JWSOC & EYSOC 2017: Kiselev's second win

The younger categories put the skis for the second day of the Junior World Ski Orienteering Championships and the European Youth Ski Orienteering Championships 2017. Russia was almost unstoppable, reaching three out of four titles at the Long Distance Mass Start that filled today's program. The fourth gold medal was vibrantly celebrated by the home team.

In the Men 20 class, the Russian Vladislav Kiselev was the big winner of the Long Distance Mass Start with the time of 1:12:58. It was Kiselev's fifth individual gold medal in the Junior World Ski Orienteering Championships, after three wins in the Sprint (2015, 2016 and yesterday) and the second victory in a row in the Long Distance. The two other medals went also to Russia, with Aleksandr Pavlenko and Vadim Ogorodnikov being respectively second and third placed. The Russian national anthem sounded again in the Arena, thanks to Aleksandra Rusakova's victory in the Women 20 class. She was 26 seconds faster than Liisa Nenonen, Finland, finishing her course in 1:08:09. Tuuli Suutari reached the bronze medal with the time of 1:09:28.

The Russian power extended to the European Youth Ski Orienteering Championship, where Veronika Kalinina achieved a comfortable triumph in the Women 17 class, finishing her course with the time of 1:00:08. The Finn Siiri Saalo was second, 3:22 after Kalinina. The third place went to another Russian athlete, Olesia Riazanova. Vaino Kotro, Finland, was a real outsider, stealing Russia the possibility of winning all medals today. He reached the gold in the Men 17 class, with a seven-second advantage over German Sazykin and fifteen-second advantage over Danila Bykov, both from... Russia!

Results

JWSOC

Long Distance Mass Start

Men 20

1. Vladislav Kiselev (Russia) 1:12:58 (+ 00:00)
2. Aleksandr Pavlenko (Russia) 1:15:55 (+ 02:57)
3. Vadim Ogorodnikov (Russia) 1:16:57 (+ 03:59)

Women 20

1. Aleksandra Rusakova (Russia) 1:08:09 (+ 00:00)
2. Liisa Nenonen (Finland) 1:08:45 (+ 00:26)
3. Tuuli Suutari (Finland) 1:09:28 (+ 01:09)

EYSOC

Long Distance Mass Start

Men 17

1. Vaino Kotro (Finland) 1:02:40 (+ 00:00)
2. German Sazykin (Russia) 1:02:47 (+ 00:07)
3. Danila Bykov (Russia) 1:02:55 (+ 00:15)

Women 17

1. Veronika Kalinina (Russia) 1:00:08 (+ 00:00)
2. Siiri Saalo (Finland) 1:03:30 (+ 03:22)
3. Olesia Riazanova (Russia) 1:03:56 (+ 03:48)

Complete results and further information at http://skiofinland.fi/en.

[Photos: Malin Fuhr / IOF / facebook.com/IOFarena]

Joaquim Margarido

ESOC 2017: Third gold for Lamov

Andrey Lamov and Alena Trapeznikova achieved gold medals in the Long Distance Mass Start of the European Ski Orienteering Championships 2017. The battle for victory was incredible hard, with Markus Lundholm and Tove Alexandersson finishing in the second position.

The European Ski Orienteering Championships 2017 already have a king and the king has a name. Andrey Lamov, Russia, was able to reach the gold for the third day in a row and deserves, for sure, the title. After two amazing achievements, Lamov presented himself at the Long Distance Mass Start as favourite, even knowing how hard were the last five hundred metres of yesterday’s Mixed Sprint Relay and the “damages” of such fight. Long and technical, today's course would be decided in the last part, with Lamov and the Swedish Markus Lundholm joining in the lead after recovering from a two-minute disadvantage. Carrying forward an unmerciful one-to-one contest for the last controls, Lamov and Lundholm stretched the final decision until the very end, finishing separated by one single second. With more 40 seconds than the winner, Kiril Veselov, Russia, reached the bronze while the European Champion in 2016, the Norwegian Lars Moholdt, was tenth placed, being the first neither-Russian-nor-Swedish athlete to finish the course.

The women's race was also decided on the finish line, with the Russian Alena Trapeznikova outperforming over the favourite Tove Alexandersson, Sweden, winning for only two seconds. Mariya Kechkina, Russia, started better, showing great determination in revalidate the title achieved last year in Obertilliach, Austria, but her winning breath only lasted half of the race, with Alexandersson and Trapeznikova taking on the protagonism in the decisive moments. Kechkina reached the third position, two minutes after Trapeznikova. Also here, Russia and Sweden filled the top places, the Finn Salla Koskela being the first athlete to break this solid barrier by finishing in the eight position.

Results

Men class

1. Andrey Lamov (Russia) 1:26:40 (+ 00:00)
2. Markus Lundholm (Sweden) 1:26:41 (+ 00:01)
3. Kiril Veselov (Russia) 1:27:20 (+ 00:40)
4. Eduard Khrennikov (Russia) 1:27:33 (+ 00:53)
5. Ulrik Nordberg (Sweden) 1:28:42 (+ 02:02)
6. Erik Rost (Sweden) 1:28:44 (+ 02:04)

Women class

1. Alena Trapeznikova (Russia) 1:24:42 (+ 00:00)
2. Tove Alexandersson (Sweden) 1:24:44 (+ 00:02)
3. Mariya Kechkina (Russia) 1:26:47 (+ 02:05)
4. Magdalena Olsson (Sweden) 1:29:08 (+ 04:26)
5. Polina Frolova (Russia) 1:29:19 (+ 04:37)
6. Tatyana Oborina (Russia) 1:30:24 (+ 05:42)

Complete results and further information at http://skiofinland.fi/en.

[Photo: Malin Fuhr / IOF / facebook.com/IOFarena]

Joaquim Margarido

JWSOC & EYSOC 2017: Gold for Russia, Switzerland, Finland and... Finland

The Junior World Ski Orienteering Championships and the European Youth Ski Orienteering Championships kicked off yesterday, with Finland, Russia and Sweden at the highest level in the Sprint race, as well as Switzerland, the only country to meddle in the "dance" of medals. 

The competitions had the participation of 164 athletes overall and the strongest note was given by home team, Finland, filling the women's podium of the Junior World Championships. Sprint silver medalist in Obertilliach, Austria, in 2016, Liisa Nenonen was the fastest today, finishing with a comfortable 41 second advantage over the second-placed, Tuuli Suutari. In the Men 20 class, the Russian Vladislav Kiselev reached the gold medal for the third year in a row, winning on the Finn Elmeri Toivanen by a 15-second advantage. 

Finland returned to stand out in the European Youth Ski Orienteering Championships, with Eerik Nurminen being the strongest amongst the male competitors, leaving the Russian German Sazykin at 18 seconds of distance. Finally, in the Women 17 class, it was possible to see the colors of Switzerland rise to the highest place on the podium by Lea Widmer, after a tight duel with the Russian Veronika Kalinina.

Results 

JWSOC

Sprint

Men 20

1. Vladislav Kiselev (Russia) 12:13 (+ 00:00)

2. Elmeri Toivanen (Finland) 12:28 (+ 00:15)

3. Robin Salen (Sweden) 12:37 (+ 00:24)

Women 20

1. Liisa Nenonen (Finland) 14:03 (+ 00:00)

2. Tuuli Suutari (Finland) 14:44 (+ 00:41)

3. Veera Klemettinen (Finland) 15:17 (+ 01:14)

EYSOC

Sprint

Men 17

1. Eerik Nurminen (Finland) 10:13 (+ 00:00)

2. German Sazykin (Russia) 10:31 (+ 00:18)

3. Corsin Boos (Switzerland) 10:55 (+ 00:42)

Women 17

1. Lea Widmer (Switzerland) 11:08 (+ 00:00)

2. Veronika Kalinina (Russia) 11:19 (+ 00:11)

3. Siiri Saalo (Finland) 11:40 (+ 00:32)

Complete results and further information at http://skiofinland.fi/en.

[Photos: Malin Fuhr / IOF / facebook.com/IOFarena]

Joaquim Margarido

ESOC 2017: Russian victory in the Mixed Sprint Relay

For the second day in a row, Andrey Lamov showed himself at the highest level on the European Ski Orienteering Championships 2017. Partnering with Polina Frolova, he was stronger than his opponents in a vigorous Sprint final, achieving the Mixed Sprint Relay gold for Russia. Sweden and Finland reached the immediate positions.

It couldn't be more exciting, the Mixed Sprint Relay that filled the second day of the European Ski Orienteering Championships, held in Imatra, Finland. 21 teams of two athletes each (one male and one female), representing 11 countries, started in search of the victory, but the fact is that Russia, Sweden and Finland took over the operations very quickly, bet on discussing the gold with each other. With three out of the six legs raced, Russia 1 (Andrey Lamov and Polina Frolova) was in the lead with a fifteen-second advantage over the most direct opponents. At the start for the last leg, the Russians' leadership remained, but the difference for the pursuing group (the two remaining Russian teams and still Sweden, with Peter Arnesson and Magdalena Olsson) had shortened to just 9 seconds.

The fight for victory peaked with only half of the last leg to go, at a time when all three Russian and Swedish teams were separated by narrow 10 seconds. And it was already in the arrival corridor that Andrey Lamov was able to find a last breathe to reach the victory, imposing on the Swedish Ulrik Nordberg over the finish line. Lamov thus reaches the European gold for the second year in a row (making pair with Alena Trapeznikova in 2016), while Nordberg also arrives for the second consecutive year to the silver medal, having to pair with Tove Alexandersson last year. Finland, with Marjut Turunen and Ville Petteri Saarela, finished in the third place, 1:20 after the winners, thus reaching the first medal ever at this distance since it was introduced, at the 2012 European Championships.

Results 

ESOC

Mixed Sprint Relay

1. Russia (Polina Frolova, Andrey Lamov) 53.22 (+ 00:00)

2. Sweden (Frida Sandberg, Ulrik Nordberg) 53.22 (+ 00:00)

3. Finland (Marjut Turunen, Ville Petteri Saarela) 54.42 (+ 01:20)

4. Bulgaria (Antonia Grigorova, Stanimir Belomazhev) 56:35 (+ 03:13)

5. Estonia (Daisy Kudre, Mattis Jaama) 56:39 (+ 03:17)

6. Norway (Evine Westli Andersen, Bjornar Kvale) 57:45 (+ 04:23)

Complete results and further information at http://skiofinland.fi/en.

[Photo: Malin Fuhr / IOF / facebook.com/IOFarena]

Joaquim Margarido

ESOC 2017: Perfect start for Lamov and Alexandersson

Andrey Lamov and Tove Alexandersson were the big stars of the European Ski Orienteering Championships' kick off, in Imatra, Finland, this morning. On the Sprint podium, Russia, Sweden and the host country shared medals.

Three years after the Sprint title achieved on home ground (Tyumen, Russia), Andrey Lamov was able to celebrate again the European gold, crowning the best way a perfect race held in Imatra, Finland, at the opening of the European Ski Orienteering Championships 2017. “Sun is shining in Finland”, commented Lamov on his Facebook page about a seventeen-second victory over a “surprising” Jyri Uusitalo, Finland, 15t placed in the IOF World Ranking. Sergey Gorlanov and Andrey Grigoriev, both from Russian, reached the next two places, respectively 19 and 25 seconds after the winner. Lars Moholdt, Norway, former European Champion, couldn't reach better than the 18th position, 1:09 after Lamov.

In the Women class, Tove Alexandersson, Sweden, achieved her second European Sprint title in a row, after an amazing race. The IOF World Ranking leader showed a huge supremacy over the concurrence, finishing with a nearly one-minute lead. 24th placed in the IOF World Ranking, Mirka Suutari offered to Finland the second silver medal of the day, while Magdalena Olsson, Sweden, finished third, just three seconds after Suutari. The race was attended by 87 competitors, 55 in the Men class and 32 in the Women class.

Results

Men class

1. Andrey Lamov (Russia) 13:56 (+ 00:00)

2. Jyri Uusitalo (Finland) 14:13 (+ 00:17)

3. Sergey Gorlanov (Russia) 14:15 (+ 00:19)

4. Andrey Grigoriev (Russia) 14:21 (+ 00:25)

5. Mattis Jaama (Estonia) 14:30 (+ 00:34)

6. Janne Hakkinen (Finland) 14:34 (+ 00:38)

Women class

1. Tove Alexandersson (Sweden) 14:37 (+ 00:00)

2. Mirka Suutari (Finland) 15:35 (+ 00:58)

3. Magdalena Olsson (Sweden) 15:38 (+ 01:01)

4. Mariya Kechkina (Russia) 15:45 (+ 01:08)

4. Polina Frolova (Russia) 15:45 (+ 01:08)

6. Marjut Turunen (Finland) 15:47 (+ 01:10)

Complete results and further information at http://skiofinland.fi/en

[Photo: Malin Fuhr / IOF / facebook.com/IOFarena]

Joaquim Margarido