Latin Countries Cup 2017: Victory for Portugal

With eight individual victories and 74 points overall, Portugal won the 23rd edition of the Latin Countries Cup which took place in Asiago, Italy. With two victories each in the Elite classes, João Mega Figueiredo and Andra Cecilia Anghel were prominent individual figures.

Sub-Regional event of the International Orienteering Federation, the Latin Countries Cup came back to Italy and to the beautiful scenery of the Asiago Plateau, for another edition. Included in the Highlands Open HOP 2017, the event was organized by A.S.D. Erebus Orientamento Vicenza and Italian Orienteering Federation, gathering teams from Spain, Portugal, Romania, Italy and Brazil. The program started in Turcio with the Middle Distance race, in which Romania achieved the lead in the standings with three individual victories, against two victories of Italy and one of Spain. However, the favouritism of Italians and Romanians would have an amazing response in the second stage, a Sprint that took place in Marostica, in which the Portuguese team got five individual triumphs, against one victory from Spain.

The stage of Long Distance took place in Monte Corno and, in it, Portugal returned to be the most effective team, adding three more victories to its own account, against two triumphs of Spain and one of Romania. In the sum of points reached in the three stages, Portugal registered a total of 74 points, achieving its second victory in 23 editions of the Latin Countries Cup, after the victory on home ground seven years ago. Romania with 65 points, Italy with 61 points and Spain with 56 points finished in the immediate positions. Brazil, winner of the previous edition organized in Chile, closed the standings with just 4 points. Italy gives now the testimony to Uruguay that will be in charge of the organization of the 24th edition of the Latinum Certamen, in 2018.

Results

Middle Distance

Men/Women Elite – Ricardo Scalet (Italy) and Andra Cecilia Anghel (Romania)
M/W20 – Mihai Andrei Tintar (Romania) and Ágnes Néda (Romania)

M/W18 – Enrico Mannocci (Italy) and Inés Pozo (Spain)

Sprint

Men/Women Elite – João Mega Figueiredo (Portugal) and Mariana Moreira (Portugal)
M/W20 – Ricardo Esteves (Portugal) and Beatriz Sanguino (Portugal)

M/W18 – Alvaro Casado (Spain) and Helena Lima (Portugal)

Long Distance

Men/Women Elite – João Mega Figueiredo (Portugal) and Andra Cecilia Anghel (Romania)
M/W20 – Ricardo Esteves (Portugal) and Beatriz Sanguino (Portugal)

M/W18 – Alvaro Casado (Spain) and Inés Pozo (Spain)

Latin Countries Cup 2017

Overall standings

1. Portugal 74 points
2. Romania 65 points
3. Italy 61 points
4. Spain 56 points
5. Brazil 4 points

More information can be found at http://www.fiso.it/.

[Photo: Jose Ángel Nieto Poblete / facebook.com/ja.np.56]

Joaquim Margarido

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

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

MOC 2017: Hubmann and Jansson victorious in Italy

Agropoli, Paestum and Reggia di Caserta, three historical sites in Campania region, Southern Italy, were luxury stages of the MOC Mediterranean Open Championship Orienteering 2017. In an event attended by more than 600 athletes from 28 countries, Daniel Hubmann and Helena Jansson confirmed the status of favorites, winning their respective Elite classes.

The 13th edition of the MOC Mediterranean Open Championship Orienteering 2017 took place last weekend in the beautiful region of Campania, Italy. Organized by PWT Italy and AOK Agropoli Orienteering Klubb, the event kicked off in Agropoli, with a Night Sprint won by Tim Robertson (Fossum IF) and Helena Jansson (OK Ravinen) in the Elite classes. Robertson finished his course with the time of 14:14 and an eighteen-second advantage over Daniel Hubmann (Koovee), second placed. Jansson was the only athlete to break the fifteen-minute barrier, scoring 14:51 against 15:06 of Karolin Ohlsson (Järla Orientering), who finished second. The second stage brought the competitors to the UNESCO site of Paestum, to a mix of ancient Greek culture and great orienteering fun along temples, walls, walkways, stones, gates and houses. Yannick Michiels (TuMe) and Helena Jansson were the winners, but the stage had to be voided for technical reasons.

The decisive stage, a fast Middle Distance in Reggia di Caserta, took place in another UNESCO site, with the competition stretching to the ancient hunting seat of the King of Naples, the amazing Royal Palace with its enchanted English garden. After a great performance, Daniel Hubmann was able to annul the disadvantage to Robertson, registering 23:34 in the end of his course, against 24:56 from the new-zealander, fourth placed. Kris Jones (Lillomarka OL) was Hubmann's biggest challenger this time, finishing second with more 56 seconds than the winner. In the women's race, Sabine Hauswirth (Halden SK) achieved a good win with the time of 23:42, but the nineteen-second advantage over Helena Jansson, second placed, wasn't good enough to overthrow the Swedish from the first place in the overall standings.

MOC 2017

Overall standings

Men Elite

1. Daniel Hubmann (Koovee) 38:06 (+ 00:00)
2. Tim Robertson (Fossum IF) 39:10 (+ 01:04)
3. Gustav Bergman (OK Ravinen) 40:02 (+ 01:56)
4. Martin Hubmann (OL Regio Wil) 40:06 (+ 02:00)
5. Kris Jones (Lillomarka OL) 40:18 (+ 02:12)

Women Elite

1. Helena Jansson (OK Ravinen) 38:52 (+ 00:00)
2. Sabine Hauswirth (Halden SK) 39:31 (+ 00:39)
3. Karolin Ohlsson (Järla Orientering) 40:04 (+ 01:12)
4. Galina Vinogradova (Russia) 41:16 (+ 01:50)
5. Natalia Gemperle (Alfta-Ösa OK) 42:26 (+ 02:24)

Complete results and further information at http://www.orienteering.it/macro.php?subsite=n250516_150041.

[Photo: Lone Brochman / facebook.com/timrobertson95/]

Joaquim Margarido

Italian Cup in TrailO: Tenani and Bortolami won first stage

The Italian Cup in Trail Orienteering started in Sala Baganza with winnings of Alessio Tenani and Fabio Bortolami, respectively in the Elite Open and Elite Paralympic classes. Francesca De Nardis and Leopoldo Vighini got the regional titles.

Even more beautiful due to a splendorous sun, Carrega Forest, at Emilia Romagna region, hosted last Sunday the first stage of Italian Cup in Trail Orienteering. Organised by Eridano Adventura club, the event was attended by 50 competitors, 28 in the Elite (Open and Paralympic) and 22 in the Open A class. Following a FootO competition held in the same map, the courses were planned by Susy De Pieri, offering 20 tasks to the Elite class and 13 tasks to the Open A class, both in forest and open areas.

In the Elite Open class, two of the best Italian Trail orienteers currently, Alessio Tenani (OK Pan Kristianstad) and Renato Bettin (Orienteering Swallows Noale A.S.D.), fight hardly for the victory, finishing both with 17 points. Faster and more accurate in the three timed controls, Tenani was the winner with 18 seconds, against 89 seconds of Bettin. Tenani's words in the end revealed satisfaction: “It was a competition everything but trivial, with controls set 'by the book'. I want to congratulate the organisers because they demonstrated that, with passion and competency, it's possible to join FootO and TailO competitions, keeping high quality standards”. One point less than the winner, the very young Francesca De Nardis (Polisportiva “G. Masi”) finished third and achieved the regional title in this class.

In the Elite Paralympic class, Fabio Bortolami (A.S.D. Padova Orienteering) beat the “newcomer” Leopoldo Vighini (A.S.D. Atletica Interflumina), also in the timed controls, after a draw at 13 points. The regional title in this class went to Vighini. In the Open A class, three competitors finished with 8 points, Martina Paone (Polisportiva “G. Masi”) being the winner thanks to a better performance in the timed controls. The last words go to Susy De Pieri, assessing the event: “It wasn't easy to set the course and I was a little nervous since I've no longer planned a competition for three years. There was some 'borderline' tasks, as we can see for the results, but I think the expertise stood out. The competitors' feedback about my course planning makes me happy. I’m also happy for new people taking part in TrailO competitions, most of them really young”.

Results

Elite Open class

1. Alessio Tenani (OK Pan Kristianstad) 17 points / 18 seconds

2. Renato Bettin (Orienteering Swallows Noale A.S.D.) 17 points / 89 seconds

3. Francesca De Nardis (Polisportiva “G. Masi”) 16 points / 28 seconds

4. Corrado Miniotti (Cral G.T.) 16 points / 42 seconds

5. Tiziano Vargiolu (A.S.D. Padova Orienteering) 16 points / 73 seconds

Elite Paralympic class

1. Fabio Bortolami (A.S.D. Padova Orienteering) 13 points / 122 seconds

2. Leopoldo Vighini (A.S.D. Atletica Interflumina) 13 points / 179 seconds

Open A class

1. Martina Paone ((Polisportiva “G. Masi”) 8 points / 100 seconds

2. Karol Gabrowski (Polisportiva “G. Masi”) 8 points / 114 seconds

3. Andrea Berto (Laguna Nord) 8 points / 133 seconds

Photo courtesy of Susy De Pieri.

Joaquim Margarido

[Portuguese Orienteering Blog appreciates Susy De Pieri's cooperation, providing results, maps, solutions, photos and a small report about the race]

Tuscany Sprint Tour: Overall victories of Rjabyshkin and Kadan

Sergei Rjabyshkin and Ursula Kadan were the winners of the 2016 Tuscany Sprint Tour. Over three days, the historical center of Montalcino, Siena and San Gimignano hosted exciting races that involved near two thousand competitors.

How to resist the allure of a weekend in the charming Tuscany, to visit the historic center of some of its most beautiful cities and search its hidden beauties with a map and a compass? This was the proposal of Idrott Klubb Pratt that, last weekend, offered to near two thousand participants from 21 different countries the opportunity to experience the excitement of Orienteering courses in the magnificent cities of Montalcino, San Gimignano and Siena. Named 2016 Tuscany Sprint Tour, the event offered a night race Mass Start in Montalcino, the Italia Cup's final stage in San Gimignano and, finally, the last stage of the 2016 Sprint Race Tour in Siena, the latter scoring for the IOF Sprint World Ranking.

The Austrian Ursula Kadan (OJE Wappler) was the event's great name, reaching a victorious “hat-trick” with the overall time of 1:07:51. The athlete started the best way, winning the first stage with a near five-minute advantage on the Estonian Kirti Rebane. Skipping the first stage, the Italian Christine Kirchlechner (Sportclub Meran ASD) would be the great opponent of the Austrian in the remaining stages, reaching the second position in both cases. With two fourth places and a third, the very young Croatian Pia Ocvirk (OK Japetic) saw her stability worth the second place overall, near ten minutes after the winner, while Rebane got the third place with more 12:34 than Kadan.

In the Men Senior class the victories in the three stages were spread over as many athletes with the Belgian Clément Demeuse (CO Liège) winning in Montalcino, the Italian Alessio Tenani (GS Forestale) getting the triumph in San Gimignano and the French Marty Loïc ( team France CO) being the fastest in Siena. Overall, the victory would eventually smile to the Estonian Sergei Rjabyshkin (SRD SK), after all the most regular, with the time of 1:12:03 and an advantage of 46 seconds over Demeuse and two minutes on his compatriot Kristo Heinmann (Ilves OK).

Overall Results

Men Senior

1. Sergei Rjabyshkin (SRD SK EST) 1:12:03 (+ 00:00)

2. Clément Demeuse (CO Liège BEL) 1:12:49 (+ 00:46)

3. Kristo Heinmann (Ilves OK EST) 1:14:03 (+ 02:00)

4. Jonas Lundgren (Linköpings OK SWE) 1:14:51 (+ 02:48)

5. George Mavchun (Northern Wind RUS) 1:15:07 (+ 03:04)

Women Senior

1. Ursula Kadan (OJE Wappler AUT) 1:07:51 (+ 00:00)

2. Pia Ocvirk (OK Japetic CRO) 01:17:47 (+ 09:56)

3. Kirti Rebane (SK Saue Tammed EST) 1:20:25 (+ 12:34)

4. Heike Torggler (Sportclub Meran ASD) 1:20:30 (+ 12:39)

5. Brie Gschöpf (OJE Wappler AUT) 1:20:31 (+ 12:40)

Complete results and further information at http://www.ikprato.com/index.php/en/events/tuscany-sprint-tour-16.

Joaquim Margarido

WTOC 2016: Italy

Italy presented itself in Strömstad as one of the most feared teams. With the current World Champion in PreO and the leader of the European Cup, respectively Michele Cera and Remo Madella, in the team, the Azzurri still brought with them the European title in TrailO Relay, recently achieved in the Czech Republic. Given this, the 5th place and the corresponding diploma of Madella in the TempO competition it's a small profit to those who had justified expectations in something else. Still a word to the 19th place of Piergiorgio Zancanaro in the PreO competition, Paralympic Class, the best result in this class in the last 7 years.

+ Remo Madella was the star of the team. His qualification for the TempO final wasn't easy - he was the last athlete stamping the passport to the decisive race - but in the moments that counted he shone at the highest level. It is true that he had in the PreO his worst result ever in seven presences in the World Championships, but a podium is always a podium and speaks louder than anything else.

- Alessio Tenani wasn't particularly happy during the World Championships, failing in the moments where to fail was forbidden. After the brilliant performance in the TempO qualification, Tenani wouldn't go beyond the 16th place in the Final. His PreO result was also below the expectations and one mistake on the PreO part of the TrailO Relay deprived the European Champions of being present on the podium.

Results

TempO

Qual Blue

2. Alessio Tenani 176 seconds

27. Renato Bettin 395 seconds

Qual Red

14. Michele Cera 294 seconds

18. Remo Madella 310,5 seconds

Final

5. Remo Madella 288 seconds

9. Michele Cera 319 seconds

16. Alessio Tenani 361,5 seconds

PreO

Open

12. Michele Cera 46 points / 116 seconds

27. Renato Bettin 44 points / 199,5 seconds

34. Alessio Tenani 43 points / 195,5 seconds

35. Remo Madella 42 points / 53 seconds

Para

19. Piergiorgio Zancanaro 37 points / 201 seconds

27. Fabio Bortolami 32 points / 244,5 seconds

34. Mauro Nardo 28 points / 308 seconds

TrailO Relay

Open

7. Italy 301 seconds

Remo Madella (7 points / 107,5 seconds)

Michele Cera (7 points / 37,5 seconds)

Alessio Tenani (6 points / 96 seconds)

Para

9. Italy 884,5 seconds

Mauro Nardo (5 points / 124,5 seconds)

Fabio Bortolami (5 points / 160 seconds)

Piergiorgio Zancanaro (4 points / 180 seconds)

Joaquim Margarido

OO Cup 2016: Maps and Results

Austria, Italy and Slovenia hosted the OO Cup 2016, an event attended by 1500 competitors and that had Jan Procházka and Lizzie Ingham as the big winners.

“A bit strange feelings to finish this project which occupied our minds for such a long time. It was definitely the most complicated OOcup to organize, but seeing your reactions after the race looks like it was worth it!” The OO Cup 2016 organizers' words are quite clear. The event extended by 5 days and 3 countries – Austria, Italy and Slovenia -, having the presence of nearly 1500 competitors. The first stage took place in Villach, Austria, the second and third stages were held in Fusine, Italy, while Soriška planina, Slovenia, hosted the two final stages. Martin Lejsek was the first stage's course setter and Ivan Nagy designed the Italian and Slovenian stages.

Winning four out of five stages, Jan Procházka got the first position overall in the Men Elite class, more than twenty minutes before the Swiss Baptiste Rollier. The seven minute win on Rollier in the first stage worked to Procházka as a perfect input and the needed motivation to a couple of great performances. Martin Janata (OOB Kotlarka Praha) finished third, 39:57 after the winner.

In the Women Elite, Lizzie Ingham (Halden SK) was second in the first stage, 5:30 after Ina Westerlund (OK77), but she was able to win the next three stages and getting a comfortable advantage of nearly ten minutes on her most direct opponents. In the last stage, Martiina Joensuu (SK Pohjantäthti) was stronger than anyone else, reaching the second position overall before Westerlund, who performed quite below the expectations. Ingham finished third in the stage, getting a twelve minutes win in this OO Cup edition.

Overall standings (after 5 stages)

M21E

1. Jan Procházka (SK Praga) 4:10:21 (+ 00:00)

2. Baptiste Rollier (Kalevan Rasti) 4:30:59 (+ 20:38)

3. Martin Janata (OOB Kotlarka Praha) 4:50:18 (+ 39:57)

4. Leif Bader (OK Kare) 4:55 :21 (+ 45:00)

5. Flavio Poltéra (Quack OK) 4:56:18 (+ 45:57)

W21E

1. Lizzie Ingham (Halden SK) 4:30:23 (+ 00:00)

2. Martiina Joensuu (SK Pohjantähti) 4:42:23 (+ 12:00)

3. Ina Westerlund (OK77) 4:45:14 (+ 14:51)

4. Kim Baxter (South Yorkshire Orienteers) 4:51:55 (+ 21:32)

5. Kristyna Kolinova (OOB Kotlarka Praha) 5:05:07 (+ 34:44)

Complete results and further information at http://www.oocup.com/

[Photo: OO Cup / www.facebook.com/oocup.slovenia]

Joaquim Margarido

TrailO 5 Days of Italy 2016: Remo Madella is the winner

After a hard fight along five challenging days, Remo Madella was the overall winner of TrailO 5 Days of Italy 2016. In an event where the balance was the common denominator, Emil Kacin and Krešo Keresteš got the immediate positions.

Castello Tesino and Cinte Tesino hosted the last stages of TrailO 5 Days of Italy 2016, in which participated 52 competitors from 12 different countries. The event offered two PreO stages, two TempO stages and one TrailO Relay stage, with the sum of all correct answers being the main factor to find the event’s winner. A quick look on the results lets to realize how balanced were all stages, with the doubt regarding the winner to be solved on the last stage only.

With four wrong answers in the first stage, Remo Madella (Vivaio ITA) could improve his results in the second stage – getting there the Italian Championships gold in TempO – and shortening the distance to the lead. After that, he performed quite well in the TrailO Relay and got the third place twice in the last stages, PreO and TempO ones. Krešo Keresteš (OK Trzin SLO) and Emil Kacin (OK Azimut) got one victory each in the two opening stages, both scoring for the Unofficial European Cup in Trail Orienteering 2016, keeping top positions until the last journey. There, Madella was slightly faster and accurate, finishing with 99 points, against 98 from Kacin and 96 from Keresteš. One last word to Lars Jakob Waaler (Porsgrunn Orienteringslag NOR) and Antonin Forst (MatFyz Praha CZE) that won the fourth and fifth stages, and for the Slovenian team (Krešo Keresteš, Emil Kacin and Marco Giovannini), the TrailO Relay’s winners.

Results

Stage #3

TrailO Relay

1. SLO (Marco Giovannini, Emil Kacin, Krešo Keresteš) 529 seconds

2. NOR (Ole-Johan Waaler, Martin Aarholt Waaler, Lars Jakob Waaler) 562 seconds

3. ITA (Remo Madella, Stefano Galletti, Alessio Tenani) 699 seconds

4. NOR/GBR (Sigurd Daehli, Wydar Taxth Loland, Charles Bromley Gardner) 758 seconds

5. CZE (Antonin Forst, Lenka Forstova, Libor Forst) 762 seconds

Stage #4

PreO

1. Lars Jakob Waaler (Porsgrunn Orienteringslag NOR) 23/23 points (9 seconds)

2. Sigurd Daehli (Loten Orienteringslag NOR) 23/23 points (10 seconds)

3. Remo Madella (Vivaio ITA) 23/23 points (11 seconds)

4. Martin Aarholt Waaler (Porsgrunn Orienteringslag NOR) 23/23 points (12 seconds)

5. Emil Kacin (OK Azimut SLO) 23/23 points (18 seconds)

6. Markéta Šimková (Sportovní klub Los Mělník CZE) 22/23 points (20 seconds)

7. Wydar Taxth Loland (Hisoy Orienteringsklubb NOR) 22/23 points (21,5 seconds)

8. Charles Bromley Gardner (British Army Orienteering Club GBR) 22/23 points (25 seconds)

9. Antonin Forst (MatFyz Praha CZE) 22/23 points (32 seconds)

10. Mateja Keresteš (OK Trzin SLO) 22/23 points (78 seconds)

Stage #5

TempO

1. Antonin Forst (MatFyz Praha CZE) 381 seconds

2. Lars Jakob Waaler (Porsgrunn Orienteringslag NOR) 396 seconds

3. Remo Madella (Vivaio ITA) 403 seconds

4. Emil Kacin (OK Azimut SLO) 420 seconds

5. Zoltán Miháczi (Tipo Orienteering Club HUN) 425 seconds

6. Dušan Furucz (Farmaceut Bratislava SVK) 445 seconds

7. Sigurd Daehli (Loten Orienteringslag NOR) 450 seconds

8. Alessio Tenani (Gruppo Sportivo Forestale ITA) 476 seconds

9. Martin Aarholt Waaler (Porsgrunn Orienteringslag NOR) 496 seconds

10. Alberto Grilli (Punto Nord ITA) 498 seconds

TrailO 5 Days of Italy 2016

Overall standings

1. Remo Madella (Vivaio ITA) 99 points (205,5 seconds)

2. Emil Kacin (OK Azimut SLO) 98 points (158 seconds)

3. Krešo Keresteš (OK Trzin SLO) 96 points (150 seconds)

4. Libor Forst (MatFyz Praha CZE) 96 points (188 seconds)

5. Lars Jakob Waaler (Porsgrunn Orienteringslag NOR) 96 points (232 seconds)

6. Alessio Tenani (Gruppo Sportivo Forestale ITA) 95 points (184 seconds)

7. Sigurd Daehli (Loten Orienteringslag NOR) 95 points (289 seconds)

8. Zoltán Miháczi (Tipo Orienteering Club HUN) 94 points (107 seconds)

9. Martin Aarholt Waaler (Porsgrunn Orienteringslag NOR) 92 points (135,5 seconds)

10. Marco Giovannini (OK Trzin SLO) 91 points (158 seconds)

Complete results, maps, solutions and further information at http://www.trailo2016.it/.

[Photo archive]

Joaquim Margarido

5 Days of Italy 2016: Golden weekend for Keresteš and Kacin

The Slovenians Krešo Keresteš and Emil Kacin were the winners of the TrailO 5 Days of Italy 2016's two first stages, last weekend, in Conca del Tesino, Trentino. Susy De Pieri and Remo Madella were the best Italians, getting the national titles of PreO and TempO, respectively

PreO course with a set of 23 controls and two timed stations with four tasks overall, the first stage of the TrailO 5 Days of Italy 2016 took place last Saturday in Pieve Tesino, at Tesino Golf Club “La Farfalla”. Scoring for the Unofficial European Cup in Trail Orienteering 2016 and, simultaneously, for the Italian PreO Championships 2016, the course was setted by Daniele Danielli, having the participation of 45 competitors from twelve different nations. The Slovenian Krešo Keresteš (OK Trzin) was the only one to finish the race without errors, both in the course and in the timed stations. World Champion in 2007 (Kiev, Ukraine), Keresteš got a one point win on the Slovakian Jan Furucz (Farmaceut Bratislava), second placed. Libor Forst (MatFyz Praha), Czech Republic, was third with 21 points and 99 seconds, six seconds ahead of the Croatian Ivica Bertol (OK Vihor). Zoltán Miháczi (Tipo Orienteering Club), Hungary, has the fastest and the most accurate in the timed stations but missed three controls and got the fifth position. Susy De Pieri (Eridano Adventure ASD) finished sixth with 20 points and was the best Italian competitor, reaching the national title in PreO.

Scoring for the Unofficial European Cup in Trail Orienteering 2016 and, also, for the Italian TempO Championships 2016, the competition on the second day was planned by Renato Bettin and offered six timed stations with five tasks each to the 46 competitors gathered in Cinte Tesino, Monte Mezza. The winner was another athlete from Slovenia, Emil Kacin (OK Azimut), with three wrong answers and 399 seconds overall. Kacin got a 19 seconds win on the Italian Remo Madella (Vivaio), thus reaching the Italian TempO gold. Jan Furucz was on the podium for the second day in a row, being third with 423 seconds, despite six wrong answers. His brother Dušan Furucz (Farmaceut Bratislava) got the fourth place with 461 seconds, less three seconds than Libor Forst, fifth placed. Alessio Tenani got an amazing clean race in the first half, but wasn't able to get better than the sixth place, thanks to six wrong answers in the last fifteen tasks. With this results, Remo Madella took the lead of the Unofficial European Cup in Trail Orienteering 2016 with 142 points in six stages. The Swedish Erik Stålnacke (IFK Göteborg) and Lennart Wahlgren (Rehns BK) are second and third, respectively, with less 8 and 12 points than Madella.

Results

ECTO #5 – Italian PreO Championships

PreO

1. Krešo Keresteš (OK Trzin SLO) 23/23 points (56 seconds)

2. Jan Furucz (Farmaceut Bratislava SVK) 22/23 points (42 seconds)

3. Libor Forst (MatFyz Praha CZE) 21/23 points (99 seconds)

4. Ivica Bertol (OK Vihor CRO) 21/23 points (105 seconds)

5. Zoltán Miháczi (Tipo orienteering Club HUN) 20/23 points (18 seconds)

6. Susy De Pieri (Eridano Adventure ASD ITA) 20/23 points (25,5 seconds)

7. Michele Cera (ASD Erebus Or. Vicenza ITA) 20/23 points (35 seconds)

8. Esko Juntilla (Muuramen Rasti FIN) 20/23 points (43,5 seconds)

9. Alessio Tenani (Gruppo Sportivo Forestale ITA) 20/23 points (52 seconds)

10. Emil Kacin (OK Azimut SLO) 20/23 points (58 seconds)

ECTO #6 – Italian TempO Championships

TempO

1. Emil Kacin (OK Azimut SLO) 399 seconds

2. Remo Madella (Vivaio ITA) 418 seconds

3. Jan Furucz (Farmaceut Bratislava SVK) 423 seconds

4. Dušan Furucz (Farmaceut Bratislava SVK) 461 seconds

5. Libor Forst (MatFyz Praha CZE) 464 seconds

6. Alessio Tenani (Gruppo Sportivo Forestale ITA) 473 seconds

7. Petteri Suominen (Helsingin Poliisi-Voimailijat FIN) 475 seconds

8. Lars Jakob Waaler (Porgrunn Orienteringslag NOR) 482 seconds

9. Krešo Keresteš (OK Trzin SLO) 483 seconds

10. Sigurd Dæhli (Løten Orienteringslag) 486 seconds

Further information about the TrailO 5 Days of Italy 2016 at http://www.trailo2016.it/.

[Photo archive]

Joaquim Margarido

WOC 2014: Bruno Nazario's analysis

Two athletes in the Sprint Final of the first day, was the most positive note from the Portuguese presence in the World Orienteering Championships WOC 2014, held in Italy. The relegation to the third division, in the male category, is the consequence of this bad results. And it is also the starting point for a conversation with Bruno Nazario, coach of the Portuguese team, in which he analyses a journey at the highest competitive level.

“When you are relegated to the third division, the balance can't be positive.” With these words, Bruno Nazario starts his analysis to the Portuguese participation in the World Orienteering Championships WOC 2014, which took place in Italy. Remembering that “we were dependent on exceptional performances in the disciplines of forest which, unfortunately, didn't happen”, Nazario admits being aware that the task of keeping Portugal's place in the second division was “very difficult”.

But, will it be third division the mirror of the Portuguese orienteering reality? The answer is very clear: “This is the Portuguese reality, as it is the Spanish, Australian, Irish reality ... and the Belgian reality, who has 'only' the 7th best athlete in Sprint”. Without trying to find excuses in the World Championships' new format, in relation to the forest disciplines, as the cause of Portuguese situation, Nazario points the finger at the International Orienteering Federation, stating that this is, above all, “the reality wanted by the IOF”. Recalling his intervention at the Presidents' Conference last year, Nazario adds that “this is a reality that somehow kills the developing countries. Let's see the Belgium, precisely, that has an athlete [Yannick Michiels] clearly best than the others. What motivation can have these other athletes, knowing that they will only run if he doesn't want? This highly penalizes a large number of countries, those countries that contribute a lot to the IOF's activities and that, in my view, are being castrated in their competitive development. But we have to learn to live with this reality.”

“We want to return to the second division in 2015”

Looking into the World Orienteering Championships WOC 2014, Bruno Nazario says that “when we have fabulous terrains as those in which took place the courses, it is almost impossible that things go wrong.” Recognising that “not everything was perfect”, he considers that “it was a great event, a event that proves, even in countries not as developed in terms of competition, it is possible to carry out a World Championships with high quality and well organized”, he says. As the best achievements of these World Championships, Judith Wyder appears prominently - “she won a medal in all distances in which she participated and this is amazing” - while, in Men class, Nazario begins by mentioning the name of Frenchman Thierry Gueorgiou - “he won the Long Distance, which is to me, still, the queen race” - but feels a bigger attraction to elect Søren Bobach as the great male figure, “because the surprise effect and the importance for orienteering, showing to many athletes that they can also reach the top”.

Now that the WOC 2014 is over, long live the WOC 2015 to take place in the Highlands, in the first week of August next year. It is true that, by then, we will all be one year older, but it is not less true that the fact is seen by national coach as “a really big advantage to Portugal”. Recalling that the Portuguese team that competed in the Mixed Sprint Relay had the lowest average ages between 36 teams, Nazario expects “a great evolution of our youngsters, hoping they will keep the same motivation and willingness to work”. Despite the difficulties, the ambition and intrinsic motivation can be the turning point already in Inverness: “Many countries have the same ambition, but we'll be there to do our best. We want to return to the second division in 2015”, he concludes.

Promotion and relegation outcomes

Reviewing the “dance” of positions, we realize that Spain turned out to be the country that had more to lose in this World Championhips, seeing both teams, male and female, relegated to the third division. Even in the female sector, Hungary joined Spain, while New Zealand and Japan ascended to the second division. In the male sector, Australia and Ireland were promoted to the Second Division, in exchange with Portugal and Spain. Regarding to the first division, Latvia in men and Great Britain in women were relegated, trading places with Ukraine and Latvia, respectively.

The number of start slots a Federation has in the Long and Middle Distance races depends on the Federation’s division: First Division Federations have three places, Second Division Federations have two places, and Third Division Federations have one place. These Divisions have been used for the first time for the 2014 Championships just held in Italy. The host Federation has three places, regardless of which division it is in.

[Photo: FPO / facebook.com/fporientacao]

Joaquim Margarido

WTOC 2014: The end!

Endpoint in the 11th World Trail Orienteering Championships WTOC 2014. Portugal returns home with the best results ever and a lot to tell. It is about the Portuguese experience on the last day of competition that we talk today, once again with the invaluable support of Nuno Pires.

The last day of the 11th World Trail Orienteering Championships WTOC 2014 clarified the relative positions of the final standings in the PreO competition, and made public the new World Champions, the Latvian Guntars Mankus, the Swedish Michael Johansson and, in the Team Competition, a sensational Croatia. Among the Portuguese, in addition to the entry in the top-10 - a position that fit in with full justice - the “dance” of classifications allowed to realize how close is the value of our athletes, their performative homogeneity and especially the large margin of progression that they all have. Perhaps, also, the absence of that little bit of luck that is the hallmark of champions, but that's another story.

Starting from the Paralympic Class, the 16th place of Ricardo Pinto must be rated as excellent. To the 9 points in the first day, Pinto added 14 on the second day and, with it, a final place in the top-20, at last the wish of the athlete before his departure to Italy. In the Open Class, João Pedro Valente, Luis Gonçalves and Nuno Pires had very positive performances on the second day and, although Valente has fallen to the 23rd position, Gonçalves climbed 5 positions finishing in the the 38th place, while Nuno Pires recovered seven positions, reaching the 52nd place in a universe of 64 participants. Objectively, this are excellent positions for three rookies, debuting this year in the World Championships and that should be seen as the fruit of good work around this discipline, especially in the last two years.

"One of these days things will fall to our side"

Ricardo Pinto's impressions about this 16th place give note of his happiness: “I am very satisfied with the result, the best I did until now in a major international competition”, he said. “Always do the best I know and I can” is, for the athlete, the biggest goal and adds: “I will try to participate in as many competitions as possible - national and international - but the future is always on the rise”.

João Pedro Valente said also a couple of words about his place in the top-25: “It would have been a very good result before starting the competition but after the first day and after seeing how the course was in the second day, I have the feeling that things could have been much better”. The athlete regrets, especially, for having been so close to the 12th place, at the distance of one single point: “It's even more bitter, because I had the correct answer to one of the controls for ten minutes and, finally, at the time of sign the answer, I decided to change my mind. I had doubts, of course, but these things leave a really bitter taste”. Valente also calls attention that “despite the course being well thought out, with interesting challenges, the standards has changed completely in terms of tolerance from what we found in the first day and the two Model Event, especially with some controls. I think this is unjustifiable and that the standards should be uniform throughout the competition and, thus, the lucky factor turned out to have a weight that should not even exist”. A final word to the overall performance of Portuguese team: “It is the feeling that we were very near. This time it happened this way, but it could happen in the right way and I'm sure that, one of these days, things will fall to our side. "

"I want to contribute to having good courses in Portugal"

One of the Portuguese athletes who rose in the classification was Luís Gonçalves, that evaluates this way his performance: “Things went better today than the first day and I am satisfied. I think I answered with great confidence and hardly would change my opinion”. As for the final result, the things shall not be seen so positively: “The result stay below my goal, which was the top-25. Especially on the first day I took two wrong decisions and it penalized me a lot”. Now it's time to improve and train, since “the World Championships in Croatia are in my plans”, which is the athlete's bet in the near future - "without privileging PreO or TempO” - but also “want to contribute to having good courses in Portugal, that more people appear and that competition improves”, he said in the end.

Starting by to analyse the Portuguese performance in Team competition, Nuno Pires said that “it looks like a modest result, but the 9th place is excellent, only two points away from Norway, who was in 5th position.” The Portuguese Team Official ensures that “although we had no top rating in individual terms, this is the result of three good scores and is the first time this has happened in the World Championships. Because, typically, the Paralympic component wasn't at the level of the Open component, which didn't happen in this WTOC once Ricardo contributed much the same way that athletes in the Open Class for the good result in the end”. Speaking about his performance in the second day, Nuno Pires notes that starts “without pressure”, adding: “It was so low that I failed almost immediately two controls that I shouldn't have failed. But after that I recovered, I began to make good decisions and very quickly, walked a good part of the course with no one around and therefore no reason to deconcentrate me, I did a good map reading and the result was good”. In brieg: “Today I was pleased with my performance, but I am particularly pleased with the performance of the team as a whole. My role here was a bit 'hybrid' and be, at the same time, player and coach, that makes me feel a special pleasure when the team performs well”, he concluded.

On this side of the barricade

Constant presence in Portuguese Orienteering Blog throughout the week, the 11th World Trail Orienteering Championship WTOC 2014 was the target of a coverage as exhaustive as possible, much prized by notes of our athletes present in Italy and that properly enabled to contextualize the various incidences of a multiple journey, for later recall. So, here is a word of thanks and appreciation for the work of Nuno Pires, for their care in sharing, day after day, what is passed. He was “athlete and coach”, but it was also an excellent journalist, helping to put on the agenda a dear discipline, in the most important event on the international calendar of Trail Orienteering. This thank you is extended to other athletes - Ricardo Pinto, João Pedro Valente and Luís Gonçalves - whose availability in sharing impressions was precious.

The last word goes to the work of the journalist, “on this side of the barricade”, a lonely job, and not always well understood, but we can see in the booking of visits and messages left by visitors, at least this time, an excellent and motivating feedback. This may be the demonstration that there is growing interest in this subject and that interest will translate into more and better competition, more and better athletes in the near future. A word of thanks also to some sources where it was possible to collect additional information, including through the posts of Marco Giovannini, Ole-Johan Waaler, Bosse Sandström and USA TrailO Team. Many thanks for sharing your opinions, impressions and photos.

To full results and other information, please visit the WTOC 2014's webpage at http://www.woc2014.info/wtoc.php.

[Photo courtesy of Susana Pontes]

Joaquim Margarido