Home / Poll-18 / Orienteering Achievement of 2018: Vote Now!

Orienteering Achievement of 2018: Vote Now!

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Read about the fantastic achievements of 16 athletes  from 14 nations which are nominated for The Orienteering Achievement of 2018. Then post your votes for your favourites – and be part of the drawing for prizes worth  5500 Euros!

Vote here by December 18th:

The stories behind the medals and the achievements  is what makes the sport truly fascinating

Winning a Gold medal at the World Championships is always a great achievement – but sometimes just making it to a World Championships final may be an even bigger achievement – depending on what your starting point was. The stories behind the medals and the great achievements  is what makes the sport truly fascinating! In “The Orienteering Achievement of the Year” these stories are highlighted – to make it possible to get a background for the amazing achievements.

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The annual poll to find the best Orienteering Achievements of the year is organized by the major source for international orienteering news on the Internet – World of O.

All athletes nominated have been suggested by World of O’s readers –  we never had so many fantastic orienteering achievements suggested as this year, so several who would have really deserved a nomination could not be included this year. But there will be new chances next year!

Athlete photos are by IOF (Matias Salonen), WOC 2018 (Janis Ligats, Mareks Galinovskis) and JWOC 2018. See the poll pages for photo credits for the individual photos.

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Great Sponsorprizes for “Lucky voters”!

Sponsors for the Orienteering Achievement of 2018 are Sardinia 3×5 days (Italy),  WOC 2019 Spectator races (Norway) , Antalya Orienteering Festival 2019 (Turkey)Scottish 6-Days Orienteering Strathearn 2019 (Scotland)Aguiar da Beira “O” Meeting 2019 (Portugal),  Lipica Open (Slovenia)International 24-hour relay (Germany)Danish Spring 2019 (Denmark)Velidken Cup 2019 (Bulgaria)Bubo Cup 2019 (Slovenia)Portugal “O” Meeting 2019 (Portugal)Edinburgh University’s big weekend 2019 (Scotland)Wawel Cup 2019 (Poland)NAOM 2019 (Portugal). See all details about the sponsor in the sponsor section below (Hint: Scroll down and take a look to see which prize you want to win as you can mark it when you vote – there are again many great prizes this year!).

Prizes valued to more than 5500 Euro are drawn among lucky voters & the ones suggesting nominations. The rules are as follows:

  1. A person can only vote once in each of the categories (if several people share one internet connection, only one can vote, as the IP address is used to identify the voter along with the email-address of the voter).
  2. Prizes from our sponsors will be drawn among all people voting.
  3. In addition several sponsor prizes will be drawn among the ones suggesting GOOD nomination texts. Among all really good nomination texts, we will draw several great sponsor prizes.
  4. The winners will be made public after the poll closes at World of O.

Timetable

On December 13th, all nominees are presented at World of O. The winner is decided in a vote amongst all the readers of World of O between December 13th and December 18th.

Spread the news

Help making the poll as representative for the international orienteering community as possible! Spread the news about the poll, by publishing an article about the election on your website, and encourage people participating. Please use this link:

Of all orienteering related websites with on average more than 50 visitors/day who link to the poll after it has been opened for voting, three websites will be drawn who will get a free “Sponsored Link” at World of O. Websites with on average more than 200 visitors/day will count triple when linking to the poll. Send an email to Jan@Kocbach.net or add a comment below with the sites address if you want to be part of this draw for free sponsored links. Sponsored links may be to any orienteering related page or product – must not necessarily be the website linking. [PS!Facebook pages linking to the poll will be considered on a per-case basis if they have significant likes/interaction related to the poll – please add a comment below with link to the Facebook page]

These images may be used when writing about the poll:

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Additional pictures:

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Sponsors

Event sponsor: Sardinia October 2019 – 3x 5days – week 40, 41 and 44 (Italy)

  • Prize offered: Package for two persons consisting of entry fee and accommodation with formula bed and breakfast for week 41 in Sardinia (Italy).  Value about 1.240 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
  • Follow the Sun in Italy and make your summer longer! Park World Tour Italy is organizing the 8th edition of Five days Orienteering in October with 3 possibilities: week 40, 41 and 44. For 2019 we chose the beautiful Sardinia. We found a fantastic place, one hour driving from Cagliari airport. A wonderful beach is next to the event center. Read more on www.orienteering.it and www.facebook.com/pwtorienteering.

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Event sponsor: WOC 2019. August 12 th – 17th 2019 (Norway)

  • Prize offered: Package for two persons consisting of entry fee for all 6 WOC 2019 spectator races and hotel accommodation in one of the partner hotels of WOC 2019.  Value: TBD.  Transferable to other person.
  • Description. Use this unique opportunity to watch the World’s best orienteers in the first ever forest World Orienteering Championships while enjoying orienteering in fantastic terrains. More information at https://woc2019.no/en/

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Event sponsor: 5th Antalya Orienteering Festival 2019 – October 27th– November 3rd (Turkey)

  • Prize offered: One Big Antalya O-Meeting package consisting of 1 complete Antalya Orienteering Festival package: Accommodation + Entry for all 6 races for one person. Value about 540 Euro. Transferable to other person.
  • Antalya Orienteering Festival will be held for the 3rd time in Side by the Mediterranean coast of Antalya, Turkey. We provide 6 different terrains and challenging courses, good maps and good weather for orienteering holiday. See more at www.antalyaofest.com

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Event sponsor: Scottish 6-Days Orienteering, Strathearn 2019, 28 July-3 August (Scotland)

  • Prize Offered: Entry fees for two adults for all six races plus free entry to Sprint Race.  Additional free entry for two Juniors if required.  Transferable to other persons from same country. Value 500 Euro.
  • Description: Strathearn 2019 is the 22nd staging of this very popular multi-day event in Scotland.  The organisers have applied for two World Ranking Events, Middle and Long Distance, and this would be great training just two weeks before WOC.  Strathearn and Highland Perthshire offers a much wider range of terrain types than some previous Scottish 6 Days so will test all your orienteering skills. Website www.scottish6days.com/2019

WorldofOv2

Event sponsor: Aguiar da Beira “O” Meeting 2019. January 25th– 27th 2019 (Portugal)

  • Prize offered: Aguiar da Beira “O” Meeting 2019 Competition Package for 2 persons – including full entries to the event (Model Event, Sprint WRE, Long distance and Middle distance WRE), 5 night accommodation with breakfast and a 4-map package for each person to train around the event area. Value about 500 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
  • Description:  After the huge success of ABOM 2019, Aguiar da Beira will again be host the best world athletes to run on one of the best Portuguese terrains. Besides, we are the host County of Junior World Orienteering Championships 2021. If you were born in 2001 or later, ABOM 2019 is a great opportunity to start your preparations! High quality mapmaking and amazing terrains are waiting for you! More info about ABOM 2019 at: http://abom2019.ori-estarreja.pt. If you want to have a training camp in Aguiar da Beira, check out http://orientedforlife.o-portugal.pt. We would also like to present you the “Oriented For Life Podcast”, a English speaking Podcast about Orienteering.

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Event sponsor: Lipica Open 2019. March 9th – 13th 2019 (Slovenia)

  • Prize offered: 2 packages – each for 2 people – consisting of: Entry to complete 5 Day Lipica Open competition + hard floor accommodation. Value about 320 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
  • Lipica open: Popular season starter, with brand new area mapped for stage 5. Enjoy Slovenian karst terrain already in March. Kras region offers also excellent conditions for quality training camps. More at www.lipicaopen.com

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Event sponsor: 22. International Thuringian 24-Hour relay. May 31st – June 2nd 2019 (Germany)

  • Prize offered: Two packages, each package consists of one 6-person team for the 24-Hour-Orienteering Relay (min age 15) and one 4-person team for the youth relay. Included in the 24-Hour Relay is also opening party, parking, camping and open-air swimming pool.  Total value about 300 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
  • Description. Be part of the world’s longest orienteering relay starting on Saturday June 1st 2019 at 9:00 AM and finishing on Sunday 2nd of June 2019 at 9:00 AM. The competition takes place in a typical German low mountain range in the middle of beautiful nature. More information here: https://www.24h-ol.de/en/

 

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Event sponsor: Danish Spring, 29-31 March 2019 (Denmark)

  • Prize offered: Package for 2 people consisting of free starts in all three competitions and 2 nights in Hostel Sankt Helene. Value about 280 Euro. Transferable to other persons.
  • More information: The international spring opening in Denmark |  Junior and Youth competitions | Three World Ranking Events |Perfect preparation for JWOC 2019 in Denmark, WMOC 2019 in Latvia and WOC Sprint 2020 in Denmark | Cosy hostels, holiday homes, huts and hotels in the whole area. Ideal for your group’s or club’s spring training camp. Get it all at www.danishspring.dk

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Event sponsor: VELIKDEN CUP – 26.- 29. of April 2019 (Bulgaria)

  • Prize offered: Package for two persons consisting of entry fee and accommodation with breakfast for Velikden Cup 2019 – 4 days of orienteering during Orthodox Easter in Targovishte, Bulgaria. Value about 270 EUR. Transferable to other person.
  • Enjoy an orienteering holiday and explore the Bulgarian culture off the beaten tracks. Four races in continental terrain including a WRE event. Velikden is the biggest club orienteering event in Bulgaria with more than 20 years of history. It’s a tradition now that most of the Bulgarian orienteers spend Easter holidays in Targovishte. Besides the orienteering there are many places to visit and explore so you will not regret a trip to Bulgaria. Find out more at http://cup.variant5.org or email us at teamcontact@variant5.org. Visit also our facebook page at: com/velikdencup.

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Event sponsor: Bubo Cup 2019. July 17 th – 20th (Slovenia)

  • Prize offered: 2 packages, each for 2 people consisting of entries for all 4 days of Bubo Cup 2019, Bubo Cup event T-shirt and training map for each. Value about 250 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
  • More information: 4 days of intricate and highly challenging karst terrain up on the Trnovo forest plateau. Possibility to camp right at the Finish area. There are only 3 days between ending date of Bubo cup and starting day of Oocup, which makes it feasible to combine both events. Read more at bubocup.com.

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Event sponsor: POM 2019. March 1st – 5th 2019 (Portugal)

  • Prize offered: 2 packages – each one for 2 persons – consisting of full entry fees (model events, 4 forest stages, sprint relay, night sprint and Trail-O). Value about 250 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
  • Portugal O’ Meeting is already a well-known established international event, perfect for a season start. It’s common to see POM Super Elite winners on the podium of the following EOC and WOC. The 2019 Edition will be held in Figueira da Foz, the central coastline of Portugal. Terrains are typical Mediterranean forests on all stages. More info at www.pom.pt.
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Event sponsor: Edinburgh University’s Big Weekend. January 25th – 27th 2019 (Scotland)

  • Prize offered: Competition packages for 4 people – including entry to 3 races, the ceilidh and race t-shirts. Value about 250 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
  • Description: EUOC invite you to our Big Weekend 2019. This is your chance to orienteer in Scotland’s capital; one of the world’s most beautiful cities and host of the World Orienteering Championships 2022. The three races will test all your orienteering skills, featuring a Night race, a technical Urban and a Classic on an extinct volcano – and the Ceilidh provides a traditional Scottish social evening for all to enjoy! Race website: https://euoc.wordpress.com/big-weekend/

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Event sponsor: Wawel Cup 2019. July 10th – 14th 2019 (Poland)

  • Prize offered: 2 packages – each for 2 people – consisting of entry to full Wawel Cup 38th edition (competition + additional indoor race + training maps) + accommodation on camping/hard-floor +! Wawel Cup T-shirt. Value about 250 euro. Transferable to other persons.
  • Wawel Cup for WKS Wawel centennial! Wawel Cup 38. comprises the exciting indoor race, the possibility of seeing the capital city of Polish kings and beautiful surrounding nature! And foremost challenging terrains and orienteering… on the highest level. Together we will make it a real worldwide orienteering running feast! More info: http://wawelcup.pl/en/

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Event sponsor: NAOM 2019. March 9th-10th 2019 / Orievents (Portugal)

  • Prize offered: Competition + training package for 2 persons, consisting of: Entry for NAOM 2019 (09 March  2019 –  Middle distance + Night Sprint ; 10 March – Middle Distance WRE) +  training camp (2 trainings) + 2 days of accommodation in half board. Value about 250 EUR. Transferable to other persons.
  • Orievents / GD4C’s Training Camps “Alto Alentejo” are an excellent training opportunity for Orienteering of good quality during the winter. Start the new season in training camps in Alto Alentejo, Portugal! More at www.naom.pt and about the training camp at Orievents.

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About Jan Kocbach

Jan Kocbach is the founder of WorldofO.com - taking care of everything from site development to writing articles, photography and analysis.

10 comments

  1. Knut Wiig Mathisen

    How can you not nominate Olav Lundanes for the orienteering achievement of the year, he won the most prestigious WOC title well ahead of the contenders. His WOC winning gap was the largest both in absolute time and percentage. Deeply disappointed, I refuse to vote in the men’s class this year!

    • Please read the first paragraph again:
      “Winning a Gold medal at the World Championships is always a great achievement – but sometimes just making it to a World Championships final may be an even bigger achievement – depending on what your starting point was. The stories behind the medals and the great achievements is what makes the sport truly fascinating! In “The Orienteering Achievement of the Year” these stories are highlighted – to make it possible to get a background for the amazing achievements”.

      But of course, you may agree or disagree in the nominations.

    • @Knut: It was tricky to choose 8 of those around 25 suggested, and based on the suggestions we decided that we could only have one from each nation on the list in the men’s category. We then took a look at previous achievements to put the five suggested Norwegian men’s achievements in a bigger picture; Olav Lundanes, Magne Dæhli, Gaute Hallan Steiwer, Kasper Fosser and Eskil Kinneberg. In the end we decided that Kinneberg’s achievement was bigger than Lundanes’, based on his former achievements, but it was a close call. Fosser was also in the discussion until the last moment. Lundanes was the first not to be included, but his fantastic long distance gold (5 in total, one more than Thierry; 3rd in a row, just like Thierry) with uncertainty due to illness and having to skip the relay + big winning gap was defintelyl very impressive. But “Achievement of the Year” is just as much about where you are coming from as the result in itself …. I am sorry to hear you won’t vote in the men’s class this year, I think there are 8 great achievements there.

      • “… we decided that we could only have one from each nation on the list in the men’s category”.
        Why does this not apply to the women’s category? Just curious, in these times with gender equality, etc. …

        • Also a difficult choice, but it was mainly because there were far more men suggested (27 men, 16 women) and more exceptional achievements from a wider range of nations. For the women, in the end an exception was made with Karolin Ohlsson and Tove Alexandersson; the next on the list were also from nations which were already nominated. In the men’s it was a close call between athletes from different nations. But the choice was not easy at all. But thanks a lot for the interest!

      • Knut Wiig Mathisen

        Hello Jan, thanks for the reply. You have convinced me that there are eight worthy nominees also in the men’s category, although I dislike the national quota system. (My vote went to Ruslan, I met him in his early senior years when he was running for Tyrving and living for free in the basement of my sister’s house, so completely lacking practical, technical and financial support, but with such obvious physical potential, dedication and love of orienteering.)

  2. Where is Simona Aebersold?
    I understand its hard to choose, but a junior winning a EOC medal is just a enormous archievement…

    • Yes, many difficult decisions. Who would you have replaced by Simona Aebersold? In the end it was between Aebersold and Ohlsson (ref. above with different nations), and Ohlsson’s transformation this season from where she was last year, won that one, but I can definitely see good reasons to disagree. Aebersold’s achievements were also fantastic, so a tricky one there indeed …

      • With the same logic as earlier I would have replaced Maja Alm with Simona Aebersold, because I think (if you can compare) that Alms win was less greater than Lundanes victories and if you compare what Aebersold have archive this season I think it’s almost as good as Lundanes.