ABOM 2017: Blanes and Nikitina won the Sprint WRE

A lightning crossed Aguiar da Beira this afternoon. Andreu Blanes performed superlatively, winning the Sprint WRE stage of Aguiar da Beira O 'Meeting 2017 with an amazing time. As for the women, the winner was Ekaterina Nikitina with a comfortable thirty-second advantage.

Aguiar da Beira O' Meeting 2017' continued this afternoon with the Sprint WRE stage held in Aguiar da Beira's historical centre. Narrow streets, uneven stairs, interesting options and lots of fun were the ingredients of another high-quality race, blessed by a beautiful sun. Although not doing a clean race, Ekaterina Nikitina (Rehns BK) was the big winner in the Women Elite class, with the time of 14:20 for 3.1 km of her race. The second placed was Fanni Gyurko (Kalevan RTasti) with 29 seconds more than Nikitina, while Mariana Moreira (CPOC) got the third position, 1:19 seconds after the winner.

Keeping a strong pace from the start, Andreu Blanes (Colivenc) won the Men Elite class, completing the 4.2 km of his race with the time of 15:17. Blanes was the only athlete to break the sixteen-minute barrier, getting the first place on the podium for the second time in a Sprint scoring for the IOF World Sprint Orienteering Ranking here, in Aguiar da Beira, after being the fastest in the Mediterranean Championships in Orienteering, three years ago. The fight for the immediate places was titanic, with Eduardo Gil (Tjalve) doing a terrific race and achieving the second position with the time of 16:11. Albin Ridefelt (OK Linné) reached the third position with a fifty-five-second disadvantage to the winner, thus repeating his result of the morning stage.

Results

Men Elite

1. Andreu Blanes (Colivenc) 15:17 (+ 00:00)

2. Eduardo Gil (Tjalve) 16:11 (+ 00:54)

3. Albin Ridefelt (OK Linné) 16:12 (+ 00:55)

4. Kenny Kivikas (Koovee) 16:16 (+ 00:59)

5. Henry McNulty (NTNUI) 16:18 (+ 01:01)

Women Elite

1. Ekaterina Nikitina (Rehns BK) 14:20 (+ 00:00)

2. Fanni Gyurko (Kalevan Rasti) 14:49 (+ 00:29)

3. Mariana Moreira (CPOC) 15:39 (+ 01:19)

4. Heini Saarimäki (Angelniemen Ankkuri) 15:44 (+ 01:24)

5. Carolina Delgado (GD4C) 15:49 (+ 01:29)

Complete results and further information at http://abom2017.ori-estarreja.pt/en/.

Joaquim Margarido

ABOM 2017: Victories of Gueorgiou and Mironova in the Middle Distance WRE

Thierry Gueorgiou and Svetlana Mironova started the Aguiar da Beira O' Meeting in the best way, winning the Middle Distance WRE, held this morning. In the last international event of the winter season in Portugal, tight victories of the favourites in a strong start field.

Confirming his favouritism, Thierry Gueorgiou (Kalevan Rasti) won the Middle Distance WRE stage that opened the Aguiar da Beira O' Meeting 2017. Held this morning in Aguiar da Beira North, in a very technical brand new map, the race was extraordinarily fast and competitive, with mere five seconds separating the first two athletes in the final standings. Searching for improving his shape in the Middle Distance, Gueorgiou needed 37:32 to complete the 6.8 kilometers of his course, achieving a good triumph over Olav Lundanes (Paimion Rasti), second placed. In the third position, 1:47 after the winner, stood out Albin Ridefelt (OK Linné).

After some less good results in the Portugal O' Meeting one week ago, Svetlana Mironova (Koovee) was able to be faster than any one this time, finishing the 5.4 km of her course with 41:20. Her team mate, Ulrika Uotila, did a great job, achieving the second place, 32 seconds after the winner. Ekaterina Nikitina (Rehns BK) got the third position with the time of 41:35.

Results

Men Elite

1. Thierry Gueorgiou (Kalevan Rasti) 37:32 (+ 00:00)

2. Olav Lundanes (Paimion Rasti) 37:37 (+ 00:05)

3. Albin Ridefelt (OK Linné) 39:19 (+ 01:47)

4. Aaro Asikainen (Kalevan Rasti) 39:43 (+ 02:11)

5. Timo Sild (Koovee) 40:23 (+ 02:51)

Women Elite

1. Svetlana Mironova (Koovee) 40:48 (+ 00:00)

2. Ulrika Uotila (Koovee) 41:20 (+ 00:32)

3. Ekaterina Nikitina (Rehns BK) 41:35 (+ 00:47)

4. Heini Saarimäki (Angelniemen Ankkuri) 42:03 (+ 01:15)

5. Inga Dambe (Paimion Rasti) 42:21 (+ 01:33)

Complete results and further information at http://abom2017.ori-estarreja.pt/en/.

Joaquim Margarido

Mediterranean Championships in Orienteering: Second victory in a row for Turkey

For the second year in a row, Turkey won the Mediterranean Championships in Orienteering. Individually, stands out for the Italians Mattia Debertolis and Irene Possebon and the Turkish Ayse Bozkurt with two victories each.

Precious touristic jewell, the Turkish region of Antalya is also a meeting point for orienteers from all over the world, especially at this time of the year. It happened with the first round of the World Cup 2014, it happened now with the 6th edition of the Mediterranean Championships in Orienteering / Antalya O' Days, event attended by national teams of Turkey, Italy, Serbia and Egypt and gathering nearly 800 competitors.

With three individual distances in the program, all of them scoring for the IOF World Ranking, the Antalya O' Days started with a “short” Middle Distance, having in Arturs Paulins (Igtisa) and Anastasia Borovkova (Novorossyisk) the winners. Even if Serbia got two out of four victories (Nikola Bilic in the Men Elite class and Stefan Bilic in the Men Junior class, Turkey took the MCO's leadership with 40 points, 5 points ahead Serbia and an eight-point advantage over Italy. Borovkova also won the Antalya O' Days Long Distance in the Women Elite, while Mattia Debertolis and Irene Pozzebon, both from Italy, got victories in the MCO Long Distance. Turkey was able to stretch the advantage over its most direct opponents, finishing the second day with 66 points, against 92 from Italy and 101 from Serbia.

Debertolis and Pozzebon repeated victories in the MCO Sprint that fulfilled the competition's third day, but it was insufficient to achieve the overall victory. For the third day in a row, Turkey kept the standings leadership, having in Emine Sezgünsay (one victory and one second place in Women Elite class), Ayse Bozkurt (two victories in Women Junior class), Talha Gunday (one victory and one second place in Men Junior class) and Yasar Ismet Demiröz (two second places in Men Elite class) its most valuable pieces. Turkey won with 102 points, Italy achieved the second position with 134 points, Serbia finished in the third place with 160 points and Egypt got the fourth position with 234 points.

Results

Men Elite

Middle Distance

1. Arturs Paulins (Igtisa) 22:06 (+ 00:00)

2. Sergei Detkov (CSP Novgorod) 22:09 (+ 00:03)

3. Ahmet Kaçmaz (Adrenalin GSK) 22:16 (+ 00:10

4. (1.) Nikola Bilic (Serbia) 22:19 (+ 00:13)

5. Sergei Borovkov (Novorossyisk) 22:36 (+ 00:30)

6. (2.) Mattia Debertolis (Italy) 23:04 (+ 00:58)

7. (3.) Yasar Ismet Demiröz (Turkey) 23:25 (+ 01:19)

Long Distance

1. (1.) Mattia Debertolis (Italy) 1:25:45 (+ 00:00)

2. Arturs Paulins (Igtisa) 1:25:47 (+ 00:02)

3. (2.) Yasar Ismet Demiröz (Turkey) 1:26:50 (+ 01:05)

4. Ramazan Bostanci (Türk Silahli Kuvvetleri SK-TSK) 1:30:07 (+ 04:22)

5. Ahmet Kaçmaz (Adrenalin GSK) 1:30:11 (+ 04:26)

(…)

8. (3.) Özgür Fettah (Turkey) 1:37:00 (+ 11:15)

Sprint

1. (1.) Mattia Debertolis (Italy) 14:38 (+ 00:00)

2. Sergei Detkov (CSP Novgorod) 14:44 (+ 00:06)

3. (2.) Yasar Ismet Demiröz (Turkey) 14:50 (+ 00:12)

4. Orhan Kutlu (Kuzey Geyikleri DSK) 14:55 (+ 00:17)

5. Arturs Paulins (Igtisa) 14:58 (+ 00:20)

6. (3.) Nikola Bilic (Serbia) 15:11 (+ 00:33)

Women Elite

Middle Distance

1. Anastasia Borovkova (Novorossyisk) 24:46 (+ 00:00)

2. (1.) Emine Sezgünsay (Turkey) 25:37 (+ 00:51)

3. (2.) Francesca Taufer (Italy) 26:03 (+ 01:17)

4. (3.) Büsra Muslu (Turkey) 27:38 (+ 02:52)

5. Dudu Erol (Odtü SK) 28:01 (+ 03:15)

Long Distance

1. Anastasia Borovkova (Novorossyisk) 1:15:20 (+ 00:00)

2. (1.) Irene Pozzebon (Italy) 1:21:12 (+ 05:52)

3. (2.) Emine Sezgünsay (Turkey) 1:21:14 (+ 05:54)

4. Dilek Matyar (Patika SK-Patik) 1:22:26 (+ 07:06)

5. (3.) Büsra Muslu (Turkey) 1:32:30 (+ 17:10)

Sprint

1. (1.) Irene Pozzebon (Italy) 17:07 (+ 00:00)

2. (2.) Francesca Taufer (Italy) 17:28 (+ 00:21)

3. Anastasia Borovkova (Novorossyisk) 18:04 (+ 00:57)

4. (3.) Emine Sezgünsay (Turkey) 18:24 (+ 01:17)

5. (4.) Büsra Muslu (Turkey) 18:59 (+ 01:52)

Full results and further information at http://www.orienteering.org.tr.

[Photo courtesy of José Angel Nieto Poblete]

Joaquim Margarido

[Portuguese Orienteering Blog wishes to thank you José Angel Nieto Poblete for his cooperation by sending results, maps and photos]

Italian Cup in TrailO: Tenani and Bortolami won first stage

The Italian Cup in Trail Orienteering started in Sala Baganza with winnings of Alessio Tenani and Fabio Bortolami, respectively in the Elite Open and Elite Paralympic classes. Francesca De Nardis and Leopoldo Vighini got the regional titles.

Even more beautiful due to a splendorous sun, Carrega Forest, at Emilia Romagna region, hosted last Sunday the first stage of Italian Cup in Trail Orienteering. Organised by Eridano Adventura club, the event was attended by 50 competitors, 28 in the Elite (Open and Paralympic) and 22 in the Open A class. Following a FootO competition held in the same map, the courses were planned by Susy De Pieri, offering 20 tasks to the Elite class and 13 tasks to the Open A class, both in forest and open areas.

In the Elite Open class, two of the best Italian Trail orienteers currently, Alessio Tenani (OK Pan Kristianstad) and Renato Bettin (Orienteering Swallows Noale A.S.D.), fight hardly for the victory, finishing both with 17 points. Faster and more accurate in the three timed controls, Tenani was the winner with 18 seconds, against 89 seconds of Bettin. Tenani's words in the end revealed satisfaction: “It was a competition everything but trivial, with controls set 'by the book'. I want to congratulate the organisers because they demonstrated that, with passion and competency, it's possible to join FootO and TailO competitions, keeping high quality standards”. One point less than the winner, the very young Francesca De Nardis (Polisportiva “G. Masi”) finished third and achieved the regional title in this class.

In the Elite Paralympic class, Fabio Bortolami (A.S.D. Padova Orienteering) beat the “newcomer” Leopoldo Vighini (A.S.D. Atletica Interflumina), also in the timed controls, after a draw at 13 points. The regional title in this class went to Vighini. In the Open A class, three competitors finished with 8 points, Martina Paone (Polisportiva “G. Masi”) being the winner thanks to a better performance in the timed controls. The last words go to Susy De Pieri, assessing the event: “It wasn't easy to set the course and I was a little nervous since I've no longer planned a competition for three years. There was some 'borderline' tasks, as we can see for the results, but I think the expertise stood out. The competitors' feedback about my course planning makes me happy. I’m also happy for new people taking part in TrailO competitions, most of them really young”.

Results

Elite Open class

1. Alessio Tenani (OK Pan Kristianstad) 17 points / 18 seconds

2. Renato Bettin (Orienteering Swallows Noale A.S.D.) 17 points / 89 seconds

3. Francesca De Nardis (Polisportiva “G. Masi”) 16 points / 28 seconds

4. Corrado Miniotti (Cral G.T.) 16 points / 42 seconds

5. Tiziano Vargiolu (A.S.D. Padova Orienteering) 16 points / 73 seconds

Elite Paralympic class

1. Fabio Bortolami (A.S.D. Padova Orienteering) 13 points / 122 seconds

2. Leopoldo Vighini (A.S.D. Atletica Interflumina) 13 points / 179 seconds

Open A class

1. Martina Paone ((Polisportiva “G. Masi”) 8 points / 100 seconds

2. Karol Gabrowski (Polisportiva “G. Masi”) 8 points / 114 seconds

3. Andrea Berto (Laguna Nord) 8 points / 133 seconds

Photo courtesy of Susy De Pieri.

Joaquim Margarido

[Portuguese Orienteering Blog appreciates Susy De Pieri's cooperation, providing results, maps, solutions, photos and a small report about the race]

Thierry Gueorgiou: "Portugal is a love story"

As in previous years, Thierry Gueorgiou started the season in the best way. Always an important achievement, his victory in this Portugal O' Meeting has a special meaning, since it's the last one that Gueorgiou achieves in the Elite. This and other issues highlighted in a long interview with the best orienteer ever.

Another presence in the Portugal O 'Meeting and, once again, a victory, the sixth in this event. What are your first impressions?

Thierry Gueorgiou (T. G.) - As you know, Portugal O' Meeting truly represents the beginning of the season and is a very important rendez vous in my preparation. This year, the meaning of my participation in The Portugal O' Meeting is amplified by the fact that this is my last season in the World Elite and it makes everything very special.

What is the importance of this season, being your last one at the highest level?

T. G. - There are two very important factors. On the one hand, I feel “obliged” to make the most of this experience and keep these memories, so I must savour every moment from the competition, the trainings. This has been my life for 20 years and I will miss it dearly. On the other hand, I have high expectations because I want to finish in the best possible way, especially in the World Orienteering Championships, in Estonia. It's a mix of pleasure and pressure, because I really want to succeed.

How do you assess these 4 days of competition in Portugal?

T. G. - In these days, there were both good and not so good performances. The Long Distance on the second day went very well and today's race was great, as well, but the two Middle Distance stages went badly; however, the assessment is good and I'm happy, it's always an amazing thrill to win Portugal O' Meeting. In spite of it not being the most important competition of the year, it's always a stepping stone, so I will need to improve on some aspects of my performance, especially in the Middle Distance, and I'm already focusing on next weekend, on the ABOM 2017, to practise a little more.

Could you tell me a bit about your preparation towards the World Championships?

T. G. - There are four months to go until the Championships and the pressure is going to rise. There are two very important intermediate stages, the first of which is Tiomila, where I want to perform well with my Kalevan Rasti team, and then there's the World Cup in Finland, which will be kind of like a rehearsal, for the Estonian Champs, even if the terrains aren't the same. But these are the two competitions where I will focus more, get confidence; and between these there will be several training camps in Estonia.

Does Estonia mean something special to you?

T. G. - I've been competing in Estonia since 1998, where I ran a World Cup at nineteen. Then, I took part in the European Championships, in 2006, so it's a country I know very well and a country I really like and that is very interesting. But what I hold dearly is the fact that this is my last World Championship.

Are you betting on a distance, particularly?

T. G. - The Middle Distance motivates me the most. It's been a long time since I won it, the last time being in 2011, so I'd like to perform well there. And then there is the Relay, with Lucas [Basset] and Frederic [Tranchand]. I consider we have one of the best teams and, if we all run at the same high level, we will be able to reach something extraordinary, and that is a huge motivation. It will be the last stage in the World Championships and a good way to end in style. As for the Long Distance, I haven't made up my mind yet. It's been where I've achieved my best results in the last years. Even so, I'm focused on the Middle Distance, but there are still four months to go, so we'll see then.

What type of work is ahead of you?

T. G. - At the moment, I'm beyond pleased with my physical shape. I've made some minor changes to my preparation and I think I'm at a good place in terms of speed. Now I will need to work on my confidence in Orienteering, to find my pace in the forest, to be effective, to slow down whenever I need to read the map better, to keep focused until the end of the race.

Are you going to keep coming to Portugal O' Meeting and winning, even retired, as Simone did this year?

T. G. - Simone is incredible. What she did was truly outstanding and I congratulate her for it. She is able to conjugate her family life with the trainings necessary to stay performant. To me, it will also be difficult, because the standards are pretty high. Besides, what will motivate me the most in the future will be coaching. Next year, I will coach athletes and the priority won't be my results, but theirs. Of course I will try to maintain this high level to keep up with my trainees out in the forest, so I will keep on training.

And are you considering to bring the Swedish team to Portugal?

T. G. - I believe that Portugal is the best place to train during the Winter. There is a great variety of terrains, the cartography is excellent and, so, trainings in Portugal are a must. To me, Portugal is a love story. I love this country to death, the people, Orienteering, of course... I love Sweden, France, but Portugal comes right after them.

To finish, I would ask you to leave some words to the Organization team of this Portugal O' Meeting.

T. G. - POM is the meeting point of quality. If there is a mandatory competition during the year, it's the Portugal O' Meeting. Annika [Billstam] has told me about the next POM in Evora. She also loves this competition and she will always be a part of the attendance.

Joaquim Margarido