sure!

Seven days of sport

Tove says that she has no typical training week: “Sometimes I’m at home a whole week, but most of the time I’m at different training camps or competitions. The last 7 days have been like this: Friday: Rest day; Saturday: World Ski Orienteering Championships Middle Distance; Sunday: World Ski Orienteering Championships Relay; Monday: 1 hour of running; Tuesday: Ski race 10 km 0:30h + 0:45h warm up/cool down; Wednesday: a.m.: 2 hours running half of the time in snowy forest; p.m.: 2 hours of classic skiing; Thursday: a.m.: intervals on treadmill 6-5-4-3-2-2 minutes with a 1-minute rest; p.m.: 2 hours running in forest”, she says.” And also an interesting revelation: “I don’t have any technical or physical coach, I plan it by myself”.

Having run in many terrains – “many of them bad, but nothing that stands out”, she says – Tove’s favourite is Norrlandskusten, “a nice forest, hilly and with many details”. Her training diary shows that she ran 1,999 km and skied 1,633 km during the last season. “I don’t always have a gps-watch with me so it’s probably some more”, Tove says. Her physical shape stays next to optimal and it’s all about how to deal with the pressure in the big competitions. It doesn’t seem to be a problem for her: “I know that I’m competing for myself and no-one else”, she says.

Australia

You finished last season in the lead in the World Rankings and we could see you confirm it in Australia, during the FootO World Cup first round. Was it in your plans to be so strong at this time of the season and win so “easily”?

“Of course I wanted to have good performances. I had a really good training period in the months before the competitions but actually not so much running, most skiing”.

What are the best (and worst) memories that you keep from the Australia days?

“I have just one bad memory from the days in Australia days and that was when Karolin twisted her ankle. Besides the competitions, my best memory is when we were running on Cradle Mountain some days after the World Cup. I like to travel and see new places, and I think it’s good that there are big competitions also on that side of the world. But I prefer to not have them during the winter.”

Running and skiing; summer and winter

After her stay in Australia, Tove took the plane in Sydney, arriving in Switzerland for the European SkiO Championships. Was it a “shock”? Tove says “no” and explains why: “I’m quite used to switching between running and skiing and summer and winter. I had some days at home with good ski training before arriving in Switzerland so it wasn’t a problem.” This kind of switch from “FootO mode” to “SkiO mode” is seen as natural: “I really looked forward to the ski orienteering and that was the only thing I needed to come in the right mode”, she adds.

Seeing the European Ski Orienteering Championships “as a good preparation for The World Championships”, it was in Norway that Tove concentrated her attention, there that she focused on her biggest goals of the SkiO season. And she shares her feelings about her performances and achievements: “Yes, they were really nice competitions. Maybe too many ups and downs in the results for me to be totally satisfied, but it was fun to be there.” About the best moments of the Championships, Tove elects “the Sprint, definitely. It was a really nice course and I was in good shape and had one of my best performances ever. The worst moment was that one person close to the team passed away during the week, that was really hard.”

WOC is the big goal

Switching into “FootO mode”, the conversation is looking now towards the World Orienteering Championships (WOC). Tove explains how her training is going to be up until then: “The next important competitions are the World Cup in Norway and Sweden. Also some Swedish championships and the 10-mila before that. It’s not so often I have such a long training period, but that’s good and I’m looking forward to it. The plan is to train as much and as hard as I can, continue skiing as long as it is possible and train in relevant terrain for Scotland.”

Noting that, personally, the most important moment of last season was “of course the World Cup Sprint Final and winning the race and the overall World Cup”, Tove is pointing at the WOC being her big goals now: “I will prepare for all disciplines and do what I can to be the best.”

“The most important thing is to be motivated”

When asked about Rune Haraldsson’s victory in “The Orienteering Achievement of 2014”, a poll promoted by the website WorldofO, Tove states: “It was cool that Rune Haraldsson won the prize, his life is really impressive.” And she has no doubts: “I also want to be able to run in an orienteering event when I’m 96 years old”.

The last words take the form of advice; advice especially to the youngsters, those who dream, some day, about becoming like Tove Alexandersson: “The most important thing is to be motivated. Enjoy challenges and train on the things you need to improve.”

Athletes’ questions and answers

The question from Michael Johansson, the Athlete of the Month in February: “Have you tried mountain bike orienteering and trailO? Or will you do so?”

And Tove’s answer: “Yes I have been on some competitions in both. I really like mountain bike orienteering, if I had more time I would like to go in for some more competitions.”

Finally, the question from Tove Alexandersson to Hana Dolezalova, Athlete of the Month in April: “Where is your favourite place in the Czech Republic and why?”

Worldly matters

What time would you sleep until, every morning, if possible? I don’t like to sleep in the mornings and most of the time I don’t need an alarm to wake up. I usually wake up between 6:30 and 7:30.

What is your dream car? Do you prefer to drive a car or to be driven? I have no dream car, but I want to have a car that is good in winter conditions. I prefer to be driven but sometimes it’s nice to drive too.

If you had a band what would be the name of it and what kind of music would you play? I just know that I would need someone who is a bit more musical than me!

Please, choose a crew for your sailing boat and the route of the trip of your dreams. I like to travel and see new places but I don’t want to travel on a sailing boat, so I think I will stay close to land. I will bring some friends who like adventure and want to run with me.

Pick one of these and tell me why: a tree, a stone, a beach, a domestic animal, a sunset. A big stone, so I can do some rock climbing on it.

You invite Barack Obama to dinner. What would you cook for him? I don’t know, I have no speciality. I’d cook what I felt like that day.

After a big scary skiing run down the mountain, what drink would you prefer for relaxing? Hot chocolate.

What is your favourite movie? What character would you like to play in it? I think it’s boring to watch movies, so I don’t see them so often and especially not a whole movie.

You have the chance to make a trip to Mars but then you can’t go orienteering for the next thousand days. Would you go on the trip? No, definitely not. I don’t want to go to Mars. It’s a long boring journey and what should I do there?

Tell me one thing that you would absolutely carry with you to the desert island? Some friends.

[Text: Joaquim Margarido; Photo: Swedish Orienteering Federation / orienteering.org. See the original article at http://orienteering.org/best-in-summer-best-in-winter-iof-athlete-of-march-2015/. Published with permission from the International Orienteering Federation]

Norte Alentejano O' Meeting: The five elements!

What mystery is this, leading hundreds of people to abandon their “comfort zone”, year after year, facing the winter and heading to Portugal to participate in the Norte Alentejano O’ Meeting? The answer comes in the five fingers: Water, Earth, Sun, Stone and ... Orienteering!

Written by Joaquim Margarido

It was in 2007 that the Norte Alentejano O’ Meeting presented its credentials for the first time. Its beginning was in a bet made by Grupo Desportivo dos Quatro Caminhos, and since the very start one became aware of the orienteering potential of this inner region of Portugal. There was a perfect match between the ambitions of the northern club to move forward, and the proposal to put the Norte Alentejo region on the world orienteering map The municipality of Nisa was successively joined by Castelo de Vide, Alter do Chão, Crato, Portalegre and Marvão, changing the initial dream into an undeniable reality: the Norte Alentejano O’ Meeting is, today, an acclaimed event worldwide, both for its technical quality and organisational capacity.

Over nine editions, NAOM grew and consolidated itself. It incorporated the National Championships Sprint and Middle Distance in 2008 and 2012, and has been an IOF World Ranking Event six times. In 2011 it was part of the Portugal O’ Meeting – one of the prestigious events of the regular winter calendar - with the presence of all the world’s best athletes without exception. And last but not least, it has consistently contributed to the promotion and affirmation of Portugal, and in particular the Norte Alentejo region, as a tourist and sports destination of excellence, especially in the winter.

Training Camps complete the offer

To wander through this region of Portugal is to meet with ancient times when the first men settled here, making these lands into their “safe haven”. From prehistory to the Roman civilization, from the Arab and medieval period to the present day, art and culture have strolled hand in hand with a preserved landscape of great beauty, appealing to the good taste and the feelings of each. Reasons why Maria Gabriela Tsukamoto, former Mayor of Nisa, claims that “much more than the courses planned on the maps, more than practising a sport, more than a healthy relationship between the visitors and the locals ... the participants in the NAOM find here endless beauty, spread over a vast natural and architectural heritage.”

The charms from a cultural and landscape angle, combined with a unique gastronomy - where the wine, olive oil and herbs imposed themselves as excellent complements - are major attributes of this region. But to the competitor there, alongside the great competition, there are Training Camps of excellence. Founded in late 2011 by Fernando Costa, a man with great experience in the sports associations and event organization, Orievents has the goal to organise events and to promote orienteering activities for schools and companies. It works jointly with entities related to disability, promotes the training of sports agents, does the communication and sponsorship of events and produces orienteering maps. But it’s in the Training Camps that lies one of Orievents’ biggest offerings, with a current offer of 21 training courses on forest maps and 7 on sprint maps, with many of these workouts created by renowned figures in world orienteering such as Eva Jurenikova, Philippe Adamski or Oleksandr Kratov.

Norte Alentejano O’ Meeting From 2007 to 2015 The Romanian Ionut Zinca and the Finn Riina Kuuselo were the first athletes to sign their names on the event’s Hall of Fame in 2007, opening a list that is growing year by year. The list already includes, among many others, names such as Simone Niggli of Switzerland, the Frenchman Thierry Gueorgiou, the Czech Eva Jurenikova, the Norwegian Olav Lundanes, the Swedish Helena Jansson and the Portuguese Tiago Romão. In 2015 it has been the turn of the Ukrainians Oleksandr Kratov and Nadiya Volynska to be acclaimed as the big winners of NAOM, after two days of high level competition that attracted over 700 participants from 15 different nations to Castelo de Vide and Marvão. To Oleksandr Kratov this year’s NAOM was, “as always happens every time I travel to Portugal, a nice experience. I really enjoyed the courses and the terrain as well. Also the maps were great. Nowadays, the terrain is extremely well mapped, the maps are perfectly readable and it’s a pure joy to run and read them. It’s amazing.” The athlete concluded by saying that NAOM 2015 was “exactly what I was looking for: really nice terrain, high quality maps, really good competition and a top level organisation.” Nadiya Volynska also made a very positive summary of her participation in the 2015 edition of NAOM and in particular the second stage: “I really enjoyed the courses – in a very detailed terrain, greener than usual – so I had to work on my strategy. I had to be more careful, not run too straight, find some around route choices, and it worked. The placement of the controls was something that pleased me a lot, along with the infinity of route choices offered.” Regarding the victory itself, Volynska remarks that “It was very motivating”, adding that, “it was time to take a test race more seriously, pushing hard most of the time and I think that I succeeded.” Also a word to the organisation: “the best there is, at the level of major events in Scandinavia”, she concludes. To learn more about NAOM 2015, please visit http://www.gd4caminhos.com/naom2015.

[See the original article in the IOF's newsletter Inside Orienteering, at http://orienteering.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/InsideOrient-1_15-3.pdf. Published with permission from the International Orienteering Federation]

IOF's Athlete of the Month: Michael Johansson

Seven years ago, the sporting career of Swedish orienteer Michael Johansson appeared to be in ruins, following a serious skiing accident that left him unable to walk for more than a year. But as part of his rehabilitation he took up trail orienteering, and in 2014 he reached the peak of success in winning the gold medals in the Paralympic class in both the World and the European Championships. His changed lifestyle has brought many new friendships, interesting travel opportunities and intense challenges. Read more about Michael, his view on life, and his thoughts about the future of trail orienteering in Athlete of the Month!

Name: Michael Johansson


Country: Sweden


Born: 1st April 1965


Discipline: Trail Orienteering


World Championships: 2014, gold individual Paralympic class, silver team medal; 2013, gold team medal; 2009, silver team medal. European Championships: 2014, gold individual Paralympic class, silver team medal; 2012, silver individual Paralympic class, gold team medal; 2010, silver individual Paralympic class, gold Paralympic team medal.

Fifty years of age this year, Michael has been orienteering since the age of 10. He was born in Vänersborg and has lived in nearby Trollhätten since 1990. He is an active member of Vänersborg Ski Club, which is as devoted to orienteering as to skiing. “In my youth I won races on occasions”, he says; almost throughout his orienteering life he has been keen to plan courses for others. Michael spends several hours a week on footO and trailO work in his club and district, and this work has included course planning and controlling up to national competition and Elite Series standard. In 2011 he was one of four organisers for the Swedish Relay and TrailO Championships, and as part of that work he was organiser and course planner for three competitions.

Accident in Vasaloppet

But let us go back seven years: an active ski and mountain-bike enthusiast, Michael entered Vasaloppet, the famous 90 km ski race between Sälen and Mora in Dalarna county, Sweden. A high-speed crash left him with a badly damaged hip and pelvis, which required two operations and a year’s intense rehabilitation before he could begin to walk properly again; 7½ months went by before he could walk even one step without support. Very slowly he started taking more exercise – walking, swimming, some cycling – but the orienteering he was used to was out of the question.

“But I thought about trail orienteering, which I’d only tried a few times a year in the A-class before, then with some good results. I now wanted to try trailO again and see how good I could be. With the interest and experience I had in maps, it would hopefully be possible to succeed in this new discipline, I thought.” Aiming towards being an elite trail orienteer and future medal success began on crutches in the summer of 2007.




Changed life-style

“With these and other thoughts,” tells Michael, “I used my rehabilitation year to write a book that I called ‘Off Track’. Here I set down my experience of this completely changed life-style, the moments of joy and those of sorrow; the reality of life, the way I think about things and how I adjusted to a new life-style that will last for the rest of my days.” The book was printed in two editions with 500 copies in all.

He also had to adjust to a new working environment in his job connected with asphalt laying and associated ground work. “When I injured myself I had to give up driving completely for a few months, and sat in the office all the time. Today I have the same job but with more indoor work than before my injury, and I have a height-adjustable desk.” He is very busy, often with overtime, from April to November but working life is quieter in the winter. His job now includes a lot of executive tasks – planning projects, writing tenders, hiring staff, directing work in the field, billing customers etc. – a large work area that again now involves a lot of driving.

Training for trailO

Apart from orienteering, Michael’s hobbies are bandy (“a sport like football but on ice with a stick and a small ball”, that he himself has played), watching sport on TV and “doing a bit around the house”. But back to the orienteering. “I usually take on tasks a few times a year as course planner and controller in foot orienteering and trailO,” says Michael. “However I need more time to complete tasks than before the injury.”

Training for trailO is now a very important activity too. “I have this feeling for fine detail when I’m reading maps,” he says. “I like training in the detail-rich terrain in my area, with many maps and different terrain types; I use blown-up maps similar to the ones used in trailO competitions.” He also studies maps at home, and uses the Italian trailO website where you can train for TempO through a simulation program.

The right preparation for a competition is all-important. “I get a lot of pain and stiffness, depending on how far I go or how long I stand or sit still, because there is cartilage in the injured area and the joint surfaces are not as smooth as they were before. So before competitions I must prepare myself so as to optimise my ability to focus on orienteering and reduce the distractions of the pain and stiffness.” He prefers the traditional form of trailO, PreO, to the more time-challenging TempO; “It probably depends on relative success, but also because PreO takes longer and is more similar to my experiences with maps in foot orienteering,” he says. “During my almost 8 years in the sport, PreO has evolved and there are now better and more enjoyable courses, and this trend is continuing.”




New horizons

Michael has a positive outlook on life as it now has to be lived. “I welcome what is happening; you cannot reverse the tape, you can only affect the future,” says Michael. “I now visit new countries in Europe and meet many nice people, things which would not have happened if I hadn’t hurt myself in 2007. Looking again at the positive side, it has now given me several medals, this year two individual golds. It’s great to take two gold medals in the same year! I liked the courses and had built up my confidence, so I felt I had a good chance of reaching the top – if I didn’t I think this diminishes the chances. It was then that I hoped it might be luck and skill in combination.”

“People have asked me what I now have as a target? My goal is to win more golds! It will not be easy, but not harder either when I have already proved to myself and others that it could be done last year. I feel strengthened for this year, especially as some competitions, including the World Championships in Croatia, offer the prospect of good terrain with decisive courses. I will train and prepare myself like I did for last season. The goal is to evolve so I get to a higher minimum level.”

Another goal for Michael is to help get more quality planning in trail orienteering through assisting with course planning education and the implementation of new ideas in trailO. He believes that the current debate in trailO about ‘zero tolerance’ – the margin to be allowed so that a ‘false’ control (no kite at the point indicated on the map) is fair – should resolve itself with more education and the avoidance of certain kinds of control site planning.

Athletes’ questions

The Athlete of January, Russian ski orienteer Andrey Lamov, asks: What’s the most challenging thing about trailO?

Michael’s answer: “Every competition is different, and everyone is competing against each other regardless of age and sex, which means you have the chance of winning at a higher age compared to a sport where youngsters normally win (or vice versa).”

Rosy future

Michael believes there is a rosy future for trail orienteering: “especially in TempO, it should be possible to make the sport more interesting to audiences with the help of television and some new technologies. The public can get everything one could wish for in terms of excitement and nervous anticipation.” All four disciplines in orienteering have what it takes for competition at Olympic level, he believes.

He is clearly determined to play an active part in creating more and better trail orienteering. His current project is controlling three of the five trailO courses to be used at the Swedish O-Ringen at Borås this year. “I have been working on the trailO for O-Ringen for two years now,” he says, “helping with planning the use of the five areas and with the training of officials. I promise there will be varied and fine orienteering in Borås, hopefully regarded as one of the best PreO O-Ringens when it’s over.”

Text: Clive Allen; Photo: Joaquim Margarido

[See the original article at http://orienteering.org/skiing-accident-resulted-in-a-new-career-and-world-champion-title-in-trail-orienteering/. Published with permission from the International Orienteering Federation]