ISF WSC Orienteering 2017: The party is over!

After achieving the gold in the Long Distance race, Guilhem Elias and Laurence Defraigne returned to be the fastest in the Middle Distance that closed the ISF World Schools Orienteering Championships 2017. Portugal was represented on the Championships' podium by Vasco Mendes, following an excellent performance which earned him a bronze medal.

The ISF World Schools Orienteering Championships 2017 came to an end in Palermo, Italy. The Middle Distance race that ended the competition was attended by 650 competitors from 27 countries, distributed by four School classes and four Selected classes. In the School classes, the highlight is, of course, the French Guilhem Elias (Lycée Honoré d'Urfe), who achieved his second gold medal at the M1 class after beating the Swedish Emil Aselius (Eksjo Gymnasium) by more than 1:30. The Austrian Peter Brabek (BG / BRG Fürstenfeld), the Swedish Isa Envall (Eksjo Gymnasium) and the English Merryn Stangroom (Ulverston Victoria High School) were the winners in the M2, W1 and W2 classes, respectively. The last two athletes also repeated their presence on the podium, after Envall's third place and Stangroom's second place in the Long Distance race, three days ago. Still in the W2 class, a word for the Estonian Johanna Laanoja, second placed today, after being the Long Distance's winner.

As for the Selected classes, the Belgian Laurence Defraigne did the same as Guilhem Elias and won her second gold medal in these Championships, after beating the Austrian Jana Hnilica for an advantage over than one minute, in the W2 class. In the M1 class, the Slovakians Jakub Chupek and Jakub Dekret and the Austrian Jannis Bonek returned to the podium, albeit in a different order, being the gold for Chupek, this time. Spain also repeated its presence on the top of the podium, with Florencio Garcia, second-placed in the Long Distance winning the M2 class. The Swedish Elia Olsson, achieved the silver medal in the W1 class, after getting the bronze in the previous race. In this class, the victory went to the Austrian Ilvy Kastner. One last word for the young Vasco Mendes, third placed in the Selected M2 class, introducing the name of Portugal to the 12-country batch with honours to climb to the Championships' podium.

Results

School M1

1. Guilhem Elias (Lycée Honoré d'Urfe, FRA) 29:30 (+ 00:00)

2. Emil Aselius (Eksjo Gymnasium, SWE) 31:07 (+ 01:37)

3. Matias Salonen (Mäkelänrinteen Lukio, FIN) 32:57 (+ 03:27)

School M2

1. Peter Brabek (BG/BRG Fürstenfeld, AUT) 32:11 (+ 00:00)

2. Felix Lunn (Kenilworth School & Sixth Form, ENG) 32:37 (+ 00:26)

3. Grant Mcmurtrie (Aboyerne Academy, SCO) 34:03 (+ 01:52)

School W1

1. Isa Envall (Eksjo Gymnasium, SWE) 31:04 (+ 00:00)

2. Tuuli Heikkilä (Mäkelänrinteen Lukio, FIN) 33:52 (+ 02:51)

3. Jasmiina Rantala (Mäkelänrinteen Lukio, FIN) 35:02 (+ 03:58)

School W2

1. Merryn Stangroom (Ulverston Victoria High School, ENG) 26:06 (+ 00:00)

2. Johanna Laanoja (Pölva, EST) 26:40 (+ 00:34)

3. Tereza Chrastova (Zakladni a Materska skola Studenec, CZE) 27:23 (+ 01:17)

Selected M1

1. Jakub Chupek (Slovakia) 33:29 (+ 00:00)

2. Jannis Bonek (Austria) 35:10 (+ 01:41)

3. Jakub Dekret (Slovakia) 36:36 (+ 03:07)

Selected M2

1. Florencio Garcia (Spain) 32:20 (+ 00:00)

2. Edmund Grierson (England) 33:56 (+ 01:36)

3. Vasco Mendes (Portugal) 36:37 (+ 04:17)

Selected W1

1. Ylvi Kastner (Austria) 40:31 (+ 00:00)

2. Elia Olsson (Sweden) 41:04 (+ 00:33)

3. Frida Vikström (Sweden) 43:16 (+ 02:45)

Selected W2

1. Laurence Defraigne (Belgium FR) 22:15 (+ 00:00)

2. Jana Hnilica (Austria) 23:26 (+ 01:11)

3. Luboslava Weissova (Slovakia) 24:06 (+ 01:51)

Results and further information at http://www.isfsports.org/wsc-orienteering.

[Photo: ISF WSC Orienteering 2017 / facebook.com/ISFWSCorienteering]

Joaquim Margarido

Portuguese Orienteering Championships 2017: Mariana Moreira was the brightest star

Confirming her predominance in the Portuguese orienteering panorama in recent years, Mariana Moreira achieved the Middle Distance title for the fourth year in a row, in the Women Elite class. In the Relay, COC – Clube de Orientação do Centro recovered the Portuguese title in the Men Senior class, while CPOC – Clube Português de Orientação e Corrida, got the title for the second year in a row in the Women Senior class.

The 23rd edition of the Portuguese Orienteering Championships of Middle Distance and Relay took place last weekend in the city of Vendas Novas. Organized by the ADFA – Associação dos Deficientes das Forças Armadas and the Portuguese Orienteering Federation, the event was attended by 436 athletes, representing 40 clubs. This event was sadly marked by the fact that the Men Elite class didn't find results, following a protest concerning a technical error and the consequent avoidance of the course.

On a fantastic weekend for orienteering's practise, Mariana Moreira (CPOC) performed at the highest level, achieving her fourth Middle Distance title so far. The athlete won with a time of 31:07 and a 1:32 advantage over Raquel Costa (GafanhOri), second-placed and almost seven minutes over the third-placed, Rita Rodrigues (CMo Funchal). In the remaining classes, a special word goes to José Fernandes, athlete from the Clube de Orientação do Minho, for is third title in a row in the M55 class, and to Alexandra Coelho (GD4C), Luísa Mateus (COC) and José Grada (Ori-Estarreja), who revalidated their titles in the W45, W55 and M75, respectively. In all of the 26 national titles awarded, the COC was the great “beneficiary” with eight individual titles and eight collective titles.

COC gets eight Relay titles

Mariana Moreira was again in evidence in the Relay race, contributing decisively to the victory of her club in the Women Senior class. The CPOC got an initial advantage of more than two minutes over the GD4C, but a disastrous second leg almost knocked out the aspirations of Oeiras' team. In the decisive leg, however, Mariana Moreira was far above all her opponents, recovering a disadvantage of approximately seven minutes and offering the victory to CPOC with the overall time of 1:57:55. COC and GD4C occupied, by this order, the remaining places on the podium. As for the Men Senior class, the COC dominated from start to finish, getting the overall time of 1:36:37. Despite an impressive last leg, Tiago Romão was unable to recover the ten minutes that separated him from the lead, achieving for the CMo Funchal the second position with the time of 1:41:56. Ori-Estarreja closed the podium, nine minutes after the winners.

Overall, COC was again the great winner, achieving eight national Relay titles. Clube de Orientação do Minho and CPOC, with two titles each, and Pinhal Novo Secondary School, Grupo Desportivo dos Quatro Caminhos, ADM - Ori-Mondego and Clube de Orientação e Aventura do Litoral Alentejano, with one title each, fill the list of National Champions of Relay 2017.

Results

Middle Distance

Women Elite

1. Mariana Moreira (CPOC) 31:07 (+ 00:00)

2. Raquel Costa (GafanhOri) 32:39 (+ 01:32)

3. Rita Rodrigues (CMo Funchal) 37:52 (+ 06:45)

4. Emília Silveira (CN Alvito) 41:07 (+ 10:00)

5. Inês Pinto (GD4C) 41:57 (+ 10:50)

Relay

Men Senior

1. COC (Paulo Franco, Gildo Silva and Celso Moiteiro) 1:36:37 (+ 00:00)

2. CMo Funchal (Rita Rodrigues, Miguel Silva, Tiago Romão) 1:41:56 (+ 05:19)

3. Ori-Estarreja (António Amador, Bruno Nazário, Rafael Miguel) 1:45:59 (+ 09:22)

4. GafanhOri (Manuel Dias, Raquel Costa, Manuel Horta) 1:54:33 (+ 17:56)

5. CN Alvito (Paul Roothans, Sérgio Ferreira, João Mega Figueiredo) 1:56:36 (+ 19:59)

Women Senior

1. CPOC (Betariz Sanguino, Beatriz Moreira, Mariana Moreira) 1:57:55 (+ 00:00)

2. COC (Catarina Castelão, Inês Domingues, Helena Lima) 2:03:53 (+ 05:58)

3. GD4C (Inês Pinto, Liliana Oliveira, Inês Alves) 2:13:57 (+ 16:02)

4. .COM (Zélia Viana, Ana Castanheiro, Paula Serra Campos) 2:29:50 (+ 31:55)

5. Ori-Estarreja (Joana Marques, Cristina Nazário, Inês Aires) 2:33:00 (+ 35:05)

Complete results and further information at http://cnvendasnovas.weebly.com/.

[Photo: Fernando Costa]

Joaquim Margarido

ISF WSC Orienteering 2017: Hand in hand!

The ISF World Schools Orienteering Championships' second day was dedicated to the Friendship Team Event. Purpose: different nationalities, gender, level - team spirit - three common control points and arrival hand in hand!

210 Athlete Teams and 38 Coach Teams participated in the ISF World Schools Orienteering Championships' Friendship Team Event. Fun and co-operation between the young people rather than competition was, as always, the aim of this event that took place today in the old city centre of Palermo.

Even not being the most important, the results shown an Israeli-Polish-Estonian team winning the competition in the Athletes class. In the Coach class, the victory has gone to an Israeli-Slovenian-Scottish team. Congratulations to everybody!

Results

Athletes class

1. POL-ISR-EST (Gracjan Cuprys, Manor Noam, Leana Jete Korb) 27:26 (+ 00:00)

2. POL-LAT-SCO (Krystian Peterburski, Katrina Dzene, Tristian Samulski) 27:46 (+ 00:20)

3. NZL-POR-SCO (Caroline Nel, Ana Raquel Henriques. Louis Macmillan) 28:10 (+ 00:44)

4. LAT-LAT-NZL (Karlis Stradins, Aiga Irbe Bluma, Petra Buyck) 28:22 (+ 00:56)

5. LAT-EST-NZL (Ilgvars Caune, Annita Laanejõe, Olivier Burns) 29:06 (+ 01:40)

6. BEL-EST-POL (Thiels Liam, Sander Pritsik, Aleksandra Polewka) 29:37 (+ 02:11)

Coach class

1. ISR-SLO-SCO (Odet Verbin, Klemen Kenda, Young Lynn) 29:17 (+ 00:00)

2. SVK-POL-SLO (Pavol Polacek, Barbara Nowak, Monika Ravnikar) 30:15 (+ 00:58)

3. CHN-ISR-BEL (Guoxing Zhong, Avihay Beyar, Clara Cox) 31:49 (+ 02:32)

4. NZL-ESP-POR (Kieran Woods, Ana Herreros Valiente, Maria Amador) 31:53 (+ 02:36)

5. ESP-UKR-NZL (Antonio Gil, Olena Rudakova, Karine David) 32:14 (+ 02:57)

6. POL-CHN-NZL (Honorata Paterek, Jieyuan Luo, James Olever) 33:05 (+ 03:48)

Complete results can be found HERE.

[Photo: ISF WSC Orienteering / facebook.com/ISFWSCorienteering]

Joaquim Margarido

ISF WSC Orienteering 2017: Challenging and funny Long Distance opened the Championships

Students from seven countries won gold medals in the Long Distance's eight Finals, which filled the first day of the ISF World Schools Orienteering Championships 2017.

After an one-year break, the ISF World Schools Orienteering Championships are back for their 17th edition. Searching for their path in the wonderful "Bosco della Ficuzza", in Palermo (Italy), 638 competitors from 27 countries showed their value in the first of two big finals, a Long Distance as demanding as fun.

In the School classes, the 12 medals were distributed by representatives of schools from seven countries, with the gold going to France, Scotland, Finland and Estonia. In either case, the winners got comfortable victories over their opponents, highlighting the advantage of Scotsman Matthew Gooch (Aboyerne Academy), of more than two minutes over Vit Stefan and seven minutes (!) over Lukas Link, both from Zakladni a Materska skola Studenec, Czech Republic. Another important note goes to the French Guilhem Elias (Lycée Honoré d'Urfe), the “king” of the European Youth Orienteering Championships EYOC 2016, where he won two gold and one bronze medals, here performing again at the highest level.

In the Selected classes, Austria was in evidence thanks to the triumphs of Jannis Bonek (M1 class) and Elena Zainer (W1 class), with the remaining victories going to the Spanish Gustav Wiren (M2 class) and the Belgian Laurence Defraigne (W2 class). It's fair to remark the excellent presence of Spain, that still achieved two silver medals, and Slovakia, without gold medals, it's true, but with two silver and two bronze medals. The big surprise, however, goes to the Belgium Laurence Defraigne, by winning the W2 class, with a ten-second advantage over the Spanish Laura Fidalgo, second placed. In the eight finals, Gustav Wiren's triumph was the largest, with a 3:24 advantage over the second-placed, his team mate Florencio Garcia, while the narrowest win was registered in Selected W2, where the Austrian Elena Zeiner won the Slovakian Tereza Smelikova for just two seconds.

Results

School M1

1. Guilhem Elias (Lycée Honoré d'Urfe, FRA) 46:42 (+ 00:00)

2. Sabin Coupat (Lycée Honoré d'Urfe, FRA) 48:04 (+ 01:22)

3. Emil Aselius (Eksjo Gymnasium, SWE) 48:23 (+ 01:41)

School M2

1. Matthew Gooch (Aboyerne Academy, SCO) 40:57 (+ 00:00)

2. Vit Stefan (Zakladni a Materska skola Studenec, CZE) 43:07 (+ 02:10)

3. Lukas Link (Zakladni a Materska skola Studenec, CZE) 48:06 (+ 07:09)

School W1

1. Jasmiina Rantala (Mäkelänrinteen Lukio, FIN) 43:59 (+ 00:00)

2. Johanna Källvik Leufven (Eksjo Gymnasium, SWE) 45:22 (+ 01:23)

3. Isa Envall (Eksjo Gymnasium, SWE) 47:52 (+ 03:53)

School W2

1. Johanna Laanoja (Pölva, EST) 36:54 (+ 00:00)

2. Merryn Stangroom (Ulverston Victoria High School, ENG) 39:30 (+ 02:36)

3. Tereza Chrastova (Zakladni a Materska skola Studenec, CZE) 40:29 (+ 03:35)

Selected M1

1. Jannis Bonek (Austria) 49:01 (+ 00:00)

2. Jakub Dekret (Slovakia) 50:31 (+ 01:30)

3. Jakub Chupek (Slovakia) 53:38 (+ 04:37)

Selected M2

1. Gustav Wiren (Spain) 45:28 (+ 00:00)

2. Florencio Garcia (Spain) 48:52 (+ 03:24)

3. Peter Molloy (Scotland) 49:18 (+ 03:50)

Selected W1

1. Elena Zeiner (Austria) 49:26 (+ 00:00)

2. Tereza Smelikova (Slovakia) 49:28 (+ 00:02)

3. Elia Olsson (Sweden) 50:47 (+ 01:21)

Selected W2

1. Laurence Defraigne (Belgium FR) 41:41 (+ 00:00)

2. Laura Fidalgo (Spain) 41:51 (+ 00:10)

3. Dorota Smelikova (Slovakia) 43:40 (+ 01:59)

Results and further information at http://www.isfsports.org/wsc-orienteering.

[Photo: ISF WSC Orienteering 2017 / facebook.com/ISFWSCorienteering]

Joaquim Margarido

WMOC 2017: Australia achieved 12 out of 23 Sprint World titles

With 12 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals, Australia had a blazing presence in the Sprint finals of the World Masters Orienteering Championships 2017, taking place in Auckland, New Zealand. Individually, the highlight goes to Natasha Key, Petteri Muukkonen and Tsvetan Todorov, who defended successfully their world titles achieved in 2016.

The World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC), the biggest sport within the 2017 World Masters Games, saw today the first of two finals of its competitive program. One day after the qualifying series, the Sprint final took place at the famous Albert Park, in the heart of Auckland, New Zealand, together with the University City Campus. A total of 1553 competitors took part in the Finals, of which 841 were in the A finals – those giving access to the world titles -, representing 32 countries.

As said before, Australia was the great winner of the day, with its representatives reaching a total of 12 gold medals, six in the men's sector and the same in the women's. Natasha Key and Herrmann Wehner were the stars of the vast array of 114 Aussies in the A Finals, the first one being able to hold the Sprint World Title in the W45 class, reached in August 2016, in Tallin (Estonia), and the second one by achieving the gold in the M90 class. It was still in the W45 class that a podium was completely filled by the colors of Australia, achievement only equated by Sweden in the M80 class.

Australia tops the medal list

Natasha Key was not the only athlete to defend successfully the world title as both Finn Petteri Muukkonen (M40) and Bulgarian Tsvetan Todorov (M50) did so, with the particularity of Todorov's gold being achieved for the third year in a row. Overall, there was 15 countries winning medals in this first Finals, ten of them having achieved gold medals. With 12 gold medals, 2 silver medals and 3 bronze medals, Australia has shown a huge ascendant over the other countries. Following on the top 10 list is Sweden (2 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 3 bronze medals), Norway (2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze), Finland (1 gold, 1 Silver, and 3 bronze), Bulgaria and Denmark (1 gold and 1 silver each), the United States and Switzerland (1 gold and 2 bronze each), Japan (1 gold and 1 bronze) and the Czech Republic (1 gold medal).

Finally, two or three notes of curiosity. The tightest triumph came at the M35 class, where the Australian Matthew Crane beat the Norwegian Rune Olsen for just 4 seconds. The Czech Jana Hankovska also didn't take it easy in the W75 class, winning over the Russian Liudmila Labutina by the difference of 7 seconds. In the M45 class, the fight for the gold involved three athletes, with the Australian Grant Bluett holding the win with a 10-second lead over the Bulgarian Ivaylo Ivanov and eleven seconds over the Austrian Michael Stockmayer. On the other hand, the widest advantage belonged to the Norwegian Inger Vamnes, in the W80 class, leaving the second-placed New Zealand's Ann Scott at 7:35. The 2:52 advantage of Natasha Key over her compatriot Catherine McComb in the W45 class, or the triumphs of the Australians Sue Haley (W85) and Hermann Wehner (M90), for margins higher than 2 minutes, deserve also a word.

Sprint World Champions

W/M35 – Anna Sheldon (Australia) and Matthew Crane (Australia)

W/M40 – Jo Allison (Australia) and Petteri Muukkonen (Finland)

W/M45 – Natasha Key (Australia) and Grant Bluett (Australia)

W/M50 – Su Yan Tai (Australia) and Tsvetan Todorov (Bulgaria)

W/M55 – Pavlina Brautigan (United States) and Warren Key (Australia)

W/M60 – Jenny Bourne (Australia) and Geoff Lawford (Australia)

W/M65 – Silvia Baumann (Switzerland) and Keld Johnsen (Denmark)

W/M70 – Birgitta Billstam (Sweden) and Greg Chatfield (Australia)

W/M75 – Jana Hankovska (Czech Republic) and Toshio Onoe (Japan)

W/M80 – Inger Vamnes (Norway) and Peo Bengtsson (Sweden)

W/M85 – Sue Healy (Australia) and Paul Forseth (Norway)

M90 – Hermann Wehner (Australia)

Complete results and further information HERE.

[Photo: Malin Fuhr / orienteering.org]

Joaquim Margarido

Spanish Orienteering Championships 2017: Anna Serralonga and Antonio Martinez were the main figures

The Holy Week ended and, with it, the Spanish Orienteering Championships CEO 2017, which called to Canencia and Miraflores de la Sierra (Madrid) close to 1,900 competitors. Three days, five races and 27 medals distributed in the Elite category, mostly achieved by the Valencian Community and Catalonia, are a few numbers of a great event. Individually, Antonio Martínez and Anna Serralonga were the main figures.

Organized by GOCAN – Grupo de Orientación Complutense y Actividades en la Naturaleza, Spanish Orienteering Federation and International Orienteering Federation, the CEO 2017 kicked off on Friday, 14th April, in Pinares de Canencia with the Middle Distance, a very technical and fast race in which no one was saved from mistakes. In the Women Elite class, Esther Gil (Colivenc), was the fastest, ahead of the favorite, Anna Serrallonga (Go-Xtrem) and Annabel Valledor (Badalona-O). Among the Men, Luis Nogueira (COMA) achieved a surprising gold, ahead of Antonio Martinez (Colivenc), who was also a favorite. The bronze was taken by Eduardo Gil (Tjalve).

Friday afternoon, took place the always exciting Relay races, in which Catalonia and Valencia fought hardly for the victory, both in Men and Women Elite classes. The women's team of Catalonia would take the gold for the second year in a row, ahead of the Valencian Community and Castilla la Mancha. In the men's class, the Valencia team climbed to the top of the podium, ahead of Andalusia and Catalonia, who contested the silver in a tight and intense final.

10 individual medals for Colivenc

The second day of competition was dedicated to the urban races, having Miraflores de la Sierra as the perfect stage for two amazing moments. Scoring for the IOF Sprint Orienteering World Ranking, the Sprint had in the athletes of Center Esportiu Colivenc (Alicante), Violeta Feliciano and Andreu Blanes, the big winners. The podium was completed by Ona Ràfols (COC) and Anna Serrallonga, in the Women's class, and Eduardo Gil and Antonio Martínez, in the Men's class. During the afternoon, time for the Mixed Relay where Catalonia achieved the first and the second positions, ahead of Castile and Leon, third placed.

The third day of competition was reserved for the Long Distance that will surely be the hardest of the season, not only for the demanding courses but also for taking place after two intense days. After 1 hour and 21 minutes of race, Anna Serrallonga got the victory by just eight seconds over Esther Gil. The bronze would be achieved by Violeta Feliciano. In men Antonio Martinez would take the gold ahead of his team mates, Andreu Blances and Roger Casal. Looking on the overall standings, the Center Esportiu Colivenc took 10 out of 18 possible medals in the individual races, being possible to say that the Valencians were stronger in the individual races, while the Catalans got the most out of the Relay races.

Results

Long Distance

Men Elite

1. Antonio Martinez (Colivenc) 1:14:28 (+ 00:00)

2. Andreu Blanes (Colivenc) 1:17:07 (+ 02:39)

3. Roger Casal (Colivenc) 1:22:01 (+ 07:33)

4. Eduardo Gil (Tjalve) 1:22:50 (+ 08:22)

5. Pau Llorens (COB) 1:23:35 (+ 09:07)

Women Elite

1. Anna Serralonga (Go-Xtrem) 1:21:44 (+ 00:00)

2. Esther Gil (Colivenc) 1:21:52 (+ 00:08)

3. Violeta Feliciano (Colivenc) 1:27:23 (+ 05:39)

4. Ona Ràfols (COC) 1:28:39 (+ 06:55)

5. Annabel Valledor (Badalona-O) 1:36:42 (+ 14:58)

Middle Distance

Men Elite

1. Luis Nogueira (COMA) 28:10 (+ 00:00)

2. Antonio Martinez (Colivenc) 29:46 (+ 01:36)

3. Eduardo Gil (Tjalve) 29:51 (+ 01:41)

4. Marc Serralonga (Go-Xtrem) 30:08 (+ 01:58)

5. Andreu Blanes (Colivenc) 30:24 (+ 02:14)

5. Roger Casal (Colivenc) 30:24 (+ 02:14)

Women Elite

1. Esther Gil (Colivenc) 37:43 (+ 00:00)

2. Anna Serralonga (Go-Xtrem) 38:47 (+ 01:04)

3. Annabel Valledor (Badalona-O) 42:38 (+ 04:55)

4. Ona Ràfols (COC) 42:57 (+ 05:14)

5. Esmeralda Ruiz (Sant Joan) 45:28 (+ 07:45)

WRE Sprint

Men Elite

1. Andreu Blanes (Colivenc) 13:37 (+ 00:00)

2. Eduardo Gil (Tjalve) 13:45 (+ 00:08)

3. Ricardo Ferreira (FPO Portuguese Team) 14:47 (+ 01:10)

3. João Mega Figueiredo (FPO Portuguese Team) 14:47 (+ 01:10)

5. Gregory Ahlswede (Escondite-M) 15:06 (+ 01:29)

Women Elite

1. Violeta Feliciano (Colivenc) 13:25 (+ 00:00)

2. Ona Ràfols (COC) 13:34 (+ 00:09)

3. Anna Serralonga (Go-Xtrem) 13:57 (+ 00:32)

4. Mariana Moreira (FPO Portuguese Team) 14:00 (+ 00:35)

5. Amparo Gil (COB) 14:21 (+ 00:56)

Relay

Men Elite

1. Comunidad Valenciana (Roger Casal, Andreu Blanes, Antonio Martinez) 1:38:49 (+ 00:00)

2. Andalucia A (Jose Manuel Garcia, Javier Ruiz de la Herran, Luis Nogueira) 1:45:44 (+ 06:55)

3. Cataluña A (Marc Serralonga, Biel Ràfols, Pau Llorens) 1:45:59 (+ 07:10)

4. Madrid A (Greg Ahlswede, Alvaro Benavente, Alvaro Prieto Del Campo) 1:52:09 (+ 13:20)

5. Cataluña C (David Tarres, Llei Viles Bonet, Eloi Marti) 1:53:34 (+ 14:45)

Women Elite

1. Cataluña A (Ona Ràfols, Amparo Gil, Anna Serralonga) 1:30:32 (+ 00:00)

2. Comunidad Valenciana A (Violeta Feliciano, Esmeralda Ruiz, Esther Gil) 1:39:15 (+ 08:43)

3. Castilla-La Mancha A (Carmen Patiño, Maria Rodriguez, Guadalupe Moreno) 1:48:03 (+ 17:31)

4. Cataluña B (Marta Sanchez, Laura serra, Annabel Valledor) 1:50:13 (+ 19:41)

5. Castilla Y León A (Marina Garcia, Marta Perez, Amanda Pons) 1:52:45 (+ 22:13)

Mixed Relay

1. Cataluña A (Ona Ràfols, Pau Llorens, Marc Serralonga, Anna Serralonga) 45:25 (+ 00:00)

2. Cataluña B (Laura Serra, Biel Ràfols, Pol Ràfols, Amparo Gil) 51:51 (+ 06:26)

3. Castilla Y León A (Marina Garcia, Diego Lázaro de Juan, Cosme Sánchez, Yara Bores) 53:33 (+ 08:08)

4. Cataluña C (Andrea Guillen, Eloi Martí, Sebastián Ordoñez, Laia Gil) 56:41 (+ 11:16)

5. Aragón A (Jara Gracia, Israel Fuentes, Jesus Chicharro, Esther Arias) 56:51 (+ 11:26)

Complete results and further information at http://ceo2017.es/.

[Photo: Ampa Gil-Brotons]

Joaquim Margarido

Two or three things I know about it...

1. The England team came first in both the overall and Junior Cup competitions at Interland 2017. The event took place on the 2nd April in the Herbeumont Forest, in the Ardennes, southern Belgium. The English Fiona Bunn and Peter Bray, got comfortable victories in the M21 classes, respectively Women and Men. Bunn finished his race with a three-minute advantage over Greet Oeyen, Belgium, while Bray's advantage over the second placed, the French Benjamin Lepoutre, was of five minutes. Overall, England got the first place with 202, Belgium was second with 158 points and France third, with 132 points. The Interland Cup is England’s only international competition outside the British Isles. England competes annually in this five-cornered match against two Belgian teams (Flemish and French speaking), the Netherlands, and the French Ligue des Hauts de France de Course d’Orientation (LHFCO) . The competition is truly a team effort spanning age groups from W and M14 to W and M60+: 42 team members in all. Complete results and further information at http://orienteeringengland.org.uk/2017/04/04/interland-2017-win-for-england-team/.

2. OK Vihor Zagreb organized, on 2nd April, the Vihor TempO Challenge, event that called to the beautiful Bundek Park, in Zagreb, 30 competitors from Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia. Third stage of 2017 Croatia-Italy-Slovenia Trophy, the event consisted in six timed stations with five tasks each and was dominated by the Slovakian Ján Furucz (Farmaceut Bratislava), the winner of the Trophy's last edition. Furucz finished with 305 seconds, corresponding to 185 seconds of answering time and 120 seconds of penalty (four incorrect answers). Slower and less accurate than Furucz, the Croatian Ivo Tišljar (OK Orion) got the second position with 350 seconds. The Slovenian Krešo Keresteš (OK Trzin) was third with 357 seconds. Ján Furucz is now the leader of 2017 Croatia-Italy-Slovenia Trophy with 288,5 points, nine points ahead of Ivica Bertol and fifteen points ahead of Tomislav Varnica, both form OK Vihor, Croatia. The results can be seen at http://www.trailo.it/Classifiche%20internazionali/CIS.asp.

3. Would you like to know who are the top 10 most popular orienteering races in the world, open to everyone? The answer is at ALL4orienteering blog [HERE] https://www.all4o.com/orienteering-blog/top-10-orienteering-races-in-the-world. The number of participants it's, surely, an important issue, but it's not the most important. That's why Jukola / Venla Relay (Finland) cames first and O-ringen (Sweden), world's biggest orienteering festival, stands on the second place. Events like Scottish Six Days (Scotland), FIN5 orienteering week (Finland) and Jan Kjellström International Festival of Orienteering (United Kingdom) are also on the list. Probably other events, like Portugal O' Meeting (Portugal) or MTBO 5 Days Plzeň (Czech Republic), would deserve a place on the list, but the presented events can be a good starting point for knowing and living wonderful and exciting orienteering moments.

4. IOF Newsletter of April is now published and there's lots of interesting reading on it. The eyes of the orienteering world turn to Oceania for the next few weeks, to follow the action at the Oceania Orienteering Championships and the World Masters Orienteering Championships, both taking place in New Zealand. An interview with IOF FootO Athletes’ Commission member Lizzie Ingham will get you excited to follow the Oceania Champs this weekend. Excellent terrains, a great atmosphere and fierce rivalry await the Oceania orienteers who will fight for regional titles and bonus WOC spots. Of course, the newsletter also includes important news from the IOF. The IOF Council had a meeting recently, and a summary of the most notable decisions makes it easy to follow the development of orienteering. Most notable from this council meeting is perhaps the approval of the long awaited International Specification for Orienteering Maps. The IOF is also very active on the international sports scene. Make sure to read about what we got up to at this year’s SportAccord Convention. For TrailO enthusiasts, the newsletter offers interesting reading on the European Cup in TrailO. Not heard of it? Dive in and find out all about the exciting competition. Are you missing out? Find out more and subscribe here. Happy reading!

Joaquim Margarido

CamBOr 2017: Gelson Andrey and Elaine Lenz were the best in the first round of Brazilian Championships

The 2017 Brazilian Orienteering Championships started last weekend, with the first round taking place in Tiradentes and Prados. Good orienteering, lots of excitement and, in the end, two big names coming out ahead for the next round: Gelson Andrey and Elaine Lenz.

CamBOR 2017, the Brazilian Orienteering Championships, have already started. Traditionally spared by three rounds, the event kicked off in the municipalities of Tiradentes and Prados, in the state of Minas Gerais, for its 19th edition. Organized by the Brazilian Orienteering Confederation, Mineira Orienteering Federation and Serra do Lenheiro Orienteering Club and counting on the presence of six hundred competitors from the four corners of Brazil, this CamBOr 2017's first round broke with the tradition, leaving aside the Relay “party” and opening with a Sprint race, a true novelty in the program of the largest Orienteering Championships in the Americas. João Pedro Jaber (ADAAN) and Raquel Sales Arendt (IDESP Dourados), two of the greatest representatives of the new wave of Brazilian athletes, were the winners in the Elite category, in both cases with differences of less than one minute for the runners-up, Sidnaldo Sousa (ADAAN) and Edinéia Roniak (COGA).

Unlike the Sprint stage, the next two stages - Long Distance and Middle Distance - scored for the first round of CamBOr, in which Gelson Andrey Togni (COGA) and Elaine Lenz (ADAAN) were the major figures overall. Gelson Andrey won the Middle Distance stage, with Sidnaldo Sousa being second placed, while in the Long Distance, the victory in the Men Elite class was hardly contested, with Claudinei Nitsch (CASUSA) beating Carlos Henrique Souza (COGA) by the difference of two seconds and with Andrey occupying the third position. In the Women Elite class, Elaine Lenz won comfortably the Long Distance stage, with the winner of CamBOr 2016, Franciely Chiles (COSM), achieving the second place. In the Long Distance race, there was a heated duel that ended in favour of Camila Cortinhas (COSM) with a difference of 12 seconds over Letícia Saltori (ADAAN), second placed. Here, Elaine couldn't get better than the fifth place.

In his Facebook page [HERE] Gelson Andrey reveals himself surprised with his performance and speaks of “a tough event that has left me satisfied with my physical, technical and psychological shape”. The young athlete reveals that “I have not been racing for a long time without mistakes and with a strong rhythm as I was able to do in the Middle Distance” and believes that he's back to “that 'good' orienteering” he was able to do when he was in the Junior category. Last words goes to those who more closely follow his career: “I can see now the importance of having good people by my side, who didn't bother to waste their time to give me good advice, and especially a constructive sermon”, he says. Also Elaine Lenz shares some impressions on her Facebook page [HERE], speaking of “sweat, mud and many contour lines” to characterize the first round of CamBOr 2017. Driving her career under the motto “insist, persist and never give up”, the athlete confesses to be “super happy with the result”, overcoming “two really demanding courses from the physical, technical and psychological point of view”. And concludes: “I only have to thank especially to my coach, Albano João, and those who are always by my side, supporting me, cherishing me, giving me strength and encouragement.”

Results

Men Elite

Sprint

1. João Pedro Jaber (ADAAN) 15:51 (+ 00:00)

2. Sidnaldo Farias Sousa (ADAAN) 16:29 (+ 00:38)

3. Everton Daniel Markus (COSM) 16:38 (+ 00:47)

4. Carlos Henrique Souza (COGA) 17:18 (+ 01:27)

5. Claudinei Nitsch (CASUSA) 18:50 (+ 02:59)

Long Distance

1. Claudinei Nitsch (CASUSA) 1:22:37 (+ 00:00)

2. Carlos Henrique Souza (COGA) 1:22:39 (+ 00:02)

3. Gelson Andrey Togni (COGA) 1:25:52 (+ 03:15)

4. Cleber Baratto Vidal (COSM) 1:30:59 (+ 08:22)

5. Marciano Claudir Kaminski (CASUSA) 1:31:31 (+ 08:54)

Middle Distance

1. Gelson Andrey Togni (COGA) 54:31 (+ 00:00)

2. Sidnaldo Farias Sousa (ADAAN) 55:05 (+ 00:34)

3. Carlos Henrique Souza (COGA) 56:45 (+ 02:14)

4. Cleber Baratto Vidal (COSM) 58:03 (+ 03:32)

5. Claudinei Nitsch (CASUSA) 58:40 (+ 04:09)

Women Elite

Sprint

1. Raquel Sales Arendt (IDESP Dourados) 18:52 (+ 00:00)

2. Edinéia Roniak (COGA) 19:10 (+ 00:18)

3. Maisa Franco Szczypior (COC) 20:06 (+ 01:14)

4. Franciely de Siqueira Chiles (COSM) 20:10 (+ 01:18)

5. Leticia da Silva Saltori (ADAAN) 20:42 (+ 01:50)

Long Distance

1. Camila Luisa Cortinhas (COSM) 1:13:06 (+ 00:00)

2. Leticia da Silva Saltori (ADAAN) 1:13:18 (+ 00:12)

3. Edinéia Roniak (COGA) 1:16:13 (+ 03:07)

4. Franciely de Siqueira Chiles (COSM) 1:20:49 (+ 07:43)

5. Elaine Dalmares Lenz (ADAAN) 1:25:20 (+ 12:14)

Middle Distance

1. Elaine Dalmares Lenz (ADAAN) 1:10:03 (+ 00:00)

2. Franciely de Siqueira Chiles (COSM) 1:13:37 (+ 03:34)

3. Maisa Franco Szczypio (COC) 1:16:03 (+ 06:00)

4. Sara Fabrina Weis (COGA) 1:17:31 (+ 07:28)

5. Leticia da Silva Saltori (ADAAN) 1:17:58 (+ 07:55)

Complete results and further information at https://www.cbo.org.br/evento/105.

[Photos: Mineira Orienteering Federation / facebook.com/pg/fmorienta/photos]

Joaquim Margarido

Tim Robertson: "I have a big focus on my physical shape"

Preparing the big competitions of the Summer, Tim Robertson took a little break to answer some questions for the Portuguese Orienteering Blog. It's another great interview, in which the New Zealander athlete looks back on his elite athlete career and lists some of the goals for this season.

Let me start by asking you about the last season, the first one in the Elite. How big the gap can be between the Junior category and the Elite?

Tim Robertson (T. R.) – This, of course, depends on many things. The step up in every country is different and the step up for sprint, middle and long are also different. In New Zealand I began running elite in local competitions at age 12 and by age 14 was starting to reach the podium at the New Zealand Champs, something that wouldn’t happen in a nation such as Switzerland or Norway.

When racing internationally, the step up is a lot greater. But I feel the step up from junior to senior in the sprint distance is very achievable. I was lucky to be exposed to this step up very early on at age 16 when I ran my first World Champs in Lausanne, Switzerland. I qualified for the final and finished in 33rd position. Since 2012 I have competed every year at the World Champs in the sprint distance and also from 2013 the middle and relay events; and I believe the experience I gained from these races helped me to get to the level I am today.

How happy are you with your achievements in 2016?

T. R. - I was very happy with my achievements in 2016. Originally it was going to be a ‘building year’ for me, just taking results as they came and trying to keep the motivation high, even if the results weren’t. But after finishing 5th place at the first World Cup, in Poland, I realised I already had the potential to perform well in the Elite class. Next on the 2016 calendar was the European Champs. In my opinion EOC is the pinnacle of orienteering with top countries sending up to 8 runners. I was very pleased with my preparation and my result of 7th equal, narrowly missing out on the podium by 1 second.

After this competition I had a goal of a top 10 performance at the World Champs. A goal I was close to achieving but lost in the final few controls, finishing 13th place. A little disappointed, this fuelled my training for the final World Cup in Switzerland. I had an almost perfect race here, only lacking the endurance/stamina in the final few minutes. I finished 4th place, 3 seconds off the bronze medal.

Is there one in particular that you keep in your memories?

T. R. - The most memorable was probably the first World Cup in Poland. I wasn’t sure exactly how my shape was. I had a good qualification and finished second behind Daniel Hubmann. This meant starting the final as the 4th to last competitor, a position I had never found myself in before. The race itself suited me perfectly. It was flip map race in a very small technical area, a style I have raced often in New Zealand. I knew I was having a great race but the noise in the arena was so loud that I couldn’t hear, during the run through, which placing I was in. After finishing I only had to wait three more minutes to know my official placing of 5th, it was a very unbelievable moment and something that drives my training so I can experience more of these feelings again!

2017 is a new story and it seems that you're starting to write it in the best way, after some great results in Italy and now in Denmark. Would you like to tell me about your winter season?

T. R. - Not everything went to plan for me over winter. After returning from China in October I took a month off training to refresh my body and mind for the 2017 season. Unfortunately when I was ready to begin my winter training I got sick for a few weeks. During this time I also moved from Oslo, Norway to Vienna, Austria. So there were many new changes!

It was also my first whole winter in Europe, the first month I was very excited and motivated. I wasn’t worried about the snow or the cold temperatures; it was all a new experience. But the next month and a half were very difficult. I had no motivation for my training; I wasn’t use to training in cold temperatures and struggled to find my rhythm. In February I travelled to Northern Ireland for a weekend of sprint orienteering and this was a ‘turning point’ for me. I raced a 5km there and was very disappointed with my time. I was also lacking speed in the orienteering and when I returned back to Austria I had full motivation back and started to prepare for the next trip to Italy.

How far from the best shape are you?

T. R. - It is still very early in the season and although I am happy with my shape now. I feel like I have a lot I can improve on over the next few months before WOC. I have a big focus on my physical shape this year. I have seen from my results in the World Cup races last year that I was always beginning strongly but fading in the final minutes. From the top 10 runners in the world ranking for sprint I am quite sure I have the slowest personal best times over 3000m and 5000m. This weekend I was racing another 5000m, this time on the track, so it’s a good comparison to the 5km road race in Armagh that I ran in February.

Is mental training part of your concerns?

T. R. - For some people, mental training is essential but for others not. I don’t do any specific mental training but I do like to prepare myself for competitions with the help of google maps or old maps and this I call my ‘mental training’. I know other teams are working a lot more with specific mental training however I have not looked into this much.

What are your main goals for the season?

T. R. - Next up on the calendar is 10Mila where I will race with my club Fossum. Hopefully we can improve on last year’s great result. We will also race Jukola later in the year. My 2017 plan is to race all of the World Cup rounds. The main focus will be on WOC in Estonia, but I will also be running the World Games a few weeks later. New Zealand has a very strong relay team here and I look forward to this competition. I hope to improve on my World Cup and World Championships results from last year, it would be great to finish in the top ten, but maybe a podium finish is also possible.

What kind of WOC are you expecting?

T. R. - I haven’t spent much time looking at the WOC terrains yet. I like to approach races one at a time so at the moment for me the focus is on 10Mila.

Where will the key for a successful WOC be?

T. R. - Being the best prepared I can be for the race. Getting my running speed faster and making sure I can still navigate well at that new pace.

You're a Sprint specialist and I'm sure that you are already living in the dilemma of a WOC forest vs a WOC urban. What are your thoughts on the subject?

T. R. - It’s an interesting subject, one I didn’t agree with but am following closely to see what the outcome will be and how it will affect me and my preparations. The first forest WOC is still a long way away so, for me, the focus over the next few years will be mostly sprint orientated with the goal of reaching the podium before it splits into Forest/Sprint Championships. I am still very interested in forest orienteering and love to run the Long Distance. When WOC splits I plan to start focusing on forest orienteering for a year and then continuing with sprint the following. The other option for me would be to train athletics/cross country/mountain running/mountain biking during the forest WOC year and then focus on sprint orienteering the following. It was great fun to be a part of the MOC training camp in Italy where we tested the new format for Sprint WOC. I enjoyed the concepts and am very interested to see how they are developed over the next few years!

To those who are stepping up to the Elite this season, would you like to leave a message?

T. R. - I think it’s good to acknowledge the step up but not to let it get too much into your head. Keep your motivation high and the results will come. If it is possible it’s also a great idea to train with the Elite runners. You get to see the level they are on and can gain a lot from their experience.

Personally I think it’s important to have things outside of orienteering to be doing so that it’s not just orienteering every day. For example when I was living in New Zealand I was often surfing between trainings, or now that I am living in Europe I am doing a lot of bike riding in my spare time, or skiing in the winter. It’s still exercise, but gives your mind a short break from orienteering which I feel is great for the motivation.

[Photo: Natalia Gemperle]

Joaquim Margarido

Nazário interviews Gueorgiou: "I couldn't have dreamed of a better ending"

Bruno Nazário's face to face with Thierry Gueorgiou resulted in a great Interview presented by O-Portugal.pt and now accessible on Youtube. It's nearly 37 minutes, divided in three parts, in which the French multi-champion revisits his career, talks about a last season in the Elite and projects the future as coach of the strong Swedish team.

Would you like to know why Thierry Gueorgiou took the decision of trying one last season at the highest level? The answer is in the first part of the Interview conducted by the Portuguese coach and organizer Bruno Nazário, in which the French shares some of his best memories of twenty years of the most challenging Orienteering. At the age of 18, he started competing at the World Orienteering Championships (Grimstad, Norway), so, one part of his words goes to those youngsters who are 18 years old now, based on his own experience in the early years, were he tried to learn from the best. There are also interesting thoughts on the “Stephanoise method” and Thierry's exceptional map reading skills.

The second part starts with Thierry's theory "100 metres into the future". Looking forward orienteering naturally, “like breathing”, Thierry remembers that “quality was always the key word”. Then, time to talk about Portugal, a true “love story”, and to share the memories of more than a decade, to state that “Portugal is the best place in Europe in the Winter time” and that “Portugal O' Meeting is probably one of the best organized competitions in the world”. This part's last minutes are dedicated to review the amazing 2007 season - “for sure the best year of my career in terms of results” - and also the WOC 2011, in France, a special WOC, “where the motivation was very easy to find”.

The last part of the Interview starts with an approach to Thierry's next (and last) WOC and a strong wish: “I really would like to do something great in the Middle Distance one last time”. Then, time to talk about another “love story” called Kalevan Rasti and the incredible memory of winning Jukola in 2004. Finally, time to look on the future as coach of the Swedish team, rated as “a dream came true”. Enjoy!

Joaquim Margarido

3rd Ávila Trophy and 2nd Máximus Trophy: Victories of Antonio Martínez and Alicia Gil

The fourth round of the 2017 Spanish Orienteering League, held in Burgohondo, Ávila, joined nearly eight hundred athletes for a challenging and fun orienteering weekend. The fastest in the Elite category were Antonio Martínez Pérez and Alicia Gil Sanchéz.

With the accomplishment of the 3rd Ávila Trophy and 2nd Máximus Trophy, took place in Burgohondo, Ávila, the fourth round of the 2017 Spanish Orienteering League. The event was organized by the Máximus Orienteering Club and the Burgohondo Municipality, gathering close eight hundred competitors for two challenging races – Middle Distance and Long Distance – and, still, the bonus of a Sprint race, in the afternoon of the first day.

Both, the Middle and the Long Distance, were held in challenging terrains, with lots of rocky features of all kind, demanding high accuracy in the map reading and a good physical shape. After some small mistakes, Antonio Martínez Perez (Colivenc) was able to achieve the best record in the Middle Distance race, finishing with the time of 36:20, against 38:14 from Pau Llorens Caellas (COB Barcelona) and 40:24 from Eduardo Gil Marcos (Tjalve), second and third placed. Martínez's Long Distance race was far from being perfect, but the ten-minute advantage over Llorens clearly demonstrate his huge superiority. Both Middle and Long Distance races were also a jigsaw in the Women Elite class, with all athletes having a lot to review after mistake-filled races. Esther Gil i Brotons (Colivenc) won the Middle Distance race in the Women Elite with the time of 48:15 against 49:47 from Alicia Gil Sánchez (Colivenc). In the Long Distance, Alicia finished six and half minutes before Esther Gil, achieving the Trophy.

Overall standings

Men Elite

1. Antonio Martínez Pérez (Colivenc) 2:17:32 (+ 00:00)

2. Pau Llorens Caellas (COB Barcelona) 2:30:12 (+ 12:40)

3. Eduardo Gil Marcos (Tjalve) 2:36:25 (+ 18:53)

4. Álvaro Prieto Del Campo (Malarruta) 2:42:01 (+ 24:29)

5. Pol Ràfols Perramon (COB Barcelona) 2:47:56 (+ 30:24)

Women Elite

1. Alicia Gil Sánchez (Colivenc) 2:22:37 (+ 00:00)

2. Esther Gil i Brotons (Colivenc) 2:27:35 (+ 04:58)

3. Carmen Patiño Déniz (Toledo-O) 2:41:10 (+ 18:33)

4. Marta Guijo Alonso (Via Plata) 2:43:43 (+ 21:06)

5. Laura Serra Sala (COB Barcelona) 2:48:24 (+ 25:47)

Complete results and further information at http://carrerasdemaximus.blogspot.pt/.

[Archive photo]

Joaquim Margarido

Swiss Orienteering Grand Slam has already started

In the beginning of a new season, the Swiss Orienteering Federation releases something completely new. It’s called Grand Slam and the winners of the first round are already known: Matthias Kyburz, Judith Wyder, Pascal Buchs and Simona Aebersold.

In recent years, the annual evaluation of the Elite and Junior categories in Switserland has been conducted as a Swiss Orienteering Elite League. For the 2017 season, the system will be completely rebuilt and carried out under the name of Swiss Orienteering Grand Slam. The Grand Slam is based on the four individual Swiss Championships - Night, Sprint, Middle and Long distances – and addressed to the four categories, Men and Women Elite, Men and Women Junior. After the Grand Slam’s four rounds, the top 6 ranked in the ME and WE, as well as the top 3 in the M20 and W20 get the “passport” for the Grand Slam Final, which will take place during the Swiss Orienteering Festival, in Olten region. Elite and Juniors will start in a common category and the winners of the final round will achieve the Swiss Orienteering Grand Slam.

The Swiss Orienteering Grand Slam has already started with the 2017 National Night Long Distance Championships, on 25th March. On 24th June it will be time for the National Championships of Sprint, in Windisch (org. Bussola OK) and the next day will be raced the Long Distance’s Championships, in Saalhöchi (org. OLK Argus). The last “regular” round, the National Championships of Middle Distance, will take place on 09th September, in Schwägalp (org. OLG St. Gallen / Appenzell). The Grand Slam Final will be held on 11th November, during the O-Fest in Olten, and organized by the Grand Slam OK.

Matthias Kyburz and Judith Wyder got the first Swiss titles

As said before, the Night Long Distance Championships were already held. Organized by OLG Pfäffikon, the event took place at Uster, gathering more than seven hundred competitors. Running in safe tracks as much as possible and be familiar with the secrets of night Orienteering were the keys to Matthias Kyburz's success in the Men Elite class. He finished the 15.0 km of his course with the good time of 1:13:51. After a strong start, Florian Howald faced some problems in the fifth control and kept up the pace, being caught by Thomas Curiger and Jonas Egger. Pushing each other along the course, they would get second, fourth and seventh place in the end. Starting earlier, Fabian Hertner ran lone the whole course and saw in the bronze medal the confirmation of a good winter training. Judith Wyder's superiority in the Women Elite class was absolute, and her lead in the finish was more than six minutes. The fight for the immediate positions was really tough, with less than one minute separating the second from the fifth placed. With a safe run, Elena Roos got the second position while Sabine Hauswirth was the third placed. Swiss Night Championships' winner in 2016, Simone Niggli, finished in the fourth position.

In the Women Junior class, Simona Aebersold, Valerie Aebischer and Sofie Bachmann met the expectations, achieving the podium places by this order. Even making a big mistake in the middle part of his race, Pascal Buchs was clearly faster than the Junior World Champion Joey Hadorn and got a comfortable nearly three-minute win.

Results

Men Elite
1. Matthias Kyburz (OLK Fricktal) 1:13:51 (+ 00:00)
2. Florian Howald (OLG Herzogenbuchsee) 1:16:40 (+ 02:49)
3. Fabian Hertner (OLV Baselland) 1:17:54 (+ 04:03)
4. Thomas Curiger (PLC Kapreolo) 1:18:48 (+ 04:57)
5. Martin Hubmann (OL Regio Wil) 1:19:41 (+ 05:50)

Women Elite
1. Judith Wyder (OLG Thun) 57:48 (+ 00:00)
2. Elena Roos (O-92 Piano di Magad) 1:04:05 (+ 06:17)
3. Sabine Hauswirth (OL Norska) 1:04:37 (+ 06:49)
4. Simone Niggli (OLV Hindelbank / OL Norska) 1:04:55 (+ 07:07)
5. Julia Gross (OL Zimmerberg) 1:05:00 (+ 07:12)

Men Junior
1. Pascal Buchs (ANCO) 57:55 (+ 00:00)
2. Joey Hadorn (OL Norska) 1:00:43 (+ 02:48)
3. Timo Suter (OLG Cordoba) 1:01:53 (+ 03:58)

Women Junior
1. Simona Aebersold (OL Biel.seeland) 48:57 (+ 00:00)
2. Valerie Aebischer (OLC Omström Sense) 51:04 (+ 02:07)
3. Sofie Bachmann (OLV Baselland) 56:03 (+ 07:06)

Further information about the Grand Slam can be found HERE. The first round's complete results may be checked at https://www.swiss-orienteering.ch/de/news/ol/1092-swiss-orienteering-grand-slam-die-elitewertung-2.html.

Joaquim Margarido