Annika Billstam: "I never expected a gold medal at the WOC"

By winning the Middle Distance world title for the second year in a row, Annika Billstam signed one of the most beautiful pages of the World Orienteering Championships 2015. To the Portuguese Orienteering Blog, the great Swedish athlete remembers the moment and outlines the summary of a week full of emotions.

How was your training time? Did you feel well prepared for the WOC? What goals had you drawn?

Annika Billstam (A. B.) - My training towards the WOC was interrupted by a long virus infection during most of May, missing out on some important races such as Tiomila and a couple of Swedish selection races. It was bad timing but I convinced myself that my good training through winter and early spring (I decided not to take part in the World Cup during January to focus 100% on WOC) could pay off when combined with a good plan for the last preparations. I decided that it was just enough time to get fully prepared.

Would you like to talk about your gold Medal in the Middle Distance, repeating the amazing title achieved in Italy? Did you expect it?

A. B. - I never expected a gold medal at the WOC. Even if you feel fully prepared and do your best, your competitors might just have a better day, which is something you can't control. But I believed I had a chance. I felt really obliged to fulfil my goal of a clean race and also grateful to be able to bring inspiration and feelings to those following me with my result.

And what about the bronze in the Relay? What feelings do you keep from the race?

A. B. - The Relay was a mix of feelings for me. We won the bronze after a tight sprint finish on the last leg and we were very happy about the result. My race was ok and a better race wouldn't have made the result list much different. That day the Danish girls were simply the best !

How angry are you with the 15th place in the Long Distance?

A. B. - The Long Distance was a different race from any I have ran in any WOC. Usually I have a feeling of where I lose time, but not during this race. I made one big mistake just before the arena, which was the mistake I “felt”. The flow feeling was as good as expected throughout the race. Analysing the splits, I lost a great amount of time on two of the longer legs because of wrong route choices. I never thought they were that decisive. I was not angry but felt empty knowing WOC was over.

What motivation do these results represent for the future?

A. B. - I'm still in a state where I enjoy and reload. I’ll see which direction my motivation will point out in the future.

And what about the Swedish team? Overall, what results do you highlight?

A. B. - Of course Jonas' gold in Sprint was very well deserved and a great achievement after several top national results. That gold also “kicked-off”/set the level for the Swedish team for the rest of the week. I also would like to highlight Olle Boström's bronze in Middle Distance, his first WOC-medal, and I'm sure you will see more from him in the future.

How do you rate the WOC 2015 from a technical and organizational point of view?

A. B. - Organizing a WOC is a big task. Overall it was well done. As an athlete I appreciated the organization's choice to skip arena passages in Middle and Long to make the best for the competition.

If I asked you a moment - the great achievement of the Championships -, what would be your choice?

A. B. - The Danish girls' show in Relay – impressive!

The season is approaching its end. What are the goals for what remains of the season?

A. B. - I’ve decided to go to the World Cup final to end my season.

[Photo: Ethan Childs / facebook.com]

Joaquim Margarido

Jonas Leandersson: "I just try to enjoy the moment"

After the European titles of Sprint in 2012 and 2014, Jonas Leandersson finally reached the gold in the World Championships. Zenith of a successful career, thoroughly reviewed by the great Swedish champion.

How was your training time? Did you feel well prepared for the WOC? What goals had you drawn?

Jonas Leandersson (J. L.) - My training during the winter had gone really well, without any sickness or injuries. During the season I felt that my shape was better than ever. But I know from experience that it’s not only the physical shape that must be on top during the WOC. My focus this year was on the WOC-sprint in Forres. After last year’s race, in Venice, I felt that I could have performed even better on that specific day. My goal was to go to Scotland and fight for the medals, which meant aiming for the perfect race.

Would you like to talk about your amazing gold medal in Sprint? Did you expect it?

J. L. - I knew that my shape was good and that I had a really good opportunity to achieve a great result. But I also knew there were a lot of good guys in sprint who were aiming for the same thing, so I knew that anything could happen. The race was almost perfect and I took the time in the beginning of the race to grant a safe start. Then I pushed quite hard in the middle part of the race and the end of the race was all about giving it all. The gold medal means a lot to me. This was the goal of the year and the medal that I have been missing from previous seasons. So it feels unbelievable, but great, that my race was good enough for the gold.

And in the Relay and Sprint Mixed Relay? Are you happy with your results?

J. L. - The Sprint Mixed Relay went quite okay both for me and the team. We aimed for the medals and were in the fight all the way to the finish. The other teams were stronger in the end and we finished fifth, just some seconds away the medals. I think we can be satisfied with the race even though we aimed for more.

In the relay I did a really bad mistake at the sixth control. I went out with bad direction and decided to go around on the path instead. Then I took another bad decision when I went right on what I thought was another path. Some seconds later I realized that it was just a path made by runners who had been there before me. So I tried to recover my mistake by going through the white forest up to my control. Unfortunately I lost even more seconds when I didn’t know for sure where I came out on the open yellow area close to the control. A big mistake and after that I felt quite alone in the forest. I tried to push all the way to the finish but the terrain didn´t help with such easy orienteering. After the race I was really disappointed at myself and for not being able to give Olle [Boström] and Gustav [Bergman] a better position in the Relay.

What motivation do these results represent for the future?

J. L. - I’m not sure yet. Right now I just try to enjoy the moment and then I will begin the work towards next year’s WOC in Sweden. Hopefully it will give me the energy for the future to achieve new goals.

And what about the Swedish team? Overall, what results do you highlight?

J. L. - I think we did a great team performance in Scotland. The goal was to get six medals, including two gold medals and we achieved that. All medals are great in their own way. Annika [Billstam] defended her gold from last year. Jerker [Lysell] had a lot of problems during this year so he just went out there and showed what a great sprinter he is. Olle, with so many years of struggling with injuries, is back on top where he belongs. It feels great to have him back in the team and he really deserves this medal. Emma [Johansson], with a great season, brought that shape to WOC and performed two great races and got two medals.

How do you rate the WOC 2015 from a technical and organizational point of view?

J. L. - The terrain and the courses were really good this year, with different types of terrain and, thereby, different challenges. The sprint in Forres could have been more challenging with just a few extra fences. But even during the sprint in Forres, the technical performance was the key for the medals.

If I asked you a moment - the great achievement of the Championships -, what would be your choice?

J. L. - Annika Billstam going to the finish as the last starter in the middle distance final and defending her gold medal. That’s big! Also the Danish team during both of the relay did an impressive performance. Full speed from start to finish and the other teams just couldn't follow.

The season is approaching an end. What are the goals for what remains of the season?

J. L. - The goal is to finish the season in a good way first in Sweden and then in the World Cup.

[Photo: Svensk Orientering / facebook.com/svenskorientering]

Joaquim Margarido

Svetlana Mironova: "Orienteering is my life now and I want to continue, to improve"

Her presence in the World Championships were in doubt, but Svetlana Mironova never stopped believing. In the end, a bronze medal with golden streaks and a pair of beautiful moments, here recalled with intensity and passion.

How was your training time? Did you feel well prepared for the WOC? What goals have you drawn?

Svetlana Mironova (S. M.) - This year was complicated. I planned a couple of Training Camps in Scotland, but I was injured just before the first one, so I spent my time there just walking. This injury took a lot of time finally and my coach and I had doubts about the possibility to enter the WOC at all. But we decided that we had to try. We had to change the trainings in a way that my knee could recover well but at the same time to follow the training program as much as possible. We had to plan every training carefully! A couple of weeks before the WOC I was still in doubt if I would be ready to compete or not, but my coach made me believe in myself again.

Would you like to talk about your bronze Medal in the Long Distance? Did you expect it?

S. M. - As I told you before, to participate in the WOC was out of question three months ago. But I wanted so much to run. Honestly, to get the Bronze this year was finally more difficult than the Gold of last year. Not so many people know what I went through this year but some of them who were going this way with me tell me that this Bronze is “in gold colours”. Yes, this Bronze is so important. It is a victory over me and over my injury.

And what about the 13tht place in the Sprint? What feelings do you keep from the race?

S. M. - Actually, this is my best WOC-sprint! I have only one better sprint result which is the EOC 2012, where I was 7th. This year I was selected for all individual races and forest-relay. But I needed to think well what I wanted more: to run everything or to run better. My injury made me choose. My coach and I decided to refuse to run the Middle Distance to let me recover better before the Relay. I think it was a good decision. We built the WOC program as a “stair”, every step from Sprint Qualification until the Long Distance being tougher and tougher. I knew that I wouldn't win the Sprint so I decided that I needed to do almost perfect orienteering at the maximum speed I can run in the city. And even with a 12 seconds mistake I’m quite satisfied, because I was better than last year when I was in better shape (last year I was behind the top 20 in Sprint). I like sprint, its dynamic and beauty. And I’m sure that my Middle is waiting for me too.

How do you feel about the “mp” in the Relay?

S. M. - Relay was a bad surprise! Russian women’s team has never been disqualified before. We started well with Natalia, she was extremely fast and even with a really big mistake she came in 2nd place. I knew that I needed to run a clear race with no mistakes, first of all. But another thing happened – my SI “touch free” was broken after the 1st control. I lost some seconds at 2nd control misunderstanding what happened and then I needed to punch every control by the normal way. So, I understood that I was losing seconds because of that and I needed to be faster. Finally, I came 2nd with the same advantage over the third team (I won’t speak about the Danish, they were extremely fast). Something happened with Tatiana, I don’t know what, she is really the most experienced runner in our team… but things happen, and this is a Relay, always unpredictable. At first, after she finished, we were shocked but then I decided that there was already nothing we could do and the most important thing should be to keep energy and emotions for the Long Distance. So, we just forgot it. I was satisfied with my 2nd leg because I realized that I could run as fast as other strong girls and it was important for me that day.

What motivation do these results represent for the future?

S. M. - I wouldn’t like to make the question this way. Orienteering is my life now and I want to continue, to improve. I’d like to do it the best way. Just because I like my life.

What about the Russian team? Overall, what results do you highlight?

S. M. - This was a difficult year for our team. But I see that my team mates are really hard-working. We were happy to watch the Sprint Mixed Relay where we got an almost impossible Bronze. It was so great and I’m proud of Galina [Vinogradova], who did a great job at the last leg.

How do you rate the WOC 2015 from a technical and organizational point of view?

S. M. - Well… amazing! I think these were the most “TV-highlighted” championships ever. From the spectator’s point of view, it was really well organized. Every race was set with a tough end, which is better visible for spectators. A lot of cameras, running operators (even so far away from the Arena at Long!), I think TV broadcasts were the most interesting ever! Another moment is the way from Quarantine to Pre-start at the Long Distance. One of the buses fell into the ditch and that made it impossible to drive other buses to Pre-start, so we walked 20 minutes on foot. But what can I say? It was the only way to organize the course at this really unique terrain! So, no complaints!

If I asked you a moment - the great achievement of the Championships -, what would your choice be?

S. M. - The title of the WOC achievement I’d like to give to the moment (really, a moment) of admiration when I came to the highest point of the first long leg at the Long Distance and saw the beautiful landscape of surroundings – forrestless mountains with small areas of snow not melting even in August, brightly green in the sun. I saw that only one second because I needed to continue the race but even this second made me admire the wonderful nature of the northern Scotland! (Sorry for the runners who chose the right route, they couldn’t see it).

Honestly, I’d like to notice that the terrain of Long Distance that has been offered this year is really unique. It was the most challenging and demanding day of the WOC, first of all, a terrain without roads, an extremely tough ground. It was really great and I’d even like to make the women’s course also for 1hour30min winner time, as in men’s course. So, I’d like to announce Glen Affric as the Achievement of WOC 2015!

The season is approaching an end. What are the goals for what remains of the season?

S. M. - I’d like to spend the last part of season with my preparation for the CISM in which I’ll participate this year. It will be an exciting trip and, I hope, a great experience too.

[Foto: Team Russia Orienteering / facebook.com/TeamRussiaO]

Joaquim Margarido

Catherine Taylor: "It still feels like I can be better"

Everybody was expecting the gold but Catherine Taylor is more than pleased with the 5th place in the Middle Distance and the 6th place in the Long Distance at WOC 2015. With her, we return to Scotland for the balance of a week of strong emotions.

How anxious were you, running “at home” this year? What special motivation did it give you?

Catherine Taylor (C. T.) - I was really anxious in the months before WOC. It took a huge amount of energy to deal with others’ expectations that I was out for nothing less than gold (!!!). It was hard to stick to my own plans and aims without worrying about outside pressures. On the other hand, being somewhere where you understand the mapping style, forest vegetation, language, foods etc. gave me a lot of confidence and it was motivating to have an extra-excited British team to train with.

Did you feel well prepared? What goals did you have?

C. T. - I think the whole British team felt well prepared for WOC. It was great to have a less stressful preparation over a longer time than usual. My goal was to be on the podium for one of my own races and do a good job for the team in both relays.

Would you like to talk about your 5th place in the Middle Distance and the 6th place in the Long

Distance? Did the results leave you entirely satisfied? Which one has a special meaning for you?

C. T. - A lot of people offered commiserations that I missed a medal but I more than met my goal and I’m happy with that. I’m still surprised that my best result was in the Middle race, but the Long still feels more special – the pressure was off and I just enjoyed my run.

And in the Relay? In both races, you started from a very difficult position, but you knew how to deal with the pressure, achieving high level performances. How could you manage things, especially from a psychological point of view?

C. T. - I think it helped that our aims were based on the way we wanted to run, rather than the result. Both of the first leg runners in my teams had some real bad luck, but the job for me felt the same. It’s usually easier to take a chasing position in a relay, meaning it’s always possible to regain positions and never a good idea to “give up” on the team, and with that in mind I could have a good racing attitude.

What motivation do these results provide for the future?

C. T. - The performances in both individual races were okay but not great. It still feels like I can be better. And of course, we would like to run some great relays, and working towards that as a team will be fun.

And what about the British team and the promotion to the First Division? Overall, what results would you highlight?

C. T. - It was a great team effort and we were so happy to find out! It was great that all week, we had lots of great results in the top 10 and top 20, by a lot of different people and across all the races. We had six team members running their first WOC and all of them ran well. So it was a true team effort!

How do you rate WOC 2015 from a technical and organizational point of view?

C. T. - I thought the courses I ran were challenging and fun, and the forests offered some great terrain. The most difficult part of the week was trying not to worry about all the small problems, like with logistics on some days, because you want everyone to go away with a good impression of your country. Nothing can ever run perfectly but I think things went generally well. It was a huge effort to enable a competition so much bigger than anything we’ve seen before in the UK and I’m proud of everyone who gave so much of their time and effort to make it all happen.

If I asked you for a moment - the great achievement of the Championships - what would be your choice?

C. T. - With a little bit of a bias, I’d say Annika’s Middle distance title. It takes so much inner strength and control to produce the year’s best performance on the right day. Doing it two years in a row is remarkable, and when the spring hasn’t gone smoothly, too… nerves of steel!

The season is coming to an end. What are your goals for what remains of the season?

C. T. - Now WOC is finished, I’m more exhausted than any other time I remember. I also felt tired and overstressed at times earlier this year and knew I would need a break now. So there are no plans for the autumn until I have more energy and start training again, though I have thought a little about both championships next year, which distances I would like to run and how I can train effectively.

[Photo: Ethan Childs / facebook.com]

Joaquim Margarido

Ida Bobach: "I don't feel saturated with medals at all"

If last week ended with the interview to the World Long Distance Champion, Thierry Gueorgiou, the week starts now with the interview to the female World Champion in the same distance, Ida Bobach. A revisitation of the achievements of the Danish athlete in Scotland, told in the first person.

How was your training time? Did you feel well prepared for the WOC? What goals have you drawn?

Ida Bobach (I. B.) - I felt very well prepared before the WOC. I could do all the physical training that I had planned without any injury problems, which I had before the two last WOCs. Technically I also felt very well prepared. During the last year I have spent almost two months in Scotland together with the Danish National Team. So before the competitions I had a lot of self-confidence and my goal was to bring home two medals.

In fact, you actually won two medals and I can understand your satisfaction. I would start by asking you to tell me about this extraordinary title of Long Distance?

I. B. - To win the gold medal at the Long Distance felt really amazing. After running 75 minutes all by myself it felt so great to hear the speaker saying that I was more than two minutes in lead. I didn’t expect to win but I had dreamed of it all year. The past year I had tried to focus on the Long Distance and I had had many good long distance trainings and competitions so I believed that I could do well. I am really proud that I could win this Long Distance in a very physically and technically challenging terrain, that is far from what I am training in at home. This win means a lot to me.

And what about the other gold, this time in the Relay? What feelings do you keep from the race?

I. B. - It was really great to succeed as a team. I think the Relay will always be something special. I really feel that I am not just running for myself but for the team. That really kept me motivated until the end of the race where I pushed as hard as I could so I could send Emma out with as many seconds as possible. I did not know that I was minutes ahead. It was a great moment when Maja and I could give Emma a big hug at the last control and run together with her all the way to the finish line.

How disappointed are you with the 4th place in the Middle Distance?

I. B. - I was quite disappointed after the Middle Distance. Not so much because I did not win a medal but more because of my race. I made a way too big mistake and was caught up by Annika Billstam. I actually had many very good periods during the race and I kept a high speed. After I was caught up by Annika I tried not to give up and fight all the way. I succeeded pretty well with that but unfortunately I had a lack of focus at one control and I was orienteering to a wrong one. Luckily I found out before I had lost too much time but Annika had gone away. I almost caught her up again in the end though.

What motivation do these results represent for the future?

I. B. - After winning these two gold medals I just feel like winning more. I don’t feel saturated with medals at all. I see every WOC as a new challenge with new and exciting terrains and courses. I think that I will keep my focus on the forest disciplines (Middle, Long and Relay) and hopefully I can bring some more medals home in the next couple of years.

What about the Danish team? Overall, what results do you highlight?

I. B. - The Danish team has really had an amazing Championship. So many people have been performing at their best. And not only the ones who got gold medals but also our young stars. I am really impressed with our three debutants: Cecilie Klysner, Jakob Edsen and Thor Nørskov. Cecilie and Jakob ran the sprint and were 14th and 22nd in the final while Thor ran the long distance and was 28th. That really impressed me. One of the highlights of the week was also the sprint-mix-relay-team. They had very big expectations and they really managed to focus on their own runs and had an amazing win with a big margin.

How do you rate the WOC 2015 from a technical and organizational point of view?

I. B. - I think the WOC2015 was a really good championship. It was very well organized and seemed really professional. Of course there are always small things that could have been better but the terrains and courses were of great quality. The arenas were really good and it was cool to see so many cheering spectators. The Brits are really good at cheering and the atmosphere at the arenas was great. It makes the competitors feel even more excited and important.

If I asked you a moment - the great achievement of the Championships -, what would your choice be?

I. B. - It was a really great moment for me when I came to the last control on the Long Distance and I saw Søren Bobach, my brother. He gave me a Danish flag and told me that I had a big lead. It felt great.

The season is approaching an end. What are the goals for what remains of the season?

I. B. - I will try to be at my best in autumn, at the World Cup, in Switzerland. I am currently no. 2 in the World Cup so I hope that I can keep that position or maybe take the lead. But I always think it is difficult to peak right in autumn because there are so many national races and the Danish Championships where I would also like to run at my level.

[Photo: WOC 2015 / woc2015.org]

Joaquim Margarido

Thierry Gueorgiou: "The Long Distance felt more like a redemption than anything else"

Thierry Gueorgiou needs no introduction. He is, “only”, the best orienteer ever, confirming that in the recent World Orienteering Championships WOC 2015, where he won his 13th world title, the fourth in Long Distance. But the expectations of the “king” were other...

How was your training time? Did you feel well prepared for the WOC? What goals have you drawn?

Thierry Gueorgiou (T. G.) - Well, there has been lot of ups and downs in my preparation this year, the lowest point being reached with a big toe fracture in January. I struggled also with minor injuries resulting from this one later on. But I spent quite much time on relevant terrains (50 days in Scotland) to be well enough prepared, even though I had to give up the Relay to allow me more time to recover before the Long Distance.

This decision was taken a couple of weeks before World Championships with the team. The main reason was a sub-optimal preparation, but I also had in mind this French saying “the perfect is the enemy of the good” and I keep remembering the last seasons of two legends of our sport, Emil Wingstedt, running all the races for his last WOC in Trondheim (2010), ending with a 6th place as best, and Bjørnar Valstad, running two distances (long and relay) at the WOC in Västerås (2004) and ending his career with two new gold medals. On top of that, I realized last year, I had contributed to create a huge emotional baggage associated with my own expectations for the middle distance, and 24 extra hours to empty my head before the long distance would surely make a difference.

Would you like to talk about your amazing gold Medal in the Long Distance? Did you expect it?

T. G. - My main focus at this World Championship was the middle distance, even though the results of the last years have shown that my biggest chance was probably in the long distance. But to be fully honest, after the huge disappointment of the middle distance, the Long Distance felt more like a redemption than anything else. During the whole race, I tried to use my frustration as a source of energy. That was probably why my technical performance was far from perfect that day (too much will, too little control), but I felt released after the race and was pleased to avoid another serious headache for the rest of the summer…

And what about the 7th place in the Middle Distance? You talked about disappointment and frustration earlier…

T. G. - This race is terribly difficult to analyse without criticising the map quality on the penultimate control. But it is not the first time in history that there has been mapping mistakes here and there, and it is worth mentioning that the map has always been the same for everyone. It is an important skill to manage to keep the risk as low as possible whatever the circumstances. Do I have this skill? It is, may be, where I should put my focus on at the moment instead of blaming the whole world for my failures in middle distance.

Are these results a motivation for the future or is it time to stop now?

T. G. - It's really hard to tell, actually. Some morning, I wake up thinking it is the right time to say good-bye. Some other morning, I wake up with hundreds of ideas to change my training to still be competitive. The reality is, deep inside, I still love orienteering, and also love racing against the very best, but I see this as fun only if I am able to maintain a good enough level.

What about the French men's team? Overall, what results do you highlight?

T. G. - As a team, and if we take aside the WOC 2011 in France, which was special, it was our best WOC ever. Lucas and Fredo showed this last week they already belong to la crème de la crème! And I am afraid it is just the beginning for them. From what I see in training camps, they can definitively reach some even higher heights. I was especially proud of Vincent as well, as he has been training for many years in a very professional way, but never managed to really show his full potential. We gave him a chance at the relay, he stood firm under the pressure and delivered. I can´t forget to mention Philippe, who couldn't compete for his last WOC due to a back injury, but over those last years he has brought so much of his spirit to the team, that part of those medals belong to him as well, and his cooking skills during the WOC week made a difference too...

How do you rate the WOC 2015 from a technical and organizational point of view?

T. G. - Well, if I am remembering right the welcome words of the Event director in the bulletin, he said that athletes will leave Scotland saying it was the “best WOC ever”. For the reason mentioned earlier, for me, it sound now a bit too cocky, even though I have enjoyed the atmosphere at the arena very much. And it is fair to mention that having no arena passage for the forest distances has contributed to increase the course quality a lot. Let's hope the future organizers got inspired.

If I asked you a moment - the great achievement of the Championships -, what would your choice be?

T. G. - Well, maybe, maybe, Annika Billstam from Sweden?! ;)

The season is approaching an end. What are the goals for what remains of the season? (World Cup and World Ranking)

T. G. - Not much, really. I just want to keep training well and answer all the questions I have in mind at the moment.

[Photo: World of O / facebook.com/WorldofO]

Joaquim Margarido

Mari Fasting: "The Relay silver was as good as gold"

After Nadiya Volynska and Lucas Basset, the Portuguese Orienteering Blog calls to its tribune one more Vice-World Champion. Or, to be more precise, one Vice-World Champion twice. To the silver medal won in the Relay, the Norwegian Mari Fasting joined a second place in the Long Distance, achieving her first individual medal ever. But let us hear what she has to tell us about this.

How was your training time? Did you feel well prepared for the WOC? What goals have you drawn?

Mari Fasting (M. F.) - My technical preparation has been good for this year's WOC. I have altogether been in Scotland four times before this Championships, and had about 45 technical trainings in the Scottish forest. The physical preparation has been more challenging, with some injuries during the spring. My goals were to take one individual and one Relay medal so I'm very satisfied with achieving my goal.

Would you like to talk about your amazing silver Medal in the Long Distance? Did you expect it?

M. F. - I knew that the Glen Affric terrain did suit me well. And after almost being at the podium at the last WOC, I was confident that, with a strong race, I would be on top 3. After a stable start, I almost forgot to run to the 4th control because I was looking at the route choice to the long leg – 5th. But I realized it and got the 4th before taking the long leg. I was struggling a bit in the middle part of the long leg trying to find a good route. From the 5th to the 8th controls I had good navigation and pace. But running towards the 9th I felt a bit tired and did a parallel mistake and got too far from my way to the control, having to struggle through a lot of fallen trees, and loosing a lot of time. I then realized I had to focus and run really good the last part to have any chance of getting a good place, and managed to keep myself together and do a really good end of race from 10th to the Finnish.

And what about the other silver, this time in the Relay? What feelings do you keep from the race?

M. F. - The Relay silver was as good as gold to us, Norwegian girls. No other nation had any chance against the Danish girls. I was very happy with my performance and that all, on the Norwegian team, did show that we all are good orienteers.

How do you feel about the 10th place in the Middle Distance?

M. F. - I was really disappointed with my Middle Distance. I knew that I could do a good race and have a good result. But I was a bit surprised that the forest in the start of the race was so dense and I didn't manage to adapt my speed and do a proper technical job. I did loose a lot on the 1st, 2nd and 4th controls. The end of the race was OK.

What motivation do these results represent for the future?

M. F. - It's always challenging to do a very good race at the WOC individual races. I have not yet managed to do so. For next year this will be my goal, and then hopefully I will be on top of the podium. :)

What about the Norwegian team? Overall, what results do you highlight?

M. F. - For the Norwegian team the Relays are always one of the highlights.

How do you rate the WOC 2015 from a technical and organizational point of view?

M. F. - I have only been running in the forest and therefore will not comment on the sprint races. But the forest races have had a very good technical level. They were challenging and fun courses. It was nice to have a lot of gaffling at the relay for us who compete, but not so nice for the public to follow. The one thing I think the organizers should have done better is giving the public/audience the possibility to follow the race live! There should have been wifi at the arena all days! (Or a better way to follow up on the results.)

If I asked you a moment - the great achievement of the Championships -, what would your choice be?

M. F. - My best moment this Championships was the morning prior to the Long Distance. One of the boys in my team told me that he really believed in me and that I had to remember that I was one of the strongest girls in the field. This helped me a lot, especially at the long leg to the 5th control after my first mistake to the 4th.

The season is approaching an end. What are your goals for what remains of the season?

M. F. - Since I didn't run any World Cup during the spring, I will have no chance in the World Cup overall. So, after finishing this WOC, I will focus on the Norwegian Championships before I focus in the WOC 2016.

[Photo: World of O / twitter.com/worldofo]

Joaquim Margarido

Lucas Basset: "The feelings are impossible to describe!"

Lucas Basset was, with the Bulgarian Kiril Nikolov and Ivaylo Kamenarov, the trio of athletes who managed to grant a presence in all the finals of the World Orienteering Championships WOC 2015, which is worthy of note. But if we add to this the two amazing medals won by the French in the Middle Distance and Relay, then we have here a great achievement. The Portuguese Orienteering Blog talked with the athlete in the aftermath of the competition and bring to you the result of a nice conversation.

How was your training time? Did you feel well prepared for the WOC? What goals have you drawn?

Lucas Basset (L. B.) - The training towards WOC started last September with the 1st Training Camp in Scotland with the French team. I immediately got a great feeling with the terrain and I felt the motivation grew higher and higher. During this Camp, I also beat Thierry [Gueorgiou] for the first time ever. He was maybe the only guy who I had never beaten in a single competition or timed-training, so it was a good motivation too (laughs). After that I train well and had neither injury nor sickness during the whole winter. The last month before WOC, I felt I was in good shape and after our last Training Camp, two weeks before the competition start, I understood I could be a challenger for a top10 place at Middle Distance. But not better.

Would you like to talk about your amazing silver Medal in the Middle Distance, only three seconds behind the gold? Did you expect it?

L. B. - The race was great from a technical point of view. Some seconds lost here and there going out from controls or being some meters away from the fastest line, but I didn't make any mistake attacking the controls. They were always placed where I imagined they should be, and the speed seemed to be okay, even if I didn’t feel so great throughout the course. Maybe because I pushed quite hard. Getting into the finish, I was delighted to see I had done such a good race on D-Day, when it really mattered. When Daniel Hubmann came to the finish, beating me by only 3 seconds and saying to the speaker he have had a great race, then I started to wonder: "What the hell is going on?". The feelings are impossible to describe!

And what about the bronze in the Relay? What feelings do you keep from the race?

L. B. - Considering the changes in our team, with Thierry deciding to skip the Relay one month before the WOC, Philippe [Addamski] taking in place but injuring himself at the beginning of WOC and Vincent [Coupat] jumping in, fifteen hours before the start, we didn't really know what to expect. But we kept our heads calm, ran as fast and as straight as we could, and the result was beyond our own expectations! Seeing Vincent taking his head in his hands of disbelief when Fredo [Frederic Tranchand] crossed the finish line in a bronze medal position was the best of all!

Are you happy with the 9th place in the Long Distance?

L. B. - The long distance was like a bonus for me, already before the WOC, but even more after the good races at Middle and Relay. Still, I am really happy to having been able to refocus, to avoid mistakes and especially to having been able to enjoy so much the race. I really felt privileged during the race, running in a beautiful terrain on such a demanding course, with already two medals around my neck, and finishing in the Top 10. That was the cherry on the cake!

I stayed calm, ran at a pace I was comfortable with, and therefore never hit the wall. I never thought my speed would be so close to the winner's, which is why I am actually even more surprised by my result at the Long, than by both the Middle and the Relay.

What motivation these results represent for the future?

L. B. - Of course, when you experience such amazing feelings, you want to live these moments again, and it gives motivation to train harder for next year! But, at the same time, it is kind of an accomplishment, so I could stop my career right now (laughs). Only joking of course!

And what about the French team? Overall, what results do you highlight?

L. B. - Well, I guess we can be happy with our results! Thierry winning the long and Fredo being so close to the medal, ended the week in a perfect way! We were a bit disappointed by our performances at the Sprint but that was quickly forgotten. I would like to thank all the staff who made a perfect job throughout the week and, of course, before, with the preparation. A special thank you to Philippe also, really unlucky for his last WOC and unable to run any "good-bye" race but still behind us, supporting us the best he could and enjoying our performances as much as if it would be his! A great team-mate!

How do you rate the WOC 2015 from a technical and organizational point of view?

L. B. - WOC 2015 was amazing for me and I enjoyed every moment. I really enjoyed all the forest races and had fun on the terrains they chose. Especially the Long Distance will be something to remember. I was also positively surprised by the Sprint Mixed Relay, whose course was great. I don't want to complain about the organization since I enjoyed myself so much, but of course it was not perfect. Something I want to underline is that the Sprint was not as good as it could have been. Letting us visit the city as much as we want is not good for the sport, and making an easy course without using any artificial fences was really disappointing. Why don't organizers completely forbid the access to the Sprint areas? Orienteers are not cheaters, if it is what they feared.

If I asked you a moment - the great achievement of the Championships -, what would your choice be?

L. B. - Of course, I would like to pick our surprising bronze medal at the Relay, which is something no one would have bet money on. But still I am involved in it, let's say the Great Achievement of the WOC would be Denmark's "easy way" to gold on both the Sprint Mixed Relay and the girls Relay: Impressive!

The season is approaching to the end. What are the goals for what remains of the season?

L. B. - I will not take part in the World Cup final round since I will probably go to South Korea with the French military team for the Military World Games. So, we can say this is the season’s next goal.

[Photo: World of O / twitter.com/worldofo]

Joaquim Margarido

Nadiya Volynska: "Yes, I expected a medal"

With the second place achieved in the Sprint, Nadiya Volynska offered Ukraine its first ever medal in the Women class of World Championships. A historic moment that we revisit today.

How was your training time? Did you feel well prepared for the WOC?

Nadiya Volynska (N. V.) - To start from the beginning, in the autumn of 2014, during the Swedish Championships, I injured myself and didn't realise, for a long time, what was wrong. But a training camp in Scotland was already booked and I couldn't afford to stay home and go there some other time (lose the flight tickets, getting visa is expensive, etc.). It was during the camp that my doctor told me that I had a fracture in the fibula bone so I had to use crutches for one month. Good or bad, I decided to face my feelings and the real situation. And act: I was walking our o-courses during the training camp, usually about two hours per training. It was the only camp in Scotland for me and the Ukrainian team, but it was better than nothing. So, as you see, it wasn't the perfect start on the way to WOC, but I still had a lot of time to recover, so it was no panic!

Would you like to talk about your amazing 2nd place in the Sprint? Were you expecting it?

N. V. - My goals were the Sprint and Middle Distance. I knew, from the beginning, that it was possible to get a medal. After my 4th place in the Sprint at WOC 2014 I was really disappointed that I was so close to a medal but still so far from it. However, it was a huge motivation for me to become better, so this year I felt really confident about myself and believing that I could do better than last year. So, yes, I expected a medal, which I think was really important for Ukraine in many aspects. It was the first individual women medal from WOC for Ukraine and, undoubtedly, a historical moment.

And the Middle Distance and Long Distance? Are you happy with your results?

N. V. - At the Middle Distance I felt really bad, having no power in my body but I knew if I controlled my technique I could reach the top 6. So, when it happened, I was actually really happy with the result, but after checking the GPS I figured that my mistake on the way to the 4th control was fatal. But what if... Don't wave your fists after the fight… That is orienteering. The Long Distance was the last course at the Championships and I wanted to remember it as a good moment checking if I achieved that when crossing the finish line - I wanted to feel satisfaction about my performance, my technique above all. And because after almost the whole WOC program I couldn't really demand miracles from my body, I focused just on doing my best at the moment. So I'm quite happy with that result, even if it is a new kick and I feel that I can do better.

What motivation do these results represent for the future?

N. V. - Ukraine is becoming a really strong rival for other nations in the orienteering world and not just on the Men's side, which is good. I hope it can motivate the younger generation in Ukraine to develop and become the best in the world, in the future. The Ukrainian team is - THE TEAM! With very limited - but very effective - resources, fighting with injuries and bureaucracy, having an unpaid running-coach [Oleksandr Kratov] and not old fashion thinking “stacked in the eighties” person, supporting and helping each other in the team and potential team members to become better in orienteering, all of us went through this and we did it together, no matter what (not really smart) people say. Everyone did their best on the way to WOC and everybody can be and will be better. I’m proud of MY TEAM OF UKRAINE!

How do you rate the WOC 2015 from a technical and organizational point of view?

N. V. - There have been some organizational troubles but everything was dealt with quite well. Since the very beginning we got really good contact with the WOC staff which helped us a lot on the way and during the WOC. I liked the touch free system and the great TV broadcast. The weather was nearly perfect, I think, it was fun at the banquet (haven't been there since 2009) and the atmosphere at the arenas was amazing. I just want to thank you all for your good work!

If I asked you to choose a moment - the great achievement of the Championships -, what would be your choice?

N. V. - If you mean my achievement, it would be my medal, no doubt. If you mean overall, it would be - Denmark's girls!

The season's end is approaching. What are the goals for what remains of the season?

N. V. - I'm planning to run the last stage of the World Cup in Switzerland (I have no idea what my position is in the Rankings). But I still have the Swedish Championship and other club Relays left as well. It is going to be fun!

[Photo courtesy of Nadiya Volynska]

Joaquim Margarido

WOC 2015: The day after

1. In a Clinic for Senior Event Advisers, I learned that it's not worth to complicate things. “For easier than a course can be, it will always be difficult for some”, it was said. This was the philosophy of the organizers of the World Orienteering Championships WOC 2015. From a technical point of view, the terrain was challenging enough for even the best make mistakes. Why further entrap things? That said, five stars for the organization of the World Orienteering Championships WOC 2015.

2. There were only eight countries sharing the 27 medals hand out. With four gold medals, Denmark led the table of honour of the Championships, with Switzerland and Sweden occupying the following positions, with two gold medals each. More valuable the medalist from Switzerland, with the addition of two silver medals, more robust the medalist of Sweden, with the extra four bronze medals. The remaining gold medal was awarded to France, joining to it one silver and one bronze medal. With four silver medals and one bronze, Norway occupied the fifth position, followed by Ukraine and Finland, with a silver medal each. Finally, with three bronze medals, Russia closed the medal table of this WOC 2015.

3. If we want to extend to the top six the list of athletes awarded with diplomas in these World Championships, we start by saying that were in number of 64 the athletes in these conditions, representing 14 different nations. With four diplomas, the Swiss Daniel Hubmann was the most “graduate”, followed by his teammates Fabian Hertner and Matthias Kyburz, the Danish Maja Alm and Ida Bobach and the Finnish Merja Rantanen, with three diplomas each. Meaningful the two diplomas of the Danish Emma Klingenberg, corresponding to two gold medals. Significant also the diplomas of the Australian Hanny Alston, the only non European athlete being distinguished, and the Belgian Yannick Michiels, winning the first diploma ever in the history of his country. At seven seconds to the same achievement stayed the Spanish Andreu Blanes, despite his seventh place in the Sprint Final also be the best result ever of a Spanish athlete in the World Championships.

4. Individually, it must be recognized in the person of the Danish Maja Alm the title of “queen” of the Championships. Her three gold medals (Sprint, Mixed Sprint Relay and Relay) speak too loud, compared with the two gold medals (Relay and Long Distance) of her team mate Ida Bobach, which joins to it the 4th place in the Middle Distance. Imperative, also, to recognize the value of the gold medal of the Swedish Annika Billstam - repeating the achievement of 2014 -, making of her another of the leading names of the event.

5. On the other hand, Daniel Hubmann is the “king” of the Championships. Two gold medals (Middle Distance and Relay), one silver medal (Long Distance) and even a 6th place in the Sprint Final show the supremacy of the Swiss athlete over the concurrency. Achieving his fourth title of Long Distance in the last five years (the third in a row), the French Thierry Gueorgiou is another of the key figures of the World Championships, alongside with the Swedish Jonas Leandersson, World Champion in Sprint.

6. In the second line of the personalities that have marked these Championships, special reference to the French Lucas Basset. He was one of the few athletes who were present in all five finals of the World Championships, reaching the silver medal in the Middle Distance, added to the bronze in the Relay and still a seventh place in the Sprint Mixed Relay and the 9th place in the Long Distance. Another highlight was the Norwegian Magne Daehli, silver medal in the Relay and 4th place in the Middle Distance. A word also for the Swiss Martin Hubmann, silver medal in the Sprint and 4th place in the Mixed Sprint Relay. From the Women side, the Ukrainian Nadiya Volynska deserves a place of honour, reaching the silver medal in the Sprint and finishing in 6th place in the Middle Distance and being 9th in the Long Distance, which corresponds the best results ever for Ukraine in the three distances. The performances of the Norwegian Anne Margrethe Hausken Nordberg in the Sprint Mixed Relay and Relay, resulted in two celebrated silver medals for his country. Noteworthy also to the Russian Galina Vinogradova and Svetlana Mironova, the Swedish Emma Johansson and the British Catherine Taylor for the quality and value of their results.

7. On the side of the disappointments of these Championships - not so much for what they did but above all for what they didn't, given the lot that was expected from them - are the Finnish Marten Bostrom, the Swedish Gustav Bergman, the Latvian Edgars Bertuks, the British Scott Fraser and the Ukrainian Oleksandr Kratov in the Men. As for the Women, the big deceptions are in the filed of the Finnish Minna Kauppi, the Swedish Helena Jansson and Tove Alexandersson and the Swiss Judith Wyder.

8. Finally we talk about the Portuguese participation in these Championships, which should be considered very positive. In a country plagued by a severe economic crisis, to be present in Scotland was a remarkable achievement. If we add to this the qualification of Mariana Moreira for the Sprint Final (before this, only Raquel Costa had achieved this remarkable feat) and still the best result ever in the Middle Distance, also work of Mariana Moreira, the least we can say is that the Portuguese team deserves a big hurray!

[Photo: Robert Lines / picasaweb.google.com]

Joaquim Margarido

WOC 2015: Gueorgiou and Bobach, "kings" of Long Distance

With the victories of Thierry Gueorgiou and Ida Bobach in the Long Distance, the World Orienteering Championships WOC 2015 came to the end. In the “exile” of Glen Afric, triumphs as tasty as suffered, facing a highest level concurrence.

As happened in 2014, the French Thierry Gueorgiou, the Swiss Daniel Hubmann and the Norwegian Olav Lundanes concluded by this order the Men Long Distance final that ended the World Orienteering Championships WOC 2015, held in the beautiful region of Inverness, Scotland. In fact they were the big favourites - the only favourites! - to occupy the podium places, especially considering that, since 2008, the three athletes divided among themselves all the world titles in this distance. Really tight, the course placed face to face the three giants and their progression lines nearly overlapped from the beginning to the end. Despite the mistakes, the relative differences between them rarely exceeded one minute and Hubmann, very close to the end, was even in the lead. But with the most desired title close at hand - and in a moment when the end of his career is quickly approaching - Thierry Gueorgiou knew how to do the right thing and turned out to be the fastest and the only athlete to lower the barrier of 100 minutes, concluding with the time of 1:39:46. The French arrives so to his 13th world title, the fourth in the Long Distance over the past five years and the third in a row.

Hubmann and Lundanes, as said before, occupied the following positions, with more 25 seconds and 57 seconds, respectively, than the winner. France still would classify two athletes in the 10 first positions, with Frederic Tranchand finishing in the 4th place, reaching his best result ever at this distance, and Lucas Basset being the 9th ranked. Switzerland also placed two athletes in the top 10, with Fabian Hertner and Matthias Kyburz to occupy, by this order, the 5th and 6th positions. As for Manuel Horta, the only Portuguese present in this final, finished in the 55th position in a set of 74 athletes.

Clear victory of Ida Bobach

"I know that I could do better so I'm disappointed about today's 4th place. Looking forward to a new chance at the relay tomorrow.” With these words, Ida Bobach expressed her feelings after the Middle Distance final, last Tuesday. Then, that's what we know: the athlete knew how to manage things and, with an absolutely remarkable course, contribute significantly to the historic first title ever for Denmark in the female Relay. It was therefore with the taste of a so special victory that she stood on the starting line, this afternoon, ready to break a “fast” of 41 years, after the victory of Mona Nørgaard in the Long Distance (then called “Classic Distance”), in the fifth edition of the World Championships, held precisely in Denmark, more specifically in Silkeborg. Contrasting with the difficulties certainly felt over the 9.7 kilometers of her course (with 440 meters of climb), the story of Ida Bobach's victory seems to be easy to tell. Consistency, concentration and an exceptional physical shape were the recipes for the success, crowned with a clear victory in 1:15:35. Ida Bobach's achievement correspond to her first individual gold medal in World Championships, sealing in the best way the Danish participation in WOC 2015, reaching four of the five titles in dispute (the Swedish Annika Billstam, World Champion of Middle Distance, was the only athlete to break the dominance of the Danish).

Pointed as a strong candidate to the medals, the Norwegian Mari Fasting hold the second position, with more 2:44 than Ida Bobach. Although some small errors, the athlete was pretty perfect in the final part of the her course, recovering places behind places to reach her first individual medal in a World Orienteering Championships. Defending today the world title achieved in Italy last year, the Russian Svetlana Mironova was the third ranked, at 3:04 of the winner. Seven seconds slower than the Russian, the Swedish Tove Alexandersson - pointed by many as a major favourite for the title - was not beyond the fourth position. For the first time running a WOC final of Long Distance, the Russian Natalia Vinogradova reached an excellent 5th place while Britain's Catherine Taylor closed the podium in the 6th position, after the 5th place achieved in the Middle Distance. This result will have been precious in the reorganization of selections regarding the next edition of the WOC, with Latvia down to the second division, in exchange with Britain, promoted now to the first division. As for the Portuguese Patricia Casalinho, she finished 64th ranked among the 69 athletes who lined up in the race.

Results

Men

1. Thierry Gueorgiou (France) 1:39:46 (+ 00:00)

2. Daniel Hubmann (Switzerland) 1:40:11 (+ 00:25)

3. Olav Lundanes (Norway) 1:40:43 (+ 00:57)

4. Frederic Tranchand (France) 1:41:26 (+ 01:40)

5. Fabian Hertner (Switzerland) 1:41:44 (+ 01:58)

6. Matthias Kyburz (Switzerland) 1:42:21 (+ 02:35)

7. Olle Bostrom (Sweden) 1:42:36 (+ 02:50)

8. Gustav Bergmann (Sweden) 1:43:25 (+ 03:39)

9. Lucas Basset (France) 1:44:22 (+ 04:36)

10. Hans Gunnar Omdal (Norway) 1:44:38 (+ 04:52)

(...)

55. Manuel Horta (Portugal) 2:21:08 (+ 41:22)

Women

1. Ida Bobach (Denmark) 1:15:35 (+ 00:00)

2. Mari Fasting (Norway) 1:18:19 (+ 02:44)

3. Svetlana Mironova (Russia) 1:18:39 (+ 03:04)

4. Tove Alexandersson (Sweden) 1:18:46 (+ 03:11)

5. Natalia Vinogradova (Russia) 1:19:01 (+ 03:26)

6. Catherine Taylor (Great Britain) 1:19:36 (+ 04:01)

7. Anne Margrethe Hausken Nordberg (Norway) 1:20:27 (+ 04:52)

8. Sara Luescher (Switzerland) 1:21:16 (+ 05:41)

9. Nadiya Volynska (Ukraine) 1:21:28 (+ 05:53)

10. Hanny Allston (Australia) 1:21:47 (+ 06:12)

(...)

64. Patricia Casalinho (Portugal) 2:31:23 (+ 1:15:48)

Complete results and further information at www.woc2015.org.

[Photo: WOC2015 / woc2015.org/long/liveblog]

Joaquim Margarido