“Heiress” of Michaela Gigon -
just the best female MTB orienteering athlete of all times -, Marina
Reiner has the potential for great achievements and a bright future
ahead. Her best results so far achieved in all individual distances
in the World MTB Orienteering Championships tin 2016 seem to be a
very good harbinger of what is to come. With two of the most
important events of the international calendar to take place in
Austria in 2017 and 2018, the time of risking everything has come.
The first question is always the
easiest. Would you like, in brief, to present yourself?
Marina Reiner (M. R.) - I was
born in March 1991 in Villach, Austria. It's a small city in the
south of Austria and I spent my whole childhood there. I finished my
studies as a certified kindergarten teacher and the A level (combined
education system). Right now I’m living in Graz (Austria) and
working part time in a school in my hometown – doing workshops in
physical activity and training science. I’m studying Sport Science
with the main emphasis in training therapy. I’m in the Master
Program. When I graduate I will be allowed to work with patients for
example in a Rehabilitation institution and I also would like to
combine children and sports in my job in some way. I like to spend
my free time out in the nature with my horse, going for a hike, run
or any other kind of sports. But, sometimes, I prefer to relax and be
lazy. I also like to cook, enjoy good food and go for a walk.
How did you meet Orienteering?
M. R. - Orienteering was offered
in the middle school. I had no idea about the sport but I liked the
concept. So I started doing FootO when I was 11. I competed in the
“school cup” and started to love this kind of sport. But, when I
was 15, I attended a new school in another city and I wanted to do
something else, so I stopped. Four years later, my brother helped me
to get back to orienteering. I started again with running but I got
problems with my knees. And then there was the offer to try out MTBO.
It was like a new start for me. I attended my first MTBO event at the
age of 20.
What do you see in MTB Orienteering
that makes it so special?
M. R. - MTBO is the perfect
combination of physical and mental activity. You need to find the
balance between exhausting physical activity and being able to think
and stay concentrated. And there is always a new course – every
time you get the map, a new challenge starts. There is no chance to
get bored. I like that!
Taking a look on the statistics, I
can see that your first presence in the World MTB Orienteering
Championships was in 2012, in Hungary. What memories do you keep from
the event?
M. R. - I rode my first World
Championships there. It was so hot but I liked the terrain. For me
this half open areas with the shrubs and the hills were new and a big
challenge to find the right way through. I'll never forget the Relay.
I started as the second rider and did a good job. But Michi Gigon as
the last rider was able to came in 4th. It was my first diploma in my
first elite year. That was an amazing start for me!
Along the following years, I would
say that your results were far away from the expected. Am I right?
M. R. - That's an interesting
point. I know that the expectations doing a sport in the Elite class are
quite high and everyone expects a World title. But for me it's
different. I’m still learning a lot and I try to improve my skills.
I did orienteering in my middle school but just for fun and only for
a few years. I didn’t ride the mountain bike before I started doing
MTBO so I still have to get more bike skills as well. And I’m no
full time athlete – my studies are taking time as well. Actually,
overall, I’m satisfied with my results but I’m trying to get
better every season.
In Portugal, you could achieve your
best results ever in the three individual distances – 25th in the
Sprint, 21st in the Middle Distance and 18th in the Long Distance.
How do you rate the season overall?
M. R. - I didn’t expect too much from this season because I was in
America the last winter semester, came back in January and didn’t
train a lot till February because I was ill. The plan for the season
2016 was just to compete as much as possible and collect some more
experiences. It was better than I expected.
On the national plan, we've been
able to beat the “eternal” Michaela Gigon. What does it mean?
M. R. - For me it means a lot
and is a big motivation for the next season. Michaela is a role model
for me. Her orienteering skills are really amazing and the last years
I was a step behind, nearly always. I don’t have the same skills
like her but I’m learning and getting better. I’m still doing too
many mistakes and I’m getting too nervous in tricky and o-technical
difficult terrains but it gets less and I’m getting stronger on the
bike as well. This season I showed that I can stay focused in
national races. I would like to be able to compete on the
international level like this as well. I definitely need to get more
self-confidence for the international level to reach my goals.
What do you feel being part of the
Austria team?
M. R. - I really enjoy being
part of the team and travel together. It's like a big family. If you
need something there, will always be someone to help you out. We
laugh a lot and it’s always like a little holiday spending time
together.
How do you see the present moment of
MTB Orienteering? If you had the power, would you change something?
M. R. - I think MTBO is still a
pretty small sport. I would not change the sport – in my opinion it
is great like it is right now. But it would be helpful if the
conditions around the competitions would be changed in some way to
enlarge the MTBO family. Races in the Czech Republic are like little
family festivals. There is a kids corner during the events. I think
that's a great opportunity for parents to keep doing their sport.
This possibility should be offered at any event.
The next season will open in your
country, with the World Cup first round in Waldviertel, one year
before the World Championships, in the same place. Are you feeling
already butterflies in the stomach?
M. R. - I’m kind of excited!
On one hand I want to show my skills and on the other hand I don’t
want to expect too much because it will not get easy.
What do you expect from both events?
M. R. - I expect good races. The
forests could be quite steep. I will try to be prepared and in a good
physical shape.
Are we going to see you finally
reaching a top 10 position? Will it be in the Sprint or in the Long
Distance?
M. R. - I hope I will make it to
the top 10 positions! I cannot promise it will be next season but I
will work on that. I’m not sure which discipline I will be better
but I hope I can reach the top 10 in both.
What other goals do you have
designed for the next season?
M. R. - I guess my biggest goal
is to reach a better overall position in World Cup ranking. But there
are also goals like riding without crashes and saving money for a new
bike.
How is going to be the winter
season?
M. R. - The winter is always a
mixture of different sports. I need some distance from the bike for a
few months. I will run and hike and if there is snow I will do some
cross country skiing as well. Also strength training will be part of
my winter training.
Would you like to share the biggest
wish for the future?
M. R. - This questions are
always the most difficult to answer. There are so many wishes I would
like to come true. But most of them are material and so I just have
to work on them. But I guess the biggest wish I can’t buy myself:
is to be satisfied and enjoy life!
Joaquim Margarido
