Two or three things I know about it...

1. Timo Ritakallio, former IOF Council member and soon the President of the Finnish Olympic Committee, is proposing that Finland would apply for organizing the Winter Olympic Games in 2026 with Sweden. In a large interview he gave to Lauri Nurmi and published last 24th November at Turun Sanomat [HERE], Ritakallio talks about the Olympics in the future and its quest for a sustainable development, introducing Finland as being ready to work in an application looking forward the 2026 Winter Games. To start with the project, extending the idea to the sports community, the municipalities and the government and generating a national debate on how to apply for the Games seems to be the priority on Ritakallio's agenda. If the dream will come true, Ritakallio relies on the fact that he would love to see the Ski orienteering among the Olympic sports.

2. Orienteering Australia is looking for candidates who would be interested in coming to the country to help fellow Orienteers both young and old improve their orienteering skills. This is an exciting opportunity for young people to visit Australia and coach orienteering or make maps. To live with local families and have fun orienteering are between the offers. “If you are attracted to beautiful beaches, friendly people and wildlife but most of all orienteering, we would like to hear from you”, can be read at http://scholar.orienteering.asn.au. Applications for this round are open until 30th November.

3. Elite athletes running parts of the courses together is something that harms both athletes and spectators. Longer start interval, better forking or maybe a completely new format are some of the suggested solutions in a beautiful article published last Tuesday by the International Orienteering Federation. Along the article, we can see Ida Bobach, the chairperson of the FootO Athletes' Commission, supporting “a longer start interval” and, at the same time, Jørn Sundby, Senior Event Adviser of the World Orienteering Championships defending that “two minutes start interval is a maximum” because of live TV-broadcasting reasons. The experienced WOC-commentator Per Forsberg, the Long Distance World Champion, Olav Lundanes, or the former coach of the Swedish, Norwegian and British national teams, Göran Andersson, join the debate with interesting opinions. Everything to read at http://orienteering.org/long-distance-for-discussion/.

[Photo: Kari Pullinen / Helsingin Sanomat / hs.fi]

Joaquim Margarido

WMOC 2016: Fourth gold to Kyburz

After winning both the Middle and Long Distance and also the Team Competition, Matthias Kyburz got the gold again with the Swiss Relay Team in the last day of the 49th World Military Orienteering Championships. Russia was a natural winner in the Women Relay, with Natalia Efimova getting her third gold.

Under the motto "Friendship Through Sport", was in an atmosphere of great celebration and joy that came to an end the 49th World Military Orienteering Championships that took place in Brazil. The coastal city of Buzios was a worthy host of the event's final stage, welcoming with all its hospitality and sympathy the 44 male and 13 female teams, totalising 170 athletes from 25 countries.

In the Men competition, Switzerland and Russia soon got a good advantage over the rest of the teams, with Florian Howald being five-second faster than Dmitrii Nakonechnyi in the first leg. In the second leg the best time belonged to the Austrian Gernot Kerschbaumer, but the highlight goes to Martin Hubmann who managed to get rid of Dmitrii Tsvetkov, launching Matthias Kyburz for the decisive leg with near one-minute advantage. Once again, Kyburz performed highly, setting the fastest time on this leg and giving to Switzerland a win with the time of 2:20:51. Threatened by Poland and Austria teams, Russia had to run at its best in order to keep the second place, finishing with the time of 2:22:40. Seven seconds later came Poland, having to settle with the bronze medal, while the Austrians were fourth, six seconds behind Poland. Brazil had a misfortunate day and wasn’t able to get better than the 12th place, finishing 32:45 after the winners.

The Women competition had in Russia a natural winner, although the Swiss Elena Roos had been the fastest to finish the first leg. The truth is that Angela Schwab was quickly caught by the athletes of Russia, Poland and Lithuania, and Yulia Novikova launched to the final leg her team mate Galina Vinogradova, with an advantage of more than five minutes over the most direct opponents. Vinogradova would extend this margin to the 8:32 over Poland, second ranked, scoring an overall time of 1:45:24. Spending more 11:18 than Russia, Lithuania reached the third position. With Edneia Roniak, Franciely Chiles and Letícia Saltori in the team, Brazil finished in the 7th position, 18:45 after the winners.

Results

Men

1. Switzerland (Florian Howald, Martin Hubmann, Matthias Kyburz) 2:20:51 (+ 00:00)

2. Russia (Dmitrii Nakonechnyi, Dmitrii Tsvetkov, Andrey Khramov) 2:22:40 (+ 01:49)

3. Poland (Michal Olejnik, Bartosz Pawlak, Wojciech Kowalski) 2:22:47 (+ 01:56)

4. Austria (Mathias Hans Reiner, Gernot Kerschbaumer, Robert Merl) 2:22:53 (+ 02:02)

5. Lithuania (Algirdas Bartkevicius, Jonas Vytautas Gvildys, Vilius Aleliunas) 2:26:18 (+ 05:27)

6. Estonia (Lauri Sild, Sander Vaher, Timo Sild) 2:30:08 (+ 09:17)

Women

1. Russia (Natalia Efimova, Yulia Novikova, Galina Vinogradova) 1:45:24 (+ 00:00)

2. Poland (Hanna Wisniewska, Ewa Gwozdz, Aleksandra Hornik) 1:53:56 (+ 08:32)

3. Lithuania (Vesta Ambrazaite, Sandra Pauzaite, Tekle Emilija Gvildyte) 1:56:42 (+ 11:18)

4. Switzerland (Elena Roos, Angela Schwab, Sarina Jenzer) 1:56:56 (+ 11:32)

5. Estonia (Laura Joonas, Eleri Hirv, Annika Rihma) 1:58:29 (+ 13:05)

6. Denmark (Astrid Hadberg, Lea reime, Nina Germann Najbjerg) 2:03:04 (+ 17:40)

Complete results and further information at http://cism-orienteering.com/.

[Photo: cism-orienteering.com]

Joaquim Margarido

Anna Dvorianskaia: "I just want to compete more and improve my results"

Anna Dvorianskaia is our guest today. To the bright silver won in Switzerland, in the Junior World Championships, the athlete added remarkable performances in the European Championships and the World Championships, side by side with the Elite. It's of an unforgettable season, in the transition to the adulthood, that she speaks in this interview

I would start by asking you to introduce yourself.

Anna Dvorianskaia (A. D.) - I was born in Samara, in central Russia, at the banks of the Volga River and I still live here. I graduated from high school and I'm studying at the university, at the faculty of physical culture and sports. I'm learning and training a lot.

How did you meet Orienteering?

A. D. - I started the practice of the sport from early childhood. My father brought me to Orienteering when I was 7 year old. I did it with the children of my age and it was fun and interesting. The serious trainings started at the age of 11-12. My coach is my dad. He's also my main sparring partner.

Was there a moment – that kind of “click” - when you said to yourself: “That's it, Orienteering is my sport for life”?

A. D. - In 2011, I went to the EYOC in the Czech Republic for the first time. I was only 14 years old, but that big competition helped me to realize that I was ready to give all of me to this sport. Unfortunately, the last two years I have had health problems. Just last summer we found the cause and began to fix the problem quickly. As you can see, we managed to solve it. My physical shape was excellent this year. There were a few competitions in which I got tired and weren't at my best. I also have been trying to improve my technical skills, but it has been a little harder. I have to work very attentively with the map.

What are your most valuable skills?

A. D. - The ability to focus on my actions, to make quick decisions, to believe in myself – these are the most important things to have in mind at the start.

How did you prepare for the season?

A. D. - I started my preparations for the 2016 season at the end of January, in the sunny city of Gelendzhik, at the Black Sea. At that time, I started to train with Inna and Tatiana, led by Maxim Ryabkin, Tatiana's husband and coach. At that camp I was happy to follow all the instructions. Later, Maxim continued to work with me, and I'm very grateful to him. More than that, my father continued to coach my physical skills. This camp gave me a big push in the preparations for the season.

When you look back on the season, what were your most relevant moments?

A. D. - At the beginning of the season I managed to get the 8th position at the EOC, in the Czech Republic. Then I got a silver medal at JWOC in Switzerland. Also I got a silver medal at the WUOC in Hungary. All these results made me so happy! My performance at the WOC wasn't so good. I was not bad on qualifications, but in the final I made many mistakes, so I was only 27th.

Did you expect such good results?

A. D. - I didn't expect these results. I just trained a lot to be ready for the competitions. This is the first year I tried to participate in the Elite group. This is a serious level but I was ready for it because I've been competing in the older age groups since I was a child. Of course, this competition is much more serious than that for juniors. Now I just want to compete more and improve my results.

We have now a long break until the big competitions in 2017. What are your plans for the winter season?

A. D. - Every winter I go skiing. For me, the winter is for ski-orienteering.

Do you have some goals already designed for the near future?

A. D. - To train and gain experience. Now I'm training and getting ready for selection for the JWSOC 2017. Another important competition in 2017 will be JWOC in Finland. It will be my last year in the Junior category.

Now that 2016 is close to an end and a new season is arriving, I would ask you to leave a message to all orienteers, specially the youngsters.

A. D. - First of all, I want to wish all good luck. Secondly, I advise to train every day, because training is the main component of success. And last, but not least, never give up.

[Photo courtesy of Jan Kocbach / worldofo.com / Anna Dvorianskaia's profile]

Joaquim Margarido

WMOC 2016: Double victory for Switzerland in the Long Distance

Matthias Kyburz and Sarina Jenzer got the gold in the second day of the 49th World Military Orienteering Championships. In the Team Competition, Switzerland and Russia were the winners.

Following his victory in the Long Distance race of the 49th World Military Orienteering Championships, Matthias Kyburz got his second gold medal in a row. Again a comfortable triumph, fulfilling the 13,1 km of his course in 1:12:05. Frederic Tranchand, France, finished second, with more 3:15 than Kyburz. The Estonian Timo Sild closed the podium, near five minutes after the winner. Sidnaldo Farias de Sousa, Brazil, was the house team's best athlete, finishing 16th in a race that was attended by 144 competitors.

Second placed in the Middle Distance, Sarina Jenzer upgraded her standings and reached a near two-minute victory. The fight for the silver was really tough, with the Austrian Ursula Kadan being second, just one second ahead of the Russian Natalia Efimova, the Middle Distance winner, and six seconds before Yulia Novikova, Russia. The Brazilian Leticia Saltori, performed quite impressively, finishing in the 9th position with more 8:02 than Jenzer.

After the Middle Distance and the Long Distance stages, the Team competition's final standings are known and the Switzerland won the Men competition (4 best in the Middle + 4 best in the Long), before Russia and Poland, second and third placed, respectively. Russia got the win in the Women competition (3 best in the Middle + 3 best in the Long), with Poland being second and Switzerland finishing third. Brazil got the 9th position in the Men competition and reached the 6th place in the Women.

Results

Long Distance

Men

1. Matthias Kyburz (Switzerland) 1:12.05 (+ 00:00)
2. Frederic Tranchand (France) 1:15.20 (+ 03:15)
3. Timo Sild (Estonia) 1:17.04 (+ 04:59)
3. Florian Howald (Switzerland) 1:17.04 (+ 04:59)
5. Leonid Novikov (Russia) 1:18.25 (+ 06:20)
6. Hubmann Martin (Switzerland) 1:18.43 (+ 06:38)

Women

1. Sarina Jenzer (Switzerland) 57:41 (+ 00:00)

2. Ursula Kadan (Austria) 59:38 (+ 01:57)

3. Natalia Efimova (Russia) 59:39 (+ 01:58)

4. Yulia Novikova (Russia) 59:44 (+ 02:03)

5. Elena Roos (Switzerland) 1:01:42 (+ 04:01)

6. Svetlana Mironova (Russia) 1:03:40 (+ 05:59)

Team competition

Men

1. Switzerland 7:35:36 (+ 00:00)

2. Russia 7:41:52 (+ 06:16)

3. Poland 8:16:33 (+ 40:58)

Women

1. Russia 4:37:35 (+ 00:00)

2. Poland 5:08:16 (+ 30:41)

3. Switzerland 5:16:56 (+ 39:21)

[Photo: cism-orienteering.com]

Joaquim Margarido

Erik Rost: "I should be able to fight for the gold"

Overall winner of the Ski Orienteering World Cup last season and current leader of the IOF World Ranking, Erik Rost is our invited today. Here he talks about a successful season and looks forward to the next one, with the WSOC gold on the horizon.

Congratulations on your season and your World Cup winning overall. Did you expect it?

Erik Rost (E. R.) - Thanks a lot. I knew I had a big chance to win but you have to perform well for the whole season to win. Even if you know that you are strong it’s not just to ski the race to win. You must be focused, offensive and willing to push yourself hard every race to have a good result.

Was 2015/2016 your best season so far?

E. R. - It was a great season and I was better trained then before but also 2008 I won the overall World Cup. The best along the season was of course the overall World Cup title. It was my big goal. The worst was the Long Distance of ESOC. I simple made all mistakes in one race but the race after I got revenge. We won the relay after many years!

What one or two things you did in your training that were keys to your success?

E. R. - Continuity.

We can see that the fight for top positions is, nowadays, quite hard and names like Lamov, Belomazhev, Khrennikov, Moholdt or Nordberg made the start field during the last season one of the strongest ever. What things do you believe differentiates you from your closest opponents?

E. R. - Last year I had the highest lowest level even if Moholdt was very close.

A new season is about to start and the natural question is: Are you ready?

E. R. - I have prepared well and done what me and my coach think is good. I combined my sport with half time work so mostly of the time I spend at home in Falun training with Dalarna Sports Academy, but one week every month I go for a training camp.

What is your biggest challenge currently and what are you doing to manage this challenge?

E. R. - My biggest challenge is to get enough specific ski-o training. I plan to go many ski-o races to get good orienteering training and also go for some training camps with specific ski-o training.

What are your goals for the 2016/2017 season? Are we going to see you, finally, getting the gold in the World SkiO Championships?

E. R. - My goal is to perform on top at WSOC and if you look at the results from last years I should be able to fight for the gold.

Widening the scope of our talk, how do you see the Ski Orientering's present moment? Are we going in the right way?

E. R. - I think IOF is doing a good work and I know it's many people working hard to develop ski-o. Winters lack of snow it’s not good for the sport but it’s a wonderful sport and if we just can get more people to try it we will be more practitioners because it’s impossible to not like ski-o a great winter day. I’m not absolutely satisfied about the new programme for WSOC. Especially the idea to develop and introduce new distances for the championship only to make it more interesting for the spectators. We must think about the base of the sport also and try and evaluate new disciplines before introducing them in championship’s. I think todays programme is very good.

And what about the effort to become the sport more media-friendly? Do you think it's the key for the Olympics?

E. R. - Maybe. It’s difficult to say how we should do to join the Olympics. Another questions is if we want to join? Money destroys the sport. So far we have only a few known cases with doping or cheating and it’s because not so many people have money to earn from good results. It means for mostly of the athletes in ski-o it’s genuine love for the sport is the impulsion. Of course I sometimes dreaming of live (earn money) of the sport and it’s easier to develop the sport if we have big sponsors etc. but will it be better?

In the beginning of a new season, I would ask you to make a wish to all orienteers and, in particular, to those addicted to SkiO.

E. R. - Enjoy the winter. Now it’s the best time for orienteering ;)

[Photo: Donatas Lazauskas / facebook.com/orienteering.lt]

Joaquim Margarido