After a great season in 2014, with
two gold medals in the Relay of the European Championships and World
Championships, Gustav Bergman will want to show that 2015 is the
confirmation year. Two podiums in the opening round of the World Cup,
in Tasmania, are an excellent presage, but much more is to come.
We could see you at your best, at
the Portugal O’ Meeting, winning the first stage, but after that
you “disappeared”. What happened?
Gustav Bergman (G. B.) - After
the first day's race I got really sick, and spent the remainder of my
days in Portugal in my hotel bed with 40 degrees fever.
Well, at least I believe that the
first day was a good experience. Would you like to share with us your
thoughts about it?
G. B. - The first day was good,
but it wasn't amazing. I ran well, and just focused on running
straight, and in the end I turned out to be fastest that day, which
felt great.
How are you dealing with your
preparation in the start of the season? Was it positive, the
Australian experience, in the other side of the World, so early in
the season?
G. B. - My winter training has
been going really well (except for my portuguese fever...). I have
had good, continuos run, and I really feel that I have taken a step
further in developing my running. I have not been focusing at all on
the World Cup stages in Tasmania, but instead training hard towards
WOC in Scotland, and I will continue to do so, even though the
domestic season starts now. I don't have a problem with having a
World Cup round in January, but IOF has big issue to work with,
regarding the status of the World Cup. If all the best runners don't
run, then there is really no point in having a World Cup.
Let me go back to the golden season
of 2014 for the Swedish Relay (EOC and WOC), with you performing
perfectly in the decisive moments. What are the strongest memories
that you keep from those two victories?
G. B. - It felt really good to
win as a team. The faces of Jonas [Leandersson] and Fredrik [Johansson] when they met me at the
run in - that was worth every training hour I've done towards WOC.
To go to Scotland and win the gold
medal again in the Relay will be one of your major goals for the
season, I am sure. I would like to know your feelings about that and
also about the other goals.
G. B.
- I am focusing a lot on WOC, and I am really looking forward
to all the forest distances. Last year I focused a lot on the relay,
which meant I skipped the Long Distance on both EOC and WOC, but this
year the program is a little bit different, so I'll be able to run
the Long Distance as well.
What will you need to succeed?
G. B. - I think that my
technical and mental skills are good enough to win gold medals at
WOC, but I feel that I need to improve a lot physically. I have a
long term plan that I am working on and I am becoming better and
better each year, so I am not too worried about that.
What would mean to you reaching the
end of the season in the leadership of the IOF World Ranking?
G. B. - I don't care a lot about
the World Ranking, and that doesn't mean that much. However, the new
WOC rules make the World Ranking important so that you get a good
starting time, so for that sake, it is important.
In the end of our talk, I would like
to ask you to make a wish to all orienteers, now that the season is
about to start.
G. B. - Good luck with your
season, and hopefully you'll be able to do a few perfect races
throughout the year!
Joaquim Margarido
