Samson Deriaz: "I can't wait to race in the Elite"

With a gold medal and a silver one on his chest, Samson Deriaz was one of the stars of the last Junior World MTB Orienteering Championships. This is the main topic of the interview to the Portuguese Orienteering Blog, adding a set of important details that define him as an athlete and as a person.

The season is over and it's time for a well-deserved rest. How do you feel?

Samson Deriaz (S. D.) - I feel really happy about my season, it was the best in term of results so far. I managed to have good races during the French selections and mostly at the open races organized during the World Cup in Alsace. So I felt strong and self-confident when leaving to Portugal and I think it helped me to race the way I did. The results I got in Portugal have been the perfect ending of the season, and it was an amazing time!

Do you still feel the excitement of being on top of the podium listening “La marseillaise”? How was that day? Let me guess: You wake up and you said to yourself: “It's gold time!”

S. D. - No, I hadn't planned to win this gold medal, even if I wished so. But my state of mind before the race was good and I was motivated and really focused on what I had to do. We listened good music on the way to the course and I think it helped me to be focused. And it was a wonderful feeling to win this race and to be on the top of the podium. I was only 3 seconds faster than Sauli Pietikainen so I was very thankful about winning and I said to myself “At last I achieved this medal!” because it was my first individual one in an international Championships. And I have to say that the “Marseillaise” time, with all the French team singing with me, was really strong and emotional.

After the gold medal, you reached the silver in the Long Distance ...

S. D. - Before leaving to Portugal, I knew my shape was good, as well as my orienteering skills. So my goal was to bring back, at least, one individual medal and another in the relay because, in my opinion, our team was quite strong. But two individual medals, including a gold one, has been more than I could expect. I still have been disappointed about our fifth place in the relay because I think we could have been better.

How boring life can be without Orienteering?

S. D. - For me, Orienteering is a way to make each sport more interesting and more exciting. So, even if I also like to practice MTB or running without orienteering, it's always funnier with a map !

How did you meet MTBO and what do you see in this discipline that makes it so special?

S. D. - I started to practice Foot orienteering when I was a child, and I also used to practice MTB with my father and with friends, but not very often. I think I was ten when I took part in my first MTBO race and I did it because my club needed someone for a relay. After that, as I had enjoyed it, I continued and I finally practised more and more MTBO and less and less FootO. What I like in MTBO is that it makes us able to join MTB and orienteering in the same sport. I also love the speed, the excitement of the races and the total focus that we must keep. And of course, I also love the friendship between riders !

I would ask you about your training routine.

S. D. - I live in Lyon because of my studies, and I'm in the High Level Sport section of INSA, my Engineering School. This section allows us to have lots of time to train and to compete (we do the two first years of the school in three years) and offers us the opportunity to see a mental coach and an osteopath. So I train mostly around Lyon, and mostly on road bike. Baptiste Fuchs is my coach since the Summer of 2014, so he helps me to train cleverly on the physical part. I use to train between five and seven times a week, with intensity, sprint or long bike sessions, but also all body trainings.

What are your most valuable skills? What part do you work the most?

S. D. - With the help of Baptiste, I had a huge physical progression during the two past seasons, so I think I can say it is my greatest strength. The mental and technical parts are my weakness, but I saw the mental coach of my school section last year and it helped me a lot to avoid more mistakes and to be more focused. Yet, I still have a lot to improve and I will keep working this part of our sport, even if, for now, I almost only train physically during the week.

I'm sure that you’re following the big events and all the Elite athletes along the season. What moments / athletes impressed you the most? Is there an athlete which is an inspiration for you?

S. D. - Of course I follow their results ! And I can't wait to race in the Elite on the World Cups. I take inspiration from all the French athletes, but Cédric Beill is for me the most impressive and his four gold medals in 2014 show how strong he is. I'm always impressed about is ability to make the right choices during the race.

Did you already start to prepare the next season?

S. D. - We already had a training weekend with the French team with a meeting to explain how we will be selected for the Summer competitions. And I also restarted to train, but not just on bike. I run, swim and do all body trainings.

You still have one year in the Junior category. What are your goals for 2017?

S. D. - For my last year in Junior category, my goal is to get at least the same results as last year, both in the World Championships and in the European Championships.

Would you like to share with us your biggest wish?

S. D. - My goal is to join the French Elite team and to get a medal in this category. A gold one would be fine!

Joaquim Margarido

Hong Kong TrailO Championships 2016 (PreO): Chui Tsz Ho reached the gold

Chui Tsz Ho reached the title of 2016 Hong Kong PreO Champion. In the clash that gathered 25 competitors in the Elite Class, he was the fastest in the timed controls that eventually decided the winner.

With the Chinese New Year approaching, the Orienteering Association of Hong Kong organized last Sunday the 2016 National TrailO Championships (PreO). Held in Lung Fu Shan, a popular hicking and picnic spot of the “most thrilling city on the planet”, the event was attended by 62 athletes overall, competing in the Elite, Advanced Open, Advanced Youth, Beginners Open and Family classes. Set by Raphael Mak and Yu Tsz Ying, the course extended by 1550 meters over two maps, offering 17 tasks in the Elite class and a “bonus” of four extra tasks in the timed station.

In a well-balanced race, the competitors were able to test their skills, revealing a high rate of correct answers. With the incertitude about the winner keeping up along the course, the maximum of emotion was reached in the two last controls, first with a tricky reentrant to put a lot of difficulties on most of the competitors and to throw Chun Ho Ho detached in the lead, and then, in the very last control, with the same Chun Ho Ho “slippering” in the stairs and failing where very few have failed. In the end of the course, the results showed five competitors tied with 16 out of 17 points and the timed station was really decisive to find the winner. Chui Tsz Ho was the fastest with 19 seconds, reaching the gold. With more 9 seconds than the winner, Tsang Michael Chun Chi reached the second place and Hui Yau Chiu was third ranked, with 40 seconds. Missing one task in the timed station, Chun Ho Ho also missed a place in the podium, finishing in the 5th place with 95 seconds.

For the Portuguese Orienteering Blog, the National Controller, Solomon Luk, left some words: “To control this event was really inspiring. I'm very happy to see many new stars raising up and the way TrailO is developing in Hong Kong”. He also mention the excellent work of Yu Tsz Ying, co-course setter along with Raphael Mak: “She was inspired by the typical scenery and historical buildings in the fortress during her trainings at Lung Fu Shan [Yu Tsz Ying was the representative of Hong Kong in the World Orienteering Championships from 2012 to 2015]. She recommended to the organization committee to hold the Championships here and a small dream came true, turning into a success her debut in the TrailO organization”, he said. Raphael Mak, Mapper and Event Director, was also very satisfied with the event: “I learnt a lot from organising my first TrailO event. The considerations are very different from FootO and a lot of mistakes were made, but the satisfaction is overwhelmingly great. I hope I will have the chance to organise more TrailO events in the future”, he concludes.

Results

1. Chui Tsz Ho 16 points / 19 seconds

2. Tsang Michael Chun Chi 16 points / 28 seconds

3. Hui Yau Chiu 16 points / 40 seconds

4. Wong Chi Yen 16 points / 49 seconds

5. Chun Ho Ho 16 points / 95 seconds

6. Ng Kok Hei 15 points / 43 seconds

7. Kwong Kwok Wah 15 points / 48 seconds

8. Ho Hing Ling 15 points / 227 seconds

9. Liang Chi Hang 14 points / 27 seconds

10. Kwong Man Fai Timothy 14 points / 29 seconds

Find HERE the complete results, maps, solutions and further information.

Photo courtesy of Wai Kit Choi.

[The Portuguese Orienteering Blog appreciate the efforts of Solomon Luk and Chun Ho Ho in sharing such useful information]

Joaquim Margarido

   

Orhan Kutlu: "Turkey has potential to organize international competitions"

Orhan Kutlu personifies the will and firmness of the young Turkish Orienteering. Interviewed by the Portuguese Orienteering Blog, he talks about his still short career and thinks about what the future may bring with ambition and confidence.

I would start by asking you to introduce yourself. Who is Orhan Kutlu?

Orhan Kutlu (O. K.) - Hey! I'm Orhan Kutlu, a 21 year old orienteer, trying to find the paths towards my dreams. I was born in Bolu, where there's perfect nature to live and train in. I currently live in Istanbul and study business administration. I'm always searching for ways to improve and learn.

How did you meet Orienteering and why did you become “addicted” to this sport?

O. K. - I discovered orienteering when I was in the Military High School at the age of 16. Our commander asked for students interested in Orienteering that were “good at maths and geometry”. While I wasn't that good at both subjects, I said “yes” because I wanted to be close to my friends and train. It was a perfect decision, not only because it gave me the opportunity to travel and stay away from the military atmosphere but also because I grew fond of orienteering and its philosophy.

How would you describe your training and competition routine?

O. K. - Actually, I've only started training seriously last year or two years ago, so I need more time to learn what is good or bad for my training and race routine. I can say that we have good conditions in Turkey during the Winter and we're able to train without snow. In this time of the year, I try to run more. I always train with the same group, so I try to attend races with different and strong runners, to get to know my performance level more clearly.

What's the biggest challenge you're facing now?

O. K. - I'm facing two major problems right now. The first one is not having high quality orienteering trainings. I'm always training in the same maps, which can be boring sometimes. I try to do as much mental trainings as possible to become familiar with different kinds of maps. The second one is the selection system for the National Team. The selection races are too early, with the season starting in November!!! We must be in good shape and injury free at the beginning of the season; on the other hand, it's always a great challenge to reach the top shape in the Summer. There are eleven selection races along the year and the worst two courses are discarded. You can be the best, but if you get injured in three of them, your chances of getting a place in the team for the International Championships are over. We also have an eight-kilometre track test, scoring for the selection system and the percentage in the overall system is quite high. Coaches are always more interested in athletes' physical performances than in their navigational skills, which is another huge problem.

Among all the moments in your career, which ones would you choose as the most relevant?

O. K. - I don't have too much experience, but I would choose the 3rd place at O-Ringen Middle Distance.

Turkey is, perhaps, the country in the World where Orienteering has the highest growth rate. What caused this “boom”?

O. K. - Orienteering is getting more and more popular in the last years. We have many enthusiastic runners and coaches, they put a big effort in making orienteering well-known. Our Federation also started sending more runners to international races, which makes them realise what is happening in the Orienteering World. In spite of the 'boom' in Turkey, it's really hard to train at a high level. If you want to get a little support, you have to accomplish a great achievement. Athletes who show potential to grow don't get support to be better; they're just supported when they are already great. So, if there is a good one during the upcoming seasons, it will probably be because of that athlete's own effort.

Imagine that you're the person in charge of preparing Turkey's application to organize the World Orienteering Championships. Would it be a forest or a sprint WOC? Which region would you choose for the event's venue?

O. K. - I'm sure that Turkey has potential to organize international competitions, both Sprint and Forest. I would organize the Sprint WOC in the middle eastern part of Turkey, especially in Gaziantep, because we could combine culture and demanding orienteering in the narrow and really confusing streets. For the Forest WOC I would choose my hometown, Bolu, because we can find very varied kinds of terrains there. You could have some problems breathing properly because of the breathtaking scenery and high altitude. I live in Istanbul and I like the terrains here; also Antalya, which is a well-known region to orienteers and offers very good conditions. The different climates we have cause us to find different and really interesting terrains.

How do you see the current moment of Turkish Orienteering and how do you expect it to evolve in the medium and long term?

O. K. - Our runners are searching for more and they train more, even though they don't have good conditions. The enthusiasm they have makes our future brighter. There were only one or two good runners in each category during the last years, but this year there are five or six runners fighting for the top positions. If we continue like that, we'll reach impressive performances in the 2020's. The clubs are starting to organise more trainings and support more athletes. SkiO, MTBO and TrailO are also getting better every year. We have good MTBO athletes but, here, they don't get enough support.

Can the climate of tension and the terrorist attacks that have targeted Turkey be a threat to Orienteering's growth?

O. K. - Of course it affects Orienteering in the worst way. The news are always showing what's happening everywhere, which can be a problem for competitors from abroad. However, you can find excellent conditions for Training Camps and races in Turkey and our sport is a really safe one. Antalya O'Days and Mediterranean Championships in Orienteering will not be attended by so many runners. Hopefully, we'll have more runners from abroad in the following years.

Have you already started to plan the new season?

O. K. - I had a calf injury, so I didn't train for more than a week in the early season. Apart from that, my preparation is going well. Till March, I will just have selection races and my Turkish club, Kuzey Geyikleri DSK, will organize a Training Camp, that will be attended by Thor Norskov. In the beggining of March, I'll participate in the MOC Camp and races. During the Spring, my biggest aim is to be part of the team for my club, Angelniemen Ankkuri, in the big relays. To run in such big races would be a dream come true and I'll give my best for it. I'm also planning to have Training Camps with Angelniemen Ankkuri and Arturs Paulins during the Spring.

What are your biggest goals for 2017?

O. K. - I'll be focused on the World Championships, of course, but firstly I must perform well in the selection races. Then, the remaining and most important part regarding the future will be the learning and practising time in Scandinavian terrains in order to improve my technique.

Imagine that you get full support to prepare the World Orienteering Championships in a foreign country. Which country would you choose and who would you like to see in your training group?

O. K. - During the early season, I would have two or three Training Camps in relevant terrains. One camp would be in Turkey, for sure, and the other camps would be in Portugal and Spain. I've never been there but I'm sure I would enjoy my time there and would take great benefits from it. For my training group I would choose my Turkish friends Ozgur Fettah, Huzeyfe Sigirci and Furkan Topal, for cooking and washing dishes (laughs). I would also invite Arturs Paulins and Thor Norskov, for sure. If they were able, it would be perfect to train with Edgars Bertuks and Thierry Gueorgiou.

Would you like to share your biggest dream with us?

O. K. - To reach the top places in the 2020's. I dream about reaching the Middle Distance podium at that time. I want to show to our youngsters that we are able to reach good places in the major World competitions. I always felt that as a duty.

[Photo: Roland Güdel]

Joaquim Margarido

Egypt - Newcomers on the TrailO map

Egypt made history last summer. For the first time ever an African country took part in the World Trail Orienteering Championships (WTOC), and Ahmed Shabaan - along with Tamer Mehanna, Aytham Ahmed and Mohamed Abdelbaky - was one of ‘the magnificent four’ in the unforgettable Swedish journey. He tells us his story.

Ahmed Abd El Latif Shabaan was born in Shobra El Khima, Kalyobia, Egypt, 23 years ago. For many years he was a successful sportsman in Martial Arts, getting the bronze medal in the Youth World Championships in 2012. Graduating from the Egyptian Military Academy in 2015, Ahmed became part of the Army’s Special Forces and lost a leg whilst on a mission. The accident didn’t prevent him from continuing his sporting career, however, and he started training hard again.

– I felt the need to encourage not only myself, but everyone in an identical situation, he says.

How did you discover Trail Orienteering?

– Tamer Mehanna, the pioneer of Egyptian Orienteering, has supported me from the

beginning of my sporting career and also after my accident. He asked me to try Orienteering, and especially TrailO. He showed me the basics and started to teach me about maps, control descriptions, symbols, everything. I really liked it and I saw it as a way towards becoming a hero again. I became so interested in participating in WTOC that a new life started for me, really.

An unforgettable week

So Ahmed headed to Strömstad in August, and his first ever TrailO event couldn’t have been more exciting. The memories he keeps from those days are still fresh:

– Wow! I was so proud to be part of the Egyptian TrailO Team and so excited to attend a top-level event like WTOC. It was a really fantastic experience and I learned a lot from it. Some of my strongest feelings are about the courses in the forest, something we’re not used to in Egypt. The hardest part was when the kites were really close to each other, making it quite confusing and difficult to choose the right one, Ahmed recalls.

When Ahmed started learning TrailO, he thought it would be easy. Step by step, however, he found how demanding and difficult TrailO can be, requiring hours and hours of training and experience. So not reaching the top placings in the Paralympic class wasn’t unexpected:

– I believe that my results were very good, considering it was my first participation ever in an official TrailO event. On the second day, I managed to get 18 right answers out of 24 and I think it was a super result for someone who only had three months of training, he says.

Now he feels able to share his acquired experience, and is inviting other Egyptians to learn more about TrailO.

Towards the Olympics

More motivated than ever, Ahmed Shabaan wants to keep on going on the front line, at a time when Orienteering is growing exponentially in Egypt and TrailO is part of the process.

– We are starting to build our TrailO National Team and we will be at the “Egypt International Orienteering Championship 2017” events, which will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh. We hope to have a TrailO event in the Mediterranean Orienteering Championships in Alexandria in February 2018, Ahmed says.

As for himself, the goal is to keep on improving his TrailO skills while looking forward to another great occasion, the next World Trail Orienteering Championships:

– We’ll meet in Lithuania, Ahmed assures.

Ahmed’s last words are both an invitation and a wish:

– I would like to see all orienteering-lovers come to Egypt to participate and support us in our events, and help Tamer Mehanna and the Egyptian Orienteering Federation in making our wonderful Orienteering into a really global sport, on its way towards the Olympics, he concludes.

Text and photo: Joaquim Margarido

[See the original article at http://orienteering.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/orienteering-world-webb.pdf. Published with permission from the International Orienteering Federation]

Two or three things I know about it...

1. Simone Niggli is the latest star of the World of Orienteering entering for the Portugal O' Meeting 2017. Having achieved 23 World titles, 10 European titles and 9 World Cups, she is unanimously considered the best orienteer of all time and a true ambassadress of the sport of the forest. Privileging Portugal in the winter season, Simone Niggli is back at the POM to remember “the good old days” and, we are certain, to spread her class through the terrains of Alter do Chão, Crato and Portalegre. It's recalled that Simone Niggli won the competition for six times, firstly in 2002 and, more recently, for five times in a row, in the editions from 2010 to 2014. At this moment, the number of entries is about to surpass the one-thousand's barrier. In addition to Simone Niggli, the Swedish Helena Jansson is a strong presence in the Women Elite. In the men's side, Gustav Bergman and Albin Ridefelt (Sweden), Lucas Basset and Thierry Gueorgiou (France), Baptiste Rollier (Switzerland) and Milos Nykodym (Czech Republic) are the greatest names so far. More information at http://pom.pt/2017/en/.

2. O-Ringen, in cooperation with the IOF and the PWT Travel, is presenting a new model of O-Ringen Academy. The goal is to attract young orienteers all over the world, helping their development and competitor skills. The organization is based on a professional leader-team to secure the idea of O-Ringen Academy and to offer to all participants a fantastic week full of positive experiences and knowledge. The invitation is addressed for all federations’ “young runners” in the age between 15 – 25 as well as young runners/leaders in different ages. In this first step, the organizers are inviting one male and one female from each federation, asking for an answer as soon as possible. “There might be possible to send more persons from a nation but we will try to get as many countries as possible represented”, they say. The O-Ringen Academy will take place in Arvika, Sweden, from 20th to 29th July. Entries should be submitted by 31st January 2017 to Jaroslav Kacmarcik, IOF Regional Youth Development Committee, jkpwt@hotmail.com.

3. For the fifth time in its history, the Clube de Montanha do Funchal is organizing the Madeira Orienteering Festival, a Foot Orienteering event scoring for Madeira Cup of the Portuguese Orienteering Federation. Four Municipalities with excellent conditions for Tourism and Nature Sports (Funchal, Porto Moniz, Machico and Santa Cruz) will be joined in an effort to create an unforgettable event. From 9th to 12th February, the Madeira Orienteering Festival has to offer a Night Sprint (9th Feb) at Funchal, a Sprint race (10th Feb) at Porto Moniz and three Middle Distance races (10th, 11th and 12th Feb), respectively at Fanal, Poiso east and Poiso West. All information at http://oricmof.wixsite.com/mof17-ingles.

4. Larger and stronger! So it is the new NORD, Regional Group that includes the four Nordic orienteering federations - Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden -, now reinforced by the three Baltic federations, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. “It was an inspiring meeting in Copenhagen. We got to know each other better and we do hope to contribute to develop orienteering within our seven countries. I look forward to meeting again”, chairwoman Astrid Waaler Kaas said. As well as the admission of the three Baltic countries to the NORD group, the meeting was about exchanging good ideas and cooperating on different projects. It included discussions about regional development, map scale, anti-doping, TV-broadcasting and International Championships. The full article can be seen at http://orienteering.org/nord-group-extended-with-three-new-members/.

Joaquim Margarido