World of O News
Simone Niggli is no doubt the best sportsmen orienteering has ever had. At World Championships in Denmark this 28-year-old Swiss won her 11th and 12th WOC gold medals, something no other orienteer has ever done or even got close to. Deservingly this achievement earned her nomination in the “Achievement of the Year 2006” poll.
Since 2003 you have never lost Sprint to anyone at the World Championships, so I guess the night before the Long distance, in which you achieved your 11th gold medal must have been quite difficult.
Yes, it was. But not so much because I would have lost the Sprint to Hanny. I was still quite happy with the silver medal, even if not so much with how I had been orienteering in the race. All in all, in the evening before the Long I stayed up quite late and we were actually celebrating the medal a bit. But I felt quite tired in my head after Sprint and it was difficult for me to get this race out of my head and refocus on the challenge ahead. I needed time to recover mentally, especially when I got bad headache before I went to bed. I think the Sprint day had been more stressful than I could imagine. In the end I was really happy that the Long final was in the afternoon and so I had good time to recover mentally. I also talked to my sport psychologist, and together we again discussed the Sprint a little bit, but we also focused on what was important to do before the Long distance, which helped me a lot.
And then in the Long distance, I think for the first time you found yourself in a situation when some of the runners was able to get close to you even after you did a pretty good race… What was the feeling when you came to the spectator control and learned that Marianne Andersen was just a mere 20 seconds behind?
For me this certainly was special situation. I was happy that I heard I was in the lead and I knew I done a good race so far. But I also could feel a few times that some of the “micro” route choices I took were not the best. There were still a few little things I could have done better. And most importantly I knew that I had to fight on. I knew that my only chance to win this race was to focus on the map reading and avoid any big mistake, and run fast in places where orienteering was not so difficult and challenging. I knew that this was what I had to manage first if I wanted to hope for the victory.
On the other hand, despite winning with big margins must be nice, I guess that this time you must have been really proud of yourself that you managed to handle this situation, which I can imagine was far from easy for you?
Yes, exactly. I was very proud of myself in the finish. I might not have managed this a handle this pressure. It was the first time I found myself in a situation like this in WOC Long distance.
Were you actually surprised how close Marianne got?
I think was in a really good shape at the World Champs. Marianne took a big step forward. I think I had a really good speed in Long distance, but it is also true that in this kind of terrain, which is relatively easy physically, the differences between the runners are not so big. So I was aware that there were a few other runners who could run very well.
And then came the Middle distance, a race in which you conquered your 12th gold medal from World Championships… What had been your expectations of this race and were they fullfilled?
I really have to say that I found this race very interesting Middle distance. There were different types of terrain, many course variations. It was a really great race and really enjoyed it. Maybe also because I felt so relieved after the Long distance, with which I had completed my goals, which were to win silver and gold. And this time I was also fully confident about my orienteering technique. We knew what was ahead and I felt prepared.
How did you actually like these World Championships?
There was really good atmosphere at the champs, it really felt like being in World Champs, compared to last year for example. Last year was special because the event was organised in Japan, but on the other hand, running in atmosphere like the one at the World Champs this year definitely gives something extra to you as a runner. And personally, this year it was tougher for me to win all these medals. Last year I won the first the medal and then it just went on. But this year, there were quite many different kind of challenges. Not the best performance in Sprint, tough fights against Marianne in Long and Middle. And also the injury which happened to me in Relay. This year I could really feel all my medals were fully deserved.
Simone Niggli – Achievement of the Year 2006
Nominated for: With WOC gold medals in Long and Middle distances 2006 completing a collection of 12 gold medals from World Championships.
Other achievements: Overall World Cup winner 2006. Winner of all the World Cup Long distances in 2006.
Story: This 28-year-old Swiss is the most successful orienteer ever and her collection of 12 WOC gold medals is something unprecedented in this sport. For the first time she dominated the women’s orienteering world in 2000 when she won the overall World Cup, an achievement she confirmed ever since. Niggli’s first WOC gold came in the Long distance in Tampere in Finland in 2001. Her major achievements on the World Championship level took place in 2003 and 2005, when claimed gold medals in all the four disciplines – Sprint, Middle, Long and Relay. Her mission in Denmark this year was impressive again. With two gold medals, one silver and one bronze, she became the most successful orienteer at the Champs.
» Runner profile Simone Niggli
» Poll: Best of Orienteering 2006
