MTB Orienteering World Cup 2015: Benham, Fuchs and Laurilla, the stars of the first round

The hungarian city of Várgesztes, hosted the first round of the MTB Orienteering World Cup 2015. Winning the two individual stages, the British Emily Benham was the biggest name of the competition. The French Team took the victory in the Mixed Relay that ended the competition.

The MTB Orienteering World Cup 2015 met the first of its three great moments for the season. In the Hungarian city of Várgesztes, 75 kilometres west of the capital Budapest and not far from Lake Balaton, one of the “sanctuaries” of the MTB Orienteering worldwide, took place the first round of the competition which attracted 106 Elite athletes, 72 men and 34 women. The presence of all of the IOF World Ranking top 10 men athletes and 8 of the top 10 female athletes - Olga Vinogradova (Russia) and Susanna Laurila (Finland) were noted absences -, gives a real idea of the competitive quality of this round, valued by demanding courses, both physically and technically, in perfect terrains. Only the weather proved averse and the mud, especially in the latter days, was an enemy of higher magnitude.

The Long Distance race that opened the competition brought with it the emotion of a Mass Start, superiorly reflected in Daniel Marosffy's video, which can be seen at https://youtu.be/xB9HAUeiSRg. This was a hard fought race, particularly in the Men class, with the victory discussed in the final sprint between Anton Foliforov and Jussi Laurila. Leader of the IOF World Ranking, the Russian still managed to be the first in the last control, but Laurila was stronger in the arrival corridor registering at the end the time of 1:26:29 to 23,6 km of his course, against Foliforov's 1:26:33. It was a return of Laurila to the victories in the MTB Orienteering World Cup, almost two years after his European title in Long Distance, in Poland, once again in a Mass Start race. In the third place stayed the Austrian Kevin Haselsberger with 1:02 more than the winner and 2 seconds ahead the French Yoann Garde.

The British Emily Benham was the winner of the women's course, opening in the best way her participation in the MTB Orienteering World Cup 2015, similar to what happened in the last season. Emily spent 1:17:47 to cover 18.2 km, leaving behind her the Finnish Ingrid Stengard, with more 42 seconds. The Russian Svetlana Poverina was the third ranked while the leader of the IOF World Ranking, the Finnish Marika Hara, finished in the seventh position.

Baptiste Fuchs' first victory in the World Cup

In the Middle Distance stage that filled the second day's program, it was possible to see Emily Benham on the top of the podium again, thanks to a resounding victory in 56:44 for 10.7 km. The victory of the British was achieved on the day of her 26th anniversary, with the athlete sharing such special day with the birth of the Royal Baby. In the immediate positions classified three Finnish athletes, with Antonia Haga, 21st in the IOF World Ranking, being second and achieving here the best result of her career so far in the World Cup. Ingrid Stengard and Marika Hara were the 3rd and 4th classified, respectively, while the French Gaëlle Barlet repeated the 5th place achieved in the first day.

In Men class, the French Baptiste Fuchs achieved his first victory in scoring stages for the MTB Orienteering World Cup, imposing to his adversaries with a time of 52:09 for 12.0 km. Silver medalist in the Long Distance of the last World MTB Orienteering Championship, Fuchs won over the big name of the opening stage, Jussi Laurila, by the comfortable margin of 1:21, while the Lithuanian Jonas Maiselis called upon him the attentions and was the third placed, losing by a little second his particular duel with Laurila. Anton Foliforov concluded in the 5th place, with more 1:54 than the winner.

The first round of the MTB Orienteering World Cup 2015 ended with the Mixed Relay, in which was possible to assist to a lively duel for the victory between France and Finland. The Finland started better, with Ingrid Stengard imposing herself to Hana Garde by a margin of 19 seconds, shortened  in the second leg to just three seconds by Baptiste Fuchs, against Pekka Niemi. In the “all for all”, Cédric Beill was unstoppable, giving no chances to the Finnish Jussi Laurila. The French team registered in the end a time of 2:50:17 against 2:50:39 from Finland. The Czech Republic also came to cherish the illusion to get the victory, after the two first legs “shoulder to shoulder” with the French and Finnish, but Frantisek Bogar was powerless to hold his opponents and the Czech stayed in the third place, with 3:16 more than the winners. Austria, Russia and Lithuania occupied the immediate positions. More information and complete results at http://www.mtbo.hu/wc2015.php.

[Photo: Árpád Kocsik / plus.google.com/photos/+ÁrpádKocsik]

Joaquim Margarido

FinTrailO 2015: Victory of Marit Wiksell at Espoo

Antti Rusanen and Martin Jullum shared the triumphs in the two stages of the Unofficial European Cup in TrailO 2015's opening round. Overall, however, the victory in the FinTrailO 2015 smiled to Marit Wiksell.

The surroundings of the Finnish city of Espoo have witnessed, during the weekend, the FinTrailO 2015, a TrailO event that marked the start of the Unofficial European Cup in TrailO 2015. Distributing up by three stages – two of PreO and one of TempO -, the FinTrailO 2015 attracted the attention of 118 athletes from 9 countries, 106 of which competing in the Elite class.

Directed by Anna Jacobson and having in Åke Jacobson and Marko Määttälä the course setters, the competition got its start on Saturday morning with the dispute of the 1st stage of PreO. With just a wrong answer in all the 24 controls, the Swedish Marit Wiksell and the Czech Tomáš Leštínský were the most accurate, with Marit taking the advantage for being faster in the answers at the timed controls. A not comfortable advantage, however, facing the pursuers at one single point and that included the Swedish Martin Fredholm, Rolf Karlsson and Erik Stålnacke, the Finnish Pinja Mäkinen and the Norwegian Sigurd Dæhli.

The TempO stage that filled the afternoon program clarified some accounts, complicating others. TempO European Champion currently, the Finnish Antti Rusanen was the big winner with a total of 359 seconds in the answers to 32 timed controls, in 8 stations. Marit Wiksell occupied the immediate position with 374 seconds, followed by the TempO World Champion, the Norwegian Martin Jullum with 378 seconds and by the TempO World Champion in 2013, Pinja Mäkinen. The “usual suspects”, so, all of them credited with 25 points, according to a specific formula allowing to relate the TempO and PreO competitions. Marit Wiksell was now alone in the leadership, with Pinja Mäkinen at one single point and Antti Rusanen, Erik Stålnacke and Tomáš Leštínský at two.

Marit Wiksell, get it overall

The last day of the program has been completed by the PreO's second stage. Organized in an extremely detailed forest terrain with lots of boulders and cliffs, the course provided 32 controls for a time limit of 114 minutes (Open class), with 101 (!) flags distributed over a distance of 600 meters in a map scale of 1: 3000. Winner of the European Cup's last edition, the Norwegian Martin Jullum shown his “nerves of steel” and was the big winner, with a near perfect course (in fact, he missed one timed control). With 31 points they were classified the Finnish Miia Turto and Antti Rusanen and the Swedish Ola Jansson. Marit Wiksell stayed two points ahead Martin Jullum, ending this stage in the 6th position.

It was thus found the winner of the FinTrailO 2015, with Marit Wiksell accounting 78 points in the end, against 77 points of Antti Rusanen and 76 points of Pinja Mäkinen. In the top 20 of the overall standings, Tomáš Leštínský was the only one who broke the nordic overpower, finishing in the 6th place with 74 points. Current European and World Champion in the Paralympic class, the Swedish Michael Johansson concluded on the 35th place, just one place ahead the Czech Jana Kostova, World Champion in Paralympic class in 2013.

Results FinTrailO 2015

1. Marit Wiksell (Sweden) 78 points / 98 seconds

2. Antti Rusanen (Finland) 77 points / 86 seconds

3. Pinja Mäkinen (Finland) 76 points / 55 seconds

4. Martin Jullum (Norway) 76 points / 223 seconds

5. Sigurd Dæhli (Norway) 74 points / 132 seconds

6. Tomáš Leštínský (Czech Republic) 74 points / 207 seconds

7. Jari Turto (Finland) 73 points / 47 seconds

8. Miia Turto (Finland) 73 points / 90 seconds

9. Lauri Mäkinen (Finland) 73 points / 99 seconds

10. Lennart Wahlgren (Sweden) 73 points / 132 seconds

Complete results, maps, solutions and other information to see at http://www.ok77.fi/index.php/fi/fintrailo-2015.

[Photo: FinTrailO 2015 / facebook.com/FinTrailO2015]

Joaquim Margarido

Latin Countries Cup: Spain wins 21st edition

Spain was the winner of the Latin Countries Cup – Latinum Certamen's 21st edition, held over the weekend at Vlessart, southeastern Belgium. The individual highlights goes to the Spanish Anna Serralonga Arques and Maria Prieto del Campo, counting for victories the three stages of the competition.

The weekend called to Belgium over six hundred athletes from 18 different nations for the 3 Days of Belgium, an Orienteering event which takes place without interruption since 2000. This year's competition took place at the Forest of Anlier, the largest forest of Belgium, splitting the program by two Long Distance races and one Middle Distance, this one on Saturday and counting for the IOF World Ranking. The competition also hosted the 21st edition of the Latin Countries Cup - Latinum Certamen, attended by Belgium, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Romania, with the respective athletes distributed by the M/W18, M/W20 and M/W21Elite classes.

The Latin Countries Cup's first day was filled by the Sprint stage, in which Spain achieved three wins against two from Belgium and one from Italy. Spain and Belgium took the lead, both with 25 points, against 18 of Portugal, the third placed. A few holes below what had made the day before, Portugal found itself overtaken by Italy at the end of the second stage by losing 10 points to the italian team. The Azzurri reached two individual triumphs in the Middle Distance stage, while Spain took three individual victories. The leadership was now from Spain, with a total of 51 points, against 44 from Belgium, 37 from Italy, 31 from Portugal and 23 from Romania. Ran this morning, the Long Distance stage that ended the competition saw Romania, Italy and Spain sharing equitably the six individual victories. The Spanish Anna Serralonga Arques and Maria Prieto del Campo confirmed the excellent performances of the two previous stages, getting a full of victories each and ensuring half of the points made by Spain. In the first position ranked Spain with a total of 72 points, repeating the result achieved in Uruguay in 2014 and reaching the victory for the 7th time in 21 editions of the Latin Countries Cup. With 60 points, Belgium was the second classified, leaving the third position to Italy, with 57 points. Portugal was the 4th placed with 50 points and Romania closed the list with 39 points.

Still a note to the Spanish Anna Serralonga Arques and the Romanian Ionut Alin Zinca, winners of the 3 Days of Belgium 2015 overall, in the Women Elite class and the Men Elite class, respectively. The colours of Belgium were an almost constant presence in the highest place of the 37 podiums in dispute, with a total of 24 victories. Apart from the exceptions mentioned above, deserve a reference the triumphs of the Spanish Jesus Rodriguez Corrochano and Maria Prieto del Campo, respectively in H18 and D18 and the Italian Mattia Debertolis in H20. More information at http://2015.3days.be/.

[Photo: Hélder Ferreira / facebook.com/helder.ferreira]

Joaquim Margarido

Timo Sild: "I'm excited, like every year in spring"

After a successful winter season, the time of the big decisions is approaching and Timo Sild want to be part of history. To the Portuguese Orienteering Blog, the athlete focuses on the World Championships, highlights the strong internal concurrence and points some goals for 2015, 2016 and... 2017!

What does Orienteering mean to you?

Timo Sild (T. S.) - The meaning of orienteering to me has been different in the past and will be different in the future, but in the present it's my profession.

How did you start Orienteering?

T. S. - I've been an orienteer as long as I remember. Both my father and my mother were active orienteers when I was born and orienteering was always just a normal part of my life.

Was there a moment, a “click”, where you said to yourself: “That's it. Orienteering is what I really want to do!”?

T. S. - Yes. The move from the M20 to the Elite is not easy, although some exceptions among the elite orienteers might make one think that way. I ended my last year as a junior bashing my knee into a stone, which meant that I couldn't train properly for at least a year. Around the same time, I enrolled in the University and it was time to think of my career. After two years in the University I was called into the military service. So one day, I happened to talk to my father about “throwing in the towel” and we had a proper father-son discussion about orienteering. I re-evaluated some things in life and that's why I am where I am right now. My father won't probably remember the talk, but that's old age for you.

What was the best advice you've ever been given?

T. S. - Many athletes probably develop a philosophy of their own sports at some point of their career and try to implement it in other areas of life besides sports as well. For example, boxers might say "Life is a fight (struggle)" or something like that. I've got advice from the philosophy of orienteering: "Do the hard part in the beginning, that way, it should be easier in the end" or "Think before you act" or "Simplify" and so on.

What has been your biggest challenge in Orienteering? How do you manage it?

T. S. - I haven't been in my best possible shape when it really matters: the WOC. I am still working to solve this challenge, but the work is being done towards it. Ultimately, the goal is to make the perfect race: a race that I'm satisfied with, on a difficult course, with a strong field of runners on a day that really matters. Notice that a perfect run doesn't necessarily involve winning.

What is your favorite memory about a course?

T. S. - My favourite memory is a horror story, not a fairy tale. It happened on a windy and rainy evening at a training camp in Barbate. I knew that I was going to run night legs at 10mila and Jukola and therefore I did night trainings at the camp. Normally there was always some company, but due to bad weather no one else was willing to join me that evening. But, it doesn't matter, I don't mind training alone even at night. On my way to start, as I was climbing up a pathless ravine in the forest with my lamp alight, because it was already pitch black, I almost soiled myself when a man with an axe came down the same ravine. I have no idea what he was doing at that random place in the forest without a light and I surely wasn't going to ask him at the time. Later, I must have missed every control on my course and took a few looks over my shoulder to be on the safe side. The whole situation was just so surreal that it turned into one of my favourite memories about a training and a course.

Is there a specific athlete you look up to? And why?

T. S. - No, there is not a specific athlete I look up to. But I draw inspiration on other athletes' stories and try to find ideas that would work for me as well. I guess I'm afraid that I could be dissappointed by people, but ideas can't dissappoint in the same way.

How do you feel in this moment of the season? Was it useful your winter training?

T. S. - I'm excited, like every year in spring. A full training season in winter is quite a tough thing to manage in Northern Europe, especially for running sports. Fortunately this year I was able to have one full training cycle near Alicante and Murcia, in Spain. In short, winter training has been useful.

How much time do you normally spend practicing and training?

T. S. - It depends on the time of the year. In winter I do 10-20 hours of training a week, mostly physical stuff. In spring I increase the amount of orienteering in my trainings. In summer, all the trainings are built around the competitions. Sumarizing, I do around 650 hours a year, with the brunt being done in winter and spring. My typical training week with near perfect conditions is something like this: Monday – p.m. aerobic night orienteering; Tuesday – a.m. running excercises and alactic sprints + easy orienteering; p.m. orienteering as a recovery run; Wednesday – a.m. orienteering intervals; p.m orienteering as a recovery run; Thursday – a.m. long aerobic orienteering, p.m. strength training + recovery run; Friday – a.m. easy swimming; Saturday – a.m. uphill speed bounds and uphill intervals, p.m. night orienteering as a recovery run; Sunday – a.m. long run in the mountains.

What are the biggest steps before the WOC?

T. S. - The biggest steps before the WOC are the training camps in Scotland and the selection races in May and June, both in Estonia and in Scotland. Estonia has only two places for both forest distances at the WOC and many willing runners, so it won't be easy to make it into the team.

Is it in your plans to do the same as your father did, 24 years ago – i.e. to win the bronze medal in the WOC Long Distance?

T. S. - The plan is to do better! Otherwise I'll always be son of Sixten Sild for the commentators at international orienteering events. For my brother Lauri it's even worse, he is son of Sixten Sild and brother of Timo Sild. But seriously speaking, I have been in the top 20 in Long Distance only once, so I have to build upon that. In the Middle Distance I haven't even been in the top 30. As follows, the goal for this year is the top 20, the top 15 for the next year and the top 10 for WOC2017, in Estonia. I regard both Long Distance and Middle Distance equally high.

What do you need to be the best?

T. S. - No man is an island - most importantly, I need the help and support of my family, friends and sponsors. After that, comes systematic and uninterrupted training. And finally love for orienteering and the willingness to do everything possible to become the best, or more exactly - the best that I can be! I want a lot of my orienteering to be automatic or subconscious, and that's what I'm trying to improve upon, but it takes a lot of time.

Is another one of your goals to reach the top 10 in the IOF World Ranking in the end of the season?

T. S. - No. World Ranking doesn't mean anything to me and it's just numbers. I have a pretty clear opinion about several elite orienteers and that subjective ranking is enough for me.

In the start of a new season, I would ask you to make a wish to all orienteers around the world.

T. S. - Try to find new interesting terrains and map them!

[Photo: Wendy Carlile / flickr.com/wendles56]

Joaquim Margarido

Two or three things I know about it...

1. With five individual gold medals, Sweden was the big name of the ISF World Schools Championships Orienteering 2015, which took place throughout the week at Antalya (Turkey). The Nordic set also reached three silver medals and five bronze medals, individually, as collectively won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Scotland, with three individual gold medals and a collective gold medal, Austria with two individual gold medals and two collective gold medals and Latvia, with two individual gold medals are also countries of reference in this 16th edition of the competition. Individually, the Swedish Elin Granstedt and the Scottish Grace Molloy are the big names of these World Championships, returning to their countries with two gold medals in the bag, corresponding to winning the Middle Distance and Long Distance courses. Twice at the Championships' podiums, a reference to the Swedish Isac Von Krusenstierna, Jesper Svensk, Simon Imark and Emilia Stahlberg, the Austrian Jasmina Gassner, the English Alastair Thomas and the Latvian Fricis Jekabs Spektors. All to check at http://www.isfwsco2015.org/en/.

2. The Sierra de Javalambre, west of Valencia (Spain), will host this weekend the International Open in Orienteering Villa de Titaguas / European Universities Orienteering Trophy, on its first edition. Organized by the University of Valencia together with the S.D. Correcaminos, the event has the approval of EUSA - European University Sports Association and also counts towards the Spanish League. In the ambicious program, we can notice a Saturday filled with motifs of interest, comprising a Long Distance stage in the morning and stages of Sprint and TrailO at 5 a.m.. On Sunday, the last day of competition, will take place the Middle Distance stage, closing the event with the Prize Giving Ceremony scheduled for early afternoon. Learn more at http://www.orientaciontitaguas.com/en/.

3. Anne Straube is the new British Champion in TrailO 2015. The event took place in New Beechenhurst and Brierley on Saturday, with the participation of 49 athletes, 15 of which in the Novice class. Anne Straube concludes his course of 21 control points with a total of 19 correct answers, the same result as Scott Collier and Clive Allen. The tie was made, of course, using the time spent in the timed controls and then the athlete, of German nationality, was the most accurate and fast. British Champion in 2014 and one of the big favourites to win this edition, John Kewley stayed 9th placed with 17 points. For those less familiar with the TrailO, it is noted that Anne Straube has won the gold medal at the World Train Orienteering Championships 2008, at Olomouc (Czech Republic) and is the current coordinator of the IOF Athlete's Commission of Trail Orienteering. To learn more about the British TrailO Championships 2015, please visit the event webpage at http://www.boc2015.org.uk/page/results.

4. The Brazilian Confederation of Orienteering seems to be in trouble. After the domestic dispute about the re-election of José Octavio Franco Dorneles, is now the turn of the International Orienteering Federation point the finger to the Brazilian responsibles. In the minutes of the IOF Council Meeting, dated of 10th-11th April and chaired by Brian Porteous, IOF asked Brazil to pay the sanction fee for WMOC 2014. “Council discussed which actions had been taken so far and what further actions should be initiated. The IOF Office was asked to once again contact the Brazilian federation and agree a timeline for payment of all outstanding fees. If a timeline could not be agreed within 60 days, or was not upheld, Council agreed that a suspension of all membership rights would come in effect, including participation at WOC and other IOF activities”, is written on the document, which can be read at http://orienteering.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Minutes-of-Council-meeting-174.pdf.

5. Contrary to a trend in the recent years, a blog is born. It's called, simply, “Tiago Gingão Leal” and the name says it all: It is the personal page of the current Portuguese Champion in Long Distance and states, in brief, the promise of “going to have content regarding my preparation to the amazing sport that is orienteering and also results and analysis of the races I take part in.” Reminders like “the good feelings I had lately since I took part in one of the most competitive Spanish Championships I've ever participated”, links to the latest news where his name is focused, a slight biography and a summary of his main achievements so far are also elements that can be seen at http://tiagogingaoleal.blogspot.pt/. In English!

Joaquim Margarido