Michaela Gigon: "Not everything that is good for FootO is also applicable for MTBO"

By achieving seven world titles, she leads a particular list, being the most acclaimed MTB orienteer of all times. But she also ran the Athlete's Commission since it's conception and, for many years, until Sandor Talas took over as the MTBO Commission Chair, she did their job too. Basically, for many years, not only was Michi Queen of MTBO during competition, she also was Queen of MTBO behind the scenes. Please, welcome Michaela Gigon.

The turning of one more year leads us to a meditation on what is past and what is future. What wish will you make for 2016 when the clock sounding midnight the next 31st December?

Michaela Gigon (M. G.) - I just wish to stay healthy and to enjoy my life.

Over eight years - between 2004 and 2011 - you've never leaved the World Championships without, at least, one gold medal on your chest. What memories do you keep from those days?

M. G. - In 2008 I didn't win a gold medal at the World Championships, actually, but three other medals. That was really an amazing time of my life with lots of good memories. In some races I was really lucky to win the medals. For example, at my first gold, in Australia, when I was late for the start and forgot to clear my SI-chip. In the finish the readout showed a really long list of strange controls and I first thought I had mispunched. Luckily there were not too many controls in the WOC-race and the race before because the old SI-chips only registered 30 punches… In other races I could have won more without some stupid mistakes. Like when I folded away the best route choices twice in the Long Distance race in Slovakia 2005 and ended up 4th, just 2 minutes behind the winner.

Is there a particular episode that you would like to share as your most pleasant memory?

M. G. - Winning the Relay World Championships with Sonja Zinkl and Lisi Hohenwarter in 2009. It’s much more fun to win with some friends than alone. We had won some other medals before and really wanted the gold. When Sonja came in 6th after the 2nd leg I thought that gold was too far away but I was lucky to have all the short forks and felt really strong that day. When I came to the last control I did not know my position and could not hear what the speaker said but the other Austrians were cheering and celebrating so much that I thought: “This must be gold, otherwise they would not cheer so crazily.” I still get tears in my eyes when I think of that moment.

Your dedication to MTB Orienteering led you to create, from 2004, follow up mechanisms for the international events, which made of your personal webpage - www.michigigon.at - the center of the MTB Orienteering's small world. What led you to take this responsibility? How much work is on those pages over eight years?

M. G. - It was important to me to find the links to all important events fast, so the easiest solution was to put them on my website. From 2003 to 2011 I was a professional sportsman in the Austrian army so I had lots of time for doing things like that and didn't count the hours which I spent. In the years 2004 to 2009 I was also responsible for calculating the World Ranking List but was quite happy to hand that job over to Ray Barnes in 2010. I like doing things with Excel. The dreamteam competition, which Andy Conn and I started in 2006, is also one of the things that take a lot of time. It helps riders to get to know other riders better and leads to more communication between the riders. Having a personal website is very important for a sportsman, otherwise you don’t exist for sponsors. I guess my website could be a little more professional but I don’t know too much about making websites and I wanted to keep it in my hand because making changes is too difficult and slow if somebody else does it for you.

Looking even for those important moments, we can see you leading the Athletes' Commission at the time of its foundation in 2007. What challenges the MTB Orienteering faced at the time?

M. G. - In 2007, before I got the job as speaker of the Athletes’ Commission, I produced a paper called “My dream of perfect MTBO World and European Championships” because I was tired of repeated bad organisational mistakes. Raising event quality and making the mappers use the mapping standards were the most important topics to me.

Evaluating the changes that, with your determination and help, were produced, which of them would you highlight as being of great value to the sport?

M. G. - Mapping standards have been transformed from something that was very close to FootO to something that fits much better to MTBO. It is, actually, still an ongoing process because we have not found the perfect mapping standards yet. Maps have improved a lot in the past years. Mapmakers seem to be more conscious about the differences between FootO and MTBO. The rules were improved. I was shocked to see that e-bikes were not forbidden until the beginning of 2010 according to the IOF rules. Fortunately nobody had realized that loophole before it was closed. Event quality has risen. The sport has become much more professional.

From 2011 we can understand that you “slowed” a little bit. Still, your presence in major international competitions remains a constant and your activity in the Athletes' Commission is an asset to the sport. How do you see the MTB Orienteering's moment, currently? What is the MTB Orienteering's biggest handicap?

M. G. - My army contract ended in 2011. So I had to find some other way to earn money. Since 2012 I am a Mathematics, Physics and Geometry teacher in a Secondary School. That’s the reason why I am not so fast and well trained anymore. In the beginning of my “golden times” I knew I could easily win a gold medal if I made almost no mistakes. Now there are many more fit riders and good orienteers than before. If you make a mistake there is somebody else who will take the chance. Riders are much more focussed on MTBO and train much harder than before. The biggest handicap in Austria and many more countries is forest access. It is very hard to get permission to arrange races. Without races and MTBO activity in your country it is hard to attract young people to the sport. Another problem that I can see internationally is that the number of riders and nations at World Championships is slightly decreasing. One of the reasons is that those riders from small countries who don’t see a chance to win anything rather choose to take part in an international 5-days event like Plzen which is much cheaper than World Championships where just the starting and registration fees for one rider add up to 280 € if he does all races.

Emily Benham is assuming the coordination of the Athletes' Commission. Did you talk to her about your ideal for the future? What did you tell her?

M. G. - I did not speak to her explicitly about my ideals but we know each other for a few years now and talk a lot so I think she has already found out what my ideas are. Em as a much younger athlete will certainly bring some fresh wind and new ideas into the Athletes’ Commission.

At a higher level we have Sandor Talas, Chairman of MTB Orienteering Commission, Tom Hollowell, the IOF's Secretary General / CEO and the IOF's Brian Porteous. Do you think that MTB Orienteering has now a greater support than in previous years? In practical terms, how does it work?

M. G. - I have the impression that Brian and Tom seem to be much more interested in MTBO and more positive to our sport than their predecessors. Brian was present at the World Championships in Czech Republic and even tried MTBO. I think they understood that not everything that is good for FootO is also applicable for MTBO. Good communication and understanding our sport are probably the most important things and I hope it will work.

Returning to the competition, how do you rate your performance this season. The results achieved were meeting your expectations?

M. G. - This season’s performance was the poorest in my MTBO history but did not come entirely unexpected. In summer 2014 my boyfriend Tom and me bought a house which we renovated in the past year. I trained almost nothing in winter and spring. At the Mass Start race at the World Cup in Hungary I realized that I was one of the three slowest riders in the field and could only make up some places with better orienteering. In the end I was quite pleased with my 10th place at the European Championships and the 16th place at the World Championships Long Distance races.

The Austria Team's gold medal in the Men Relay of the World Championships was surely one of the great moments of the season. Could you mention other remarkable moments along the year that is now ending?

M. G. - Nothing can match with the victory of our boys in the Relay. They worked very hard to achieve such a result.

Have you already started your preparation for the next season? What are your goals for 2016?

M. G. - At the moment (end of December) we have perfect biking weather in Austria. I train much more than last winter which is not such a big challenge and hope for some Top-10 results in 2016. Medals are out of reach for me nowadays.

For how long are we going to see you doing MTB orienteering at the highest level? Do you still have plans for “the day after”?

M. G. - You will see me as long as I enjoy it. Even now that I don’t win medals anymore I still love competing against the strongest riders in the world, meeting nice people and getting to know new terrains, maps and challenging courses.

Joaquim Margarido

Orientovar (2007.11.26 - 2015.12.19): A Blog has died

Born on 26th November 2007, the Orientovar soon established itself as a special room of information of the Portuguese orienteer community. It is now extinguished, leaving a remarkable documental legacy of eight years in the history of the Portuguese and World Orienteering.

Part of the “dictionary” of the majority of Portuguese-speaking orienteers around the world, the word Orientovar certainly will not be strange to many others, since the 3231 messages published over eight years (an average of more than one per day) were viewed by almost three million people in 152 countries. Joining two separate words - “Orient”, the Orienteering's diminutive, and “Ovar”, the city where its author, Joaquim Margarido, was born - the Orientovar arose from the desire to share, in a systematic way, the available information about Orienteering, giving it a journalistic tone. The great acceptance soon made of it a converging platform of Portuguese orienteers, deserving by the Portuguese Orienteering Federation a special attention by including it prominently in its official webpage and selecting it as privileged “speaker” of their initiatives.

Among the most striking moments of eight years of the Blog's life, there are some, of course, deserving a special attention. The 1st Cantanhede International Orienteering Trophy's Report, on 09th and 10th February 2008, was the first of hundreds of national and international events and included the first interview to a foreign athlete, the Swedish Helena Jansson. Also deserve a prominent note the series “Come and see ...”, recording 154 athletes' profiles and “The Youth Years” where 89 young athletes presented themselves in the first person. Although smaller, items such as “My School”, “My Map” or “Brazilian Space” also had great acceptance and contributed to Orientovar's recognition and vitality.

With one year of life, the Orientovar make a wish: that the dream of carrying out in Portugal the first Orienteering National Day could be a reality. The message received 47 answers, in what is the most commented message of the blog ever. The warm embrace of the Portuguese community led to the dream became true on 14th March 2009, starting a series that continues until the present day. The Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Portugal, demanding attention on the sport is another big moment of the Blog's life. The Trail Orienteering owes to Orientovar a big part of its success in Portugal, by giving it the visibility and the voice to a virtually unknown discipline among the Portuguese orienteers. The same may be said regarding the Adapted Orienteering, whose base document was presented to the World on the Blog's pages in 06th October 2012.

World of O and the Blog's projection

The admission in the World of O's 2nd page, on 18th May 2008, was one of the most memorable moments in the Blog's history, because of the projection for spaces outside the Portuguese language. The friendship with Jan Kocbach led Joaquim Margarido to accept the challenge of creating an English version of Orientovar and so, on 12th January 2012, the Portuguese Orienteering Blog was born. The truth is that the Orientovar, itself, published occasionally some messages in English, and the interview with Thierry Gueorgiou, on 16th January 2012, is the most clear example of it. With 1524 views, written in English, it's the Orientovar's most viewed page ever.

The deep changes resulting from the advent of social networks - especially Facebook - together with the economic crisis affecting harshly Portugal, meant that, gradually, the Blog lose a huge slice of its “price” in terms of daily views. This low uptake turned out to be fatal. “The stories don't mean anything when you've got no one to tell them to” was, from the beginning, the Blog's motto*. Without a motivational feedback, the Orientovar eventually closed its doors on 19th December 2015, date of the 25th anniversary of the Portuguese Orienteering Federation. To History remain the stories, portraits of a beautiful landscape, for later recall. Goodbye, Orientovar!

Joaquim Margarido

______________________________

* The idea of the Blog's motto - “The stories don't mean anything when you've got no one to tell them to” - arose casually, when reading the legends of Brandi Carlile's song “The Story”. A hidden little story,... until now!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Joaquim Margarido

Anine Ahlsand: "I'm glad I have one more year left in the Junior class"

The Portuguese Orienteering Blog keeps on giving word to young athletes. After the recent Interviews with Simona Aebersold, Sara Hagström and Olli Ojanaho - the winner of The Orienteering Achievement of 2015 -, it is now the turn of Anine Ahlsand to be with us, sharing her most joyful memories. Divided between FootO and SkiO, the very young Norwegian has a strong argument to join these two passions: the gold!

The FootO season has finished and the new SkiO season is already there. In 2015, we could see you on top of the Junior World Championships' podium in both disciplines, SkiO and FootO. An amazing achievement, indeed, which put me a delicate problem: Should I point the Interview to FootO or SkiO? But first, let's talk about yourself. Please, tell me who is Anine Ahlsand?

A. A. - I am a nineteen-year-old girl from Oslo in Norway. Currently I live in Trondheim and study civil/computer engineering. I moved here this fall to combine studies with orienteering and skiing. In addition to orienteering, I also do a lot of XC-Skiing. This year I study 50-75% of full time, so I have more time for training. Besides doing sports, I love hanging out and relax with my friends. If you get to know me, you will learn that I am a very competitive person and hate to lose no matter what the competition is (laughs).

I have no doubts about it. So, let's start talking about Ski orienteering. How did you follow the SkiO World Cup's opening round these days, at Ylläs? Had you planned to be there?

A. A. - I thought about going there, but I had to prepare for my exams at home. I also had some XC-races as a part of my plan that same weekend, and I mainly focus on the junior-races in SkiO this year. But I will start my SkiO season this weekend at Sjusjoen in Norway, and I’m excited!

How big is the difference between the Junior class and the Elite class in SkiO? The challenge is mostly related with the physical part?

A. A. - I haven’t competed in the Elite class more than just a couple of times, but I think it is like most sports, where the Elite class is significantly better than the Junior class. Of course the physical part is a bigger challenge, and I also think that the technique should be more stable if you’re going to perform on a high level in the Elite class. SkiO is a small sport, and the Elite athletes probably have a lot more experience and races than the Juniors.

As a Ski orienteer, how did you live those days at Hamar, last February? Did you expect such good results [one gold, one bronze and a fourth place]?

A. A. - The Championships at Hamar was my first international competition, so I didn’t know where my level was compared to the other athletes. Therefore I did not have many expectations beforehand. I was very excited before the first competition, and to compete on home turf was extra fun. Even though I didn’t expect good results, I sure thought about the medals (and dreamed about the gold). After the Sprint distance, where I did a very good race, I could lower my shoulders and just enjoy the rest of the week. The Long Distance was for me a good race, and the Middle was most fun! I had never raced a Mass Start in SkiO before, and I enjoyed the action and duels along the course. I really look forward to this year’s Championships in Austria!

Can you detail the most significant moments?

A. A. - There is one moment I remember as one of the best. After finishing the Sprint, I was very satisfied with my race. But I also knew I had lost almost 30 seconds on the last short loop. I had an early start, so it took a while before the result was final. I remember changing at the stadium after my race and listened to the speaker talking about the split times. After a while could announce that all the medals where won by Norwegian girls, and that was a good moment I remember very well.

Was it a good preparation for the FootO season? How did you “jump” from one discipline to another?

A. A. - Usually I focus only on XC-Skiing during the Winter, and in April I start training towards the orienteering season. This summer was one of my best seasons, and that after I had competed more in SkiO than previous years. I think the SkiO helped me to maintain the focus on the orienteering technique, and of course both SkiO and XC-Skiing keeps my physical shape good during the winter season. I believe that changing my focus from one discipline to another when the season changes, makes me even more focused and excited when the new season comes.

Does your teammates think that SkiO and FootO are very compatible?

A. A. - Yes, they kind of complement each other, so there is no problem doing both. But if I add XC-Skiing to it all, then sometimes it’s a bit too much. It’s important for me to plan well before the season's start, so the total load doesn’t get too hard.

Let's put aside the SkiO for a while, if you agree. When you reached the last month of July and the JWOC, in Rauland, did you feel confident and well prepared? Was running home again an extra-motivation? Tell me about your goals.

A. A. - I was well prepared before JWOC in Rauland. I had been to Rauland and similar terrains several times, and I knew it was a type of terrain that suited me well. I felt confident before the Championships because the terrain is one of my favorites and I knew I could run good races. Two weeks before JWOC, the Norwegian team had a training camp with a lot of good training, so I was also confident about my physical shape. Running home was definitely an extra-motivation. I had a lot of friends and family cheering for me at the arenas, and I must say it helped a lot! I didn’t have any specific goals before JWOC, except doing good races. In a Championships you want to prove how good you are, and in order to do that, everything has to work out. And that was my main goal!

That Middle Distance final was a tight fight, the six first athletes separated by less than one minute. Can you still feel the emotions of that day?

A. A. - Yes, a really tight and exciting race! After the sprint, where I was 23rd, I lost some self-confidence. It was a bad race technically, and my shape wasn’t really good either. I began to doubt my physical shape and wondering if my preparations had gone wrong. In the middle-distance qualification I started out with only one goal: run a good technical race. In my last JWOC in 2013, I ran a good qualification except for two controls, and didn’t make it to the final. This time I knew if I could finish without any big mistakes, I would qualify. I did a good race and finished in 2nd place in my group. This made me believe in myself again and I felt ready for the final. After the qualification I believed that a podium (top 6) was possible if I had a really good day. It turned out to be one of my best days, and I completed a nearly perfect race. It took a while before I dared to believe it when people told me no one could beat me. When I think back at that particular day, it makes me smile, and I even get goosebumps sometimes. And the emotions, I can definitely still feel them!

When you put SkiO in one hand and FootO in the other, which one is heavier? Why?

A. A. - I must be honest and say that FootO is definitely the heaviest. Orienteering has been one of my favorite sports since I was a kid, and I didn’t try SkiO until a few years ago. I really like SkiO, but I spend more time practicing Foot orienteering and therefore it is more important to me.

What are your most important skills and what do you feel that you have to improve in the next times?

A. A. - I think my physical shape is one of my most important skills. I am not a typical runner, but because of all the Skiing I do, I train endurance a lot during the winter and I get strong. I also think I am good at staying focused and relaxed in competitions, and don’t let the nerves take over. I have a lot of things I want to improve! Especially long distances and orienteering in high speed. I also want to improve my top speed, witch will help me in the Sprints.

Are you prepared for “jumping” into the Elite?

A. A. - Oh, not quite yet I think! I'm glad I have one more year left in the Junior class. But of course I’m looking forward to it. I think I will learn a lot in my first years in the Elite class, but still have goals and things I want to improve before I do.

Have you some goals already designed to 2016? How is the preparation season going to be?

A. A. - Yes I do, both national and international. At home, my main goal is to have a good season overall, and I’m aiming for a gold medal in the Norwegian Championships. If I run good races in Norway, I will hopefully qualify to JWOC where I don’t have any result goals yet. If I get to compete in Switzerland next summer, my goal is to be in a good physical shape. I know the courses will be real tough this year, and I think the physical shape will be essential. And if I succeed technically in the races as well, I will be really happy!

What's your biggest wish?

A. A. - That’s my little secret.

[Photo courtesy of Anine Ahlsand]

Joaquim Margarido

Ojanaho and Alm: Orienteering Achievement of 2015

Maja Alm and Olli Ojanaho have been awarded with “The Orienteering Achievement of 2015″ titles in the women’s and men’s class, respectively! Alm won the award with a big margin ahead of her team mate in the Danish National Team Ida Bobach. Among the men, Finnish junior Ojanaho was awarded the “The Orienteering Achievement of 2015″ with Swiss Daniel Hubmann in second.

The vote has been decided by the big international readership of WorldofO.com – more than 4000 unique votes from around 60 different countries have been delivered – making these results very representative for the worldwide orienteering community. Big thanks go to all voters and to the event sponsors PWT Five Days Toscana, Andalucia O-Meeting, Easter 4 , O-Ringen, Swiss O-week, Antalya Orienteering Festival, Sprint Scotland, Suunto Games and OOCup.

In the Men’s class Olli Ojanaho won with 25.2% of the votes ahead of Daniel Hubmann with 21.8%, Lucas Basset with 19.1% and Thierry Gueorgiou with 14.2%. Last year’s winner in the men’s class was 96 year old Rune Haraldsson, this year an 18 year old junior wins the award. In the Womens’s class Maja Alm won with an impressive 39.7% of the votes ahead of Ida Bobach with 27.4%, Annika Billstam with 7.9% and Galina Vinogradova with 7.8%. The Interviews with the winners can be read at http://news.worldofo.com/2015/12/22/ojanaho-and-alm-orienteering-achievement-of-2015/.

The Orienteering Achievement of the Year is an annual election organized by the largest international orienteering presence - WorldofO.com. In this edition of the Orienteering Achievement of the Year 8 men and 8 women were nominated for their great orienteering achievements. The nominated runners – and stories about why they were nominated – can be found at http://poll.worldofo.com/2015/.

[Press release: Jan Kocbach / World of O]