Home / Orienteering News / EOC Sprint Relay 2023: Maps, Results and Quick Analysis

EOC Sprint Relay 2023: Maps, Results and Quick Analysis

Jan Kocbach October 7, 2023 Orienteering News 9 Comments

map_sprintrelayeoc2023

Sweden won a clear victory in the European Championships (EOC) Sprint Relay ahead of Switzerland and Finland. In the Swedish team, Tove Alexandersson led the field after the first leg – giving  Jonatan Gustafsson a gap out on the second leg which Martin Regborn and Sara Hagstrom managed to increase steadily to the finish.

Behind Sweden, there was a close fight for the remaining podium spots, which Elena Roos of Switzerland decided in the last leg in the last international championship of her career. Venla Harju took Finland to bronze after running away from Norway’s Victoria Hæstad Bjørnstad on the last leg. France and Great Britain finished off the podium.

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The above illustration shows the race development with whole legs along the x-axis, and with the initials of the runners in the legend. Here Red is Sweden, Green in Switzerland, Blue is Finland, Violet is Norway, Light Blue is France and the Green-Blue is Great Britain. The illustration shows how it looked like it was only Sweden and Switzerland battling it out for the gold on the first two legs, then Matthias Kyburz did a major mistake at the start of the 3rd leg, letting Norway and Finland into the battle for the medals – the silver and bronze medalists from Wednesday running very good races.

On the 3rd leg the speed was too high for France and Great Britain, and the battle for silver and bronze was therefore between Switzerland, Finland and Norway on the last leg.

See below for graphical representations of the split times for the common controls on each leg. Note that this does not give the current standings (except for leg 1), but the leg development assuming a mass start – and that there are also some forking differences here.

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Maps and GPS-tracking

See below for links to maps and GPS-tracking.

EOC 2023, Sprint relay, Leg 1

» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
EOC 2023, Sprint relay, Leg 2

» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
EOC 2023, Sprint relay, Leg 3

» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
EOC 2023, Sprint relay, Leg 4

» See map in omaps.worldofo.com

Results

1 Sweden 1:02:35.20
1. Tove Alexandersson 15:15.90 1 15:15.90 1
2. Jonatan Gustafsson 15:58.90 8 +0:29.90 31:14.80 1 0 0:00.00
3. Martin Regborn 15:26.00 4 +0:27.00 46:40.80 1 0 0:00.00
4. Sara Hagstrom 15:54.40 1 1:02:35.20 1 0 0:00.00
2 Switzerland 1:03:11.30 +0:36.10
1. Simona Aebersold 15:30.80 2 +0:14.90 15:30.80 2 +0:14.90
2. Joey Hadorn 15:50.00 6 +0:21.00 31:20.80 2 0 +0:06.00 -0:08.90
3. Matthias Kyburz 15:55.00 7 +0:56.00 47:15.80 3 +1 +0:35.00 +0:29.00
4. Elena Roos 15:55.50 2 +0:01.10 1:03:11.30 2 -1 +0:36.10 +0:01.10
3 Finland 1:03:28.60 +0:53.40
1. Inka Nurminen 16:37.80 7 +1:21.90 16:37.80 7 +1:21.90
2. Teemu Oksanen 15:37.00 2 +0:08.00 32:14.80 3 -4 +1:00.00 -0:21.90
3. Tuomas Heikkila 14:59.00 1 47:13.80 2 -1 +0:33.00 -0:27.00
4. Venla Harju 16:14.80 3 +0:20.39 1:03:28.60 3 +1 +0:53.40 +0:20.40
4 Norway 1:03:37.70 +1:02.50
1. Marie Olaussen 16:32.80 5 +1:16.90 16:32.80 5 +1:16.90
2. Eirik Langedal Breivik 15:46.00 5 +0:17.00 32:18.80 4 -1 +1:04.00 -0:12.90
3. Kasper Harlem Fosser 14:59.00 1 47:17.80 4 0 +0:37.00 -0:27.00
4. Victoria Haestad Bjornstad 16:19.90 4 +0:25.50 1:03:37.70 4 0 +1:02.50 +0:25.50
5 France 1:04:49.80 +2:14.60
1. Isia Basset 16:38.80 8 +1:22.90 16:38.80 8 +1:22.90
2. Adrien Delenne 15:53.00 7 +0:24.00 32:31.80 5 -3 +1:17.00 -0:05.90
3. Loic Capbern 15:55.00 7 +0:56.00 48:26.80 5 0 +1:46.00 +0:29.00
4. Cecile Calandry 16:23.00 5 +0:28.60 1:04:49.80 5 0 +2:14.60 +0:28.60
6 Great Britain 1:05:09.40 +2:34.19
1. Charlotte Ward 16:33.80 6 +1:17.90 16:33.80 6 +1:17.90
2. Nathan Lawson 16:45.00 15 +1:16.00 33:18.80 10 +4 +2:04.00 +0:46.10
3. Ralph Street 15:21.00 3 +0:22.00 48:39.80 7 -3 +1:59.00 -0:05.00
4. Megan Carter Davies 16:29.60 6 +0:35.19 1:05:09.40 6 -1 +2:34.19 +0:35.19
7 Denmark 1:05:35.40 +3:00.20
1. Ida Agervig Kristiansson 17:20.80 11 +2:04.90 17:20.80 11 +2:04.90
2. Soren Thrane Odum 15:39.00 3 +0:10.00 32:59.80 7 -4 +1:45.00 -0:19.90
3. Andreas Bock Bjoernsen 15:35.00 5 +0:36.00 48:34.80 6 -1 +1:54.00 +0:09.00
4. Cecilie Friberg Klysner 17:00.60 10 +1:06.19 1:05:35.40 7 +1 +3:00.20 +1:06.20
8 Hungary 1:05:41.40 +3:06.20
1. Viktoria Mag 16:03.40 3 +0:47.50 16:03.40 3 +0:47.50
2. Zoltan Bujdoso 16:39.40 14 +1:10.40 32:42.80 6 +3 +1:28.00 +0:40.50
3. Mihaly Ormay 16:23.00 14 +1:24.00 49:05.80 9 +3 +2:25.00 +0:57.00
4. Rita Maramarosi 16:35.60 8 +0:41.19 1:05:41.40 8 -1 +3:06.20 +0:41.20
9 Czechia 1:05:47.20 +3:12.00
1. Jana Peterova 17:25.70 13 +2:09.80 17:25.70 13 +2:09.80
2. Vojtech Kral 15:41.10 4 +0:12.09 33:06.80 9 -4 +1:52.00 -0:17.80
3. Tomas Krivda 15:58.00 9 +0:59.00 49:04.80 8 -1 +2:24.00 +0:32.00
4. Tereza Janosikova 16:42.40 9 +0:48.00 1:05:47.20 9 +1 +3:12.00 +0:48.00
10 Austria 1:07:17.50 +4:42.30
1. Ylvi Kastner 17:31.80 17 +2:15.90 17:31.80 17 +2:15.90
2. Jannis Bonek 15:29.00 1 33:00.80 8 -9 +1:46.00 -0:29.90
3. Matthias Groell 16:34.00 16 +1:35.00 49:34.80 10 +2 +2:54.00 +1:08.00
4. Laura Ramstein 17:42.70 15 +1:48.30 1:07:17.50 10 0 +4:42.30 +1:48.30
11 Germany 1:07:43.60 +5:08.39
1. Paula Starke 17:27.80 14 +2:11.90 17:27.80 14 +2:11.90
2. Anselm Reichenbach 16:20.00 12 +0:51.00 33:47.80 14 0 +2:33.00 +0:21.10
3. Colin Kolbe 16:31.00 15 +1:32.00 50:18.80 13 -1 +3:38.00 +1:05.00
4. Patricia Nieke 17:24.80 13 +1:30.40 1:07:43.60 11 -2 +5:08.39 +1:30.39
12 Italy 1:07:50.70 +5:15.50
1. Caterina Dallera 18:14.80 19 +2:58.90 18:14.80 19 +2:58.90
2. Francesco Mariani 16:08.00 9 +0:39.00 34:22.80 17 -2 +3:08.00 +0:09.10
3. Riccardo Scalet 15:48.00 6 +0:49.00 50:10.80 12 -5 +3:30.00 +0:22.00
4. Maddalena De Biasi 17:39.90 14 +1:45.50 1:07:50.70 12 0 +5:15.50 +1:45.50
13 Latvia 1:07:51.80 +5:16.60
1. Sandra Grosberga 16:31.80 4 +1:15.90 16:31.80 4 +1:15.90
2. Andris Jubelis 16:59.00 16 +1:30.00 33:30.80 11 +7 +2:16.00 +1:00.10
3. Rudolfs Zernis 16:10.00 10 +1:11.00 49:40.80 11 0 +3:00.00 +0:44.00
4. Elza Kuze 18:11.00 17 +2:16.60 1:07:51.80 13 +2 +5:16.60 +2:16.60
14 Spain 1:08:41.60 +6:06.40
1. Nerea Gonzalez 17:31.20 16 +2:15.30 17:31.20 16 +2:15.30
2. Eduardo Gil Marcos 17:09.59 18 +1:40.60 34:40.80 18 +2 +3:26.00 +1:10.70
3. Alvaro Casado 16:10.00 10 +1:11.00 50:50.80 15 -3 +4:10.00 +0:44.00
4. Ana Isabel Toledo 17:50.80 16 +1:56.40 1:08:41.60 14 -1 +6:06.40 +1:56.40
15 Poland 1:08:51.70 +6:16.50
1. Hanna Wisniewska 18:51.80 22 +3:35.90 18:51.80 22 +3:35.90
2. Piotr Parfianowicz 17:15.00 20 +1:46.00 36:06.80 20 -2 +4:52.00 +1:16.10
3. Michal Olejnik 16:11.00 12 +1:12.00 52:17.80 19 -1 +5:37.00 +0:45.00
4. Aleksandra Hornik 16:33.90 7 +0:39.50 1:08:51.70 15 -4 +6:16.50 +0:39.50

About Jan Kocbach

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

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9 comments

  1. o-zeugs
    October 7, 2023 at 10:10

    The line between challenging and unfair is thin. e.g.the long leg right from the start or the section inside this hilly park (with apparent legibility issues of the map) added an element of luck in favour of the TV production but to the disadvantage of the competitors.

    • Andy
      October 7, 2023 at 10:31

      Don’t really see a problem with actually provide some orienteering challenges like these. Compared to the Simpleton course at the individual race this was a welcomed step up…

    • Jan Kocbach
      October 7, 2023 at 11:18

      Not sure the long leg in the start was unfair, but maybe I missed something? But from a TV viewer point of view, I don’t think such a long leg with lots of fast running makes it exciting. And I definitely think one should aim to have different best routechoice for different forkings.

  2. Andy
    October 7, 2023 at 10:33

    It’s a pity there usually isn’t much excitement around the top of the podium of sprint relay. The big differences on the female side are so big that most teams are out of the game already halfway through the first leg. Sweden, Switzerland, or Denmark earlier, has there ever been another winner in championships or world cup races?
    Strange to see Mattias Kyburz losing the plot in a race like this though…

  3. o-zeugs
    October 7, 2023 at 12:22

    @Jan: I had to check myself. In the Italian live coverage they had a third choice all around towards west, but that one is actually 200 m longer ??. Seen that way the first leg for the women is simple. Two variants with the same length, while for the men the B variant seems more complex than the A. In both men/women cases the forking had no tipping influence on the route choice. So ok. The long leg was rather boring than unfair.

    @Andy: As I wrote the line between challenging and unfair is thin. The reporter at the Italian broadcast mentioned himself that I was hard for him to read the map in the complex section even sitting on a chair. You saw many stops and sub-optimal choices in this section.

    • Andy
      October 7, 2023 at 12:48

      Well, slow walking and intricate map reading is the least problem I have with these championships so far. Too simple orienteering and lack of challenging and decisive routechoices on the other hand…
      I had no problem to understand the tricky area in the park from the livestream, but I understand that the runners had, coming from full speed running. And I welcome that. Don’t see the unfair bit.

      • o-zeugs
        October 7, 2023 at 14:46

        @Andy: to clarify: IMHO illegible maps should not be part of the orienteering challenge, while tricky legs definitively should.

  4. Bård Hekland
    October 7, 2023 at 14:06

    To me, this was a quite nice course, and certainly a big step forward from the dull individual sprint.

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