Interview Olav Lundanes - Achievement of 2016

Lundanes’ achievement, which gave him the award for the best orienteering achievement of 2016, was being the dominant forest orienteer at the World Orienteering Championships with two gold and one silver medal – only some meters in dark green forest from sweeping the table and taking all three forest gold medals. Behind Lundanes and Kyburz – two of the big names in international orienteering the last years, a new star from a young orienteering nation came in third; Roman Ciobanu from Moldova.

Q: Congratulations on being awarded “The Orienteering Achievement of 2016″. What an incredible season for you to be at your best at the most important races of the season! What were your expectations and goals ahead of the season?

Thanks a lot! It is a great honor to win “The Orienteering Achievement of 2016″, since there were so many other nominated runners to fight against. And it is nice that so many people think I deserved it! Before the season I had two main goals: WOC, and to show a high level during the whole season. WOC was of course the most important, and a long time goal for me. I am very happy to have succeeded there, but there are some decisions from the Middle distance I am think a lot about. The last years I have not managed to do many good races or races at all, except from WOC, so although I lost EOC I am happy to have run fast during the whole 2016 season.

Q: What are your main improvements compared to the 2015 season? Is it all about being free from injuries, or have you also taken steps in other areas?

Of course it is a lot about that I have been healthier than last season. But I have, as everybody else, been sick and injured also this year, and I think I have made big progress in the way I handle it. I know more about which trainings are most important to prioritize, when I can’t do everything I want. And I manage to stay calm and get the best out of the situation even when the situation is not optimal. Since I have managed to do more and better training, I therefore have managed to lift my physical level. The technical trainings [the last year] have been a lot WOC specific, and of course I have made progress in that terrain, but that will not help me so much next year.

Q: Can you name three key persons who were important for your achievements in 2016?

My girlfriend Ida is the most important person for my achievements, because she is always supporting me both practical things and with mental support when that is needed. It is hard to name anybody else, because there are so many that have a part in my medals. But of course the support from the rest of my family is important, and I have to thank both Halden SK and the other runners on the national team.

Q: The WOC relay victory was very much a team effort. How did you work and train as a team in order to prepare for that race?

It has been a long and very bumpy road to that victory, and I think all three of us where very happy with the gold medal. We have discussed a lot how we want to run the relay, and we have had some good trainings on the camps. We managed to do good races on a day where the terrain suited us, there was some real forkings for once and where the other teams made some mistakes. That was enough this time, but we have to improve to win in Estonia.

Q: You have moved from Norway to Finland ahead of the next season. How is life in Finland so far? Do you plan do to anything differently in your training for the upcoming season?

So far I am very happy with my life in Finland! It is a very nice training environment and good trainings, and it is also nice to try something new and different. There are a lot of training possibilities to choose from, and it is impossible and not so smart to join everything. And everybody who ran Jukola 2015 know that the terrain is nice, so I try to enjoy all the new maps. The language is the only problem, it is a bit difficult since I don’t speak fluent Finnish yet:) I think the home advantage was an important part of the success at WOC this year, and I have to improve if I want to be on the top also next year. I will of course change part of my training to be as good as possible in Estonia. I have started with some more strength trainings and I will do some faster intervals. But I will keep most of it as I have done it before, because I know it is working well. I have also done some measures to avoid some of the illness periods I have had the last years.

Q: What do your days look like now in the winter time?

No days are like the other, but in many cases I wake up at 7.30, and then we have some common training in the morning. When I come home I eat, sleep, relax and eat again before the second training. In the evening I eat, and then do some training analyze/planning/organizing etc. And then I eat again and sleep. There is not so much special happening, but I think it is a good life to improve as an orienteer

Q: Any final words to your fans out there?

Thanks a lot to everybody that has voted for me! And I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Orienteeringyear! We are doing an amazing sport that we should be very prod of, so enjoy your trainings and races also next year!

Q: Congratulations again – and good luck with your season preparations!

[Press Release: Orienteering Achievement of 2016 / WorldofO.com]

Two or three things I know about it...

1. The Orienteering Federation of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is going to host, from 10th to 16th November 2016, the 5 Days Orienteering Rio de Janeiro. “It will be the first time ever we are doing it and, if everything goes well, we intend to organize it every year”, said to the Portuguese Orienteering Blog one of the organizing team members, Rubens Igreja. Revisiting the Lakes Region and some of the World Masters Orienteering Championships WMOC 2014's maps - but also the idyllic coastal areas of Buzios and Cabo Frio -, the event takes place at the same time as the 49th CISM World Military Orienteering Championships and promises a mix of orienteering and fun that surely will not leave anyone indifferent. To know more, please consult the newly created event webpage at http://5daysriodejaneiro.wix.com/orienteering.

2. Thierry Gueorgiou announced last Sunday that he'll be missing the European Orienteering Championships EOC 2016. In the aftermath of his participation in 10MILA, the athlete announced in his training page on Attackpoint - http://www.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_15725/period-1/enddate-2016-05-15 -, that “no EOC starts next week for me”. And explains why: “The reasons behind this choice, made earlier this spring, are to save some mental energy and offer more preparation´s days toward the only competition which really matter for me - the WOC in Strömstad. With this one being held later than usual, I wanted to compete a bit less in spring/early summer to still feel some hungriness later on. Also finally realized that all the even-numbered years (with EOC/WOC the same year thus), my WOC results had not been the best ones. Will give a try to change this bad habit”, he said. Another of the EOC big missing will be the Norwegian Olav Lundanes, after dislocating his shoulder following a fall while participating in 10MILA last weekend.

3. Have you ever heard about an orienteering event called Billygoat? In his blog - http://alexjospe.blogspot.pt/2016/05/the-38th-annual-billygoat.html - the North-American Alex Jospe describes the event in an informal and funny way, as indeed seems to be a must for all participants. The event took place in Townsend State Forest and was organized by Jospe: “After years of running in the event (and winning it the last three years!), Ed and I decided it was time to host it”, Jospe explains. After reporting a couple of adventures - around the rain and warm clothes, slices of pizza and the always young Sharon Crawford - Jospe provides an event's overview and makes a promise: “This was a fantastic race to direct, and I couldn't have done it without Ed. As usual, he takes my outlined ideas, barely cogent, and transforms them into something functional and beautiful. I suppose that's the role of an engineer. Will I host another Billygoat? Hopefully other people will take on the task for the next few years, but considering that this event embodies everything I love about this sport, I won't rule it out”, he concludes.

4. The Unofficial European Cup in Trail Orienteering ECTO 2016 meets this weekend, in Slovakia, its second round. Organized by the TJ Slavia Farmaceut Bratislava club, the Slovakia ECTO 2016 comprises two stages, the first of PreO in Červený Kameň Castle, near the village Casta, and the second of TempO, in the village of Borský Mikuláš. Ahead of the organization are the brothers Ján Furucz and Dušan Furucz, so it's expected a two-stage with high technical challenge on special terrains of the Small Carpathians region, with lots of rocky detail. The geographical and temporal proximity to the European Trail Orienteering Championships ETOC makes the event a precious “warm up” for many participants in the competition that takes place in the Czech Republic throughout the next week, pointing the last count to 127 competitors from 14 countries. We recall that, after the opening round held in Lisbon, Portugal, the Swedish Erik Stålnacke leads the ECTO 2016 with 70 points, followed by Marco Giovannini, Italy, with 67. For more information, please go to the event webpage at http://ecto2016.orienteering.sk/.

Joaquim Margarido

Olav Lundanes: "I’ll fight for the gold in the Middle Distance and Long Distance"

After a start of season in Australia, Olav Lundanes chose Portugal to resume his preparation. To the Portuguese Orienteering Blog, the athlete talks about the present moment and sets his main goals for 2015.

Another stay in Portugal and another participation in the Norte Alentejano O’ Meeting, this time with the second place overall. Are you happy with this experience?

Olav Lundanes (O. L.) - It was a better race on the first day. In the second day I was quite tired and I also did a one and a half minute mistake. The maps and the courses were really interesting, some forest parts and some green were great, I liked it a lot. About my second place, I don’t blame it. I think Oleksandr was at a high level in the decisive day.

Fifteen days later, we could see you in the Portugal O' Meeting.

O. L. - It was a good training in interesting terrains, even if I got injured in the third day and skipped the last day of the Portugal O' Meeting. But it was a good training time indeed.

How do you evaluate the time you spent here?

O. L. - It was really nice and great, this first period here in Portugal. The trainings have been really good, and also the maps and the courses.

Why Portugal?

O. L. - Because here we can always find a lot of good maps and well organized competitions. The training camps are at a very high level. That’s the reason why I came to Portugal at this time of the season, and also because of the weather. It’s the best.

You’ve been in Australia, for the World Cup. Was it worth it, such a long trip, the jet lag, everything?

O. L. - It was a nice experience in Australia. The competitions weren’t top level but the terrains were quite interesting and my performances were… Well, they were okay. This time of the season, what I expect the most is to train well, to orienteer well. The shape can be better, of course, but there isn’t an excuse to make mistakes.

Looking at the winter period, where do you need to improve?

O. L. - I think it’s my physical condition. There is still a lot to work on. I need to manage to train continuously over a long time and that’s my main focus.

What's next?

O. L. - Now I’ll go home for a short period and then I’ll go to South Africa, for training in altitude. This year we’ll have a more quiet Spring season than normal and the big first competitions before the World Championships will be the Tiomila and the World Cup at home, in Halden, and in Sweden, and, of course, the Jukola. And that’s all before the World Championships.

Would you share with us the big goals of the season?

O. L. - The big goal of the season is to win two medals in the World Championships, in Scotland. I’ll fight for the gold in the Middle Distance and Long Distance. About the Relay, we’ll see. I think it’s tough to fight for the gold if you run too many races. So the best would be for the Relay to take place in the end of the program of the World Championships, but this year it's in the middle, so we'll have to see how it works out.

You're currently the leader of the IOF World Ranking. Does it mean something special to you?

O. L. - It’s a little bit strange. I felt like I would be better before, like in 2012. I don’t know… I think the old ranking was better. The new formula is a little bit tricky, it’s all about the European Championships and the World Championships. It’s a little bit sad in some way but, of course, it’s more fair. If you win the gold both in the Middle and Long, there’s no discussion, you’re the number one. As long as I can see, Hubmann won two gold medals in the European, Thierry won the gold in European and World Champions, just like me, well, it’s hard to compare. But I want to beat them!

So, two gold medals in the World Championships and the lead of the World Ranking at the end of the season and... that’s it (laughs).

O. L. - Yes, that’s it. There’s no discussion about that (laughs).

I would like to ask you to make a wish for all orienteers at the beginning of the season.

O. L. - A lot of good races and have as much fun as possible. That’s what Orienteering is about.

Joaquim Margarido

NAOM 2015: Event brings to Portugal the World's nº 1

Castelo de Vide and Marvão are ready to host, this weekend, the ninth edition of the Norte Alentejano O' Meeting. The event awaits more than seven hundred participants for two well oriented days, a map and a compass in everyone's hands.

For the ninth year in a row, the Grupo Desportivo dos Quatro Caminhos leaves Matosinhos, its natural habitat, carrying the Orienteering flag to the beautiful and hospitable landscapes of Alto Alentejo. Regional project that started at Niza, way back in 2007, the Norte Alentejano O' Meeting extended, year after year, its range of action and its possible to see, in our days, its brand of quality also imprinted at Castelo de Vide, Alter do Chão, Crato, Portalegre and Marvão. Hence, the 2015 edition can be understood as a revisitation, since Castelo de Vide and Marvão are not hosting the event for the first time.

With two stages scoring for the FootO VITALIS Portuguese League 2015 and still one Sprint stage counting for the IOF's Sprint Orienteering World Ranking, the Norte Alentejano O' Meeting 2015 registers until now more than seven hundred entries representing fifteen different nations. Numbers who set in Fernando Costa, the Event Director, high expectations: "Mainly, we want those who visit us to enjoy the courses and maps and leave this region with an image of quality, where the sports and the tourism go hand in hand and will play a very important role in the future”.

Olav Lundanes is the headliner

Although the Grupo Desportivo dos Quatro Caminhos offers a wide and diverse range of annual events, the NAOM is a reference for the project's tradition and originality, representing the best way to disseminate the sport. Organizing an event of this nature is anything but easy, especially when the “comfort zone” is located more than 300 kilometres away, but there are also extremely positive aspects, namely “the very strong bonds of friendship created over nine years with fabulous people who love their region”, as Fernando Costa points out.

Another positive aspect has to do with the confidence on the event and its organisational crew by some of the world's best performers of the sport and that have already confirmed their presence at Castelo de Vide and Marvão. This is the case of the IOF's World Ranking leader and headliner of the event, the Norwegian Olav Lundanes, but also the Ukrainian Oleksandr Kratov and Nadiya Volynska, respectively 5th placed in the men's world ranking and 12th ranked in the women's world ranking. There are also other names to consider, in addition to the Portuguese Tiago Romão, Miguel Reis e Silva, Mariana Moreira, Vera Alvarez and others, as the Ukrainian Artem Panchenko and Olha Panchenko, the Russian Valentin Novikov, Yulia Novikova and Ekaterina Savkina, the Spanish Daniel Portal and Eduardo Gil, the French Léa Vercellotti, the Czech Stepanka Betkova and the Brazilian Elaine Lenz.

"The terrain is a dictator"

Putting the technical aspects and the quality of the terrains in the first place - “we usually say that the terrain is a dictator”, says Fernando Costa - the NAOM 2015 offers maps of quality for an event at this level and interesting terrains. Emphasising that “all maps are new and have the signature of Tiago Aires and Raquel Costa”, the Event Director is sure that the terrains and the courses “will please to everyone” and lists some of its features: “The Silvana Valley terrain was no longer used in official competitions since 2008, so for most of the participants everything will be new. The area of the third stage, at Quinta das Lavandas, is very diverse, alternating fast areas with slower areas, with lots of rocky elements that will certainly be of general satisfaction.”

Leaving a very special thank you “to the Castelo de Vide County, for believing in our association and for supporting the event and to the municipality of Marvão for having embraced this project in terms of continuity of stage scoring for the Sprint Orienteering World Ranking, but also to all the land owners authorizing the use of their terrains, to the Fire Departments of Castelo de Vide and Marvão, the security forces, the local and regional media and to all public and private entities which in many ways support our Association and especially this organization”, Fernando Costa concludes with a wish to all participants “to have a weekend in perfect communion with nature, in a region of rare beauty, and enjoying moments of pleasure practicing our sport”.

To know everything about the Norte Alentejano O' Meeting 2015, please consult the event webpage at http://www.gd4caminhos.com/en/.

Joaquim Margarido