Simone Niggli and Daniel Hubmann have been awarded with “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″ titles in the womens and mens class, respectively! Among the women, Simone Niggli got an impressive 48% of the votes – winning ahead of Ida Bobach with 20% of the votes. In the mens class Daniel Hubmann was a clear winner for the second year in a row – with 48% of the votes ahead of Thierry Guerogiou with 18% of the votes.

The vote has been decided by the big international readership of World of O and Ultimate Orienteering – more than 3200 unique votes from 58 different countries have been delivered, making these results very representative for the worldwide orienteering community.

Full results: Orienteering Achievement of 2009

Live Chat with Simone and Daniel

This evening at 20:15 CET we will give you the possibility to ask your questions to Simone Niggli and Daniel Hubmann. Instead of the regular interview we let you ask the questions to the two greatest orienteers of this season. You may ask your question already now – Simone and Daniel will pick the questions to be answered along with the editors of World of O and Ultimate Orienteering.

Simone Niggli: Orienteering Achievement of 2009 – Women

- What was the greatest moment of this year for you? (in sports)
- The greatest moment for me in sports this year was the moment when I saw the second last control on the long distance in Hungary. I could hear the voice of the speaker Per Forsberg, announcing me as the new world champion… that was fantastic!

- Was it a surprise for you that you managed to get back to the very top level this year?
- I really hoped it but I wasn’t secure about it , especially after my injury in the spring. And you never know how you can handle the sport-family balance and if your body would be ready for top performance again. I’m really happy about my performances, especially in the second half of the year.

Daniel Hubmann: Orienteering Achievement of 2009 – Men

- What was the greatest moment of this year for you?
There where many great moments this year. But of course the greatest one was to defend the WOC title in the long distance. But also the World Games, Tiomila and Jukola have been memorable events for me this year.

- Was it a surprise for you that you managed to be so dominant this season?
- Of course I did not expect so many good races even though my shape was good the whole season. But it looks like I managed to make another step to a higher level in 2009. It was a great year for me, hopefully I can still improve my skills for next season! :-)

Come back for more questions and answers with Simone Niggli and Daniel Hubmann in the live chat.

Prizes for “Lucky voters”

From the nearly 3300 votes given, 11 prizes from our sponsors Trimtex, Highlands Open, Nordvestgaloppen and OOCup have been drawn. Check below if you took home one of the prizes.

At first we would like to thank Trimtex, the Highlands Open, OOCup and Nordvestgaloppen
for sponsoring “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″. Thanks to them, World of O and Ultimate Orienteering were able to draw lucky prize winners among those who nominated and voted in this years election.

Among the people suggesting/discussing nominees 1 Trimtex Extreme o-pant have been drawn. Among all people voting 4 Trimtex Extreme o-pants, 2 transferable starts for the complete OOCup 2010, 2 transferable starts for the complete Highlands Open 2010 and 2 transferable starts for the complete Nordvestgaloppen 2010 have been drawn.

The prize winners are:

• Clemens Roos – drawn from the ones suggesting/nominating (Trimtex Extreme o-pants)
• Dario Pedrotti (Trimtex Extreme o-pants)
• Sophie Tritschler (Trimtex Extreme o-pants)
• Hanna Rudakouskaya (Trimtex Extreme o-pants)
• Daniel Marques (Trimtex Extreme o-pants)
• Gernot Kerschbaumer (Start OOCup 2010)
• Christian Pedersen (Start OOCup 2010)
• Fanny Boher(Start Highlands Open 2010)
• Jaakko Tervo (Start Highlands Open 2010)
• Fabien Pasquasy (Start Nordvestgaloppen 2010)
• Stefan Schaltter (Start Nordvestgaloppen 2010)

Websites linking to “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″

Thanks to all websites that linked to “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″ organised by World of O and Ultimate Orienteering, we were able to make the election results as representative for the orienteering community as possible.

Five free “Sponsored links” were announced to be drawn among the websites linking to “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″.

The websites are:

• Nopesport.com – one month “Sponsored link” (in January) at Ultimate Orienteering
• Orient.simf.at.ua – one month “Sponsored link” (in January) at World of O
• OL-Sport.at – one month “Sponsored link” (in January) at Ultimate Orienteering
• Orientering.dk – one month “Sponsored link” (in February) at World of O
• Orientering.se – one month “Sponsored link” (in January) at Ultimate Orienteering

Congratulations!

Main Sponsor: Trimtex

Trimtex Sport, based in Norway, is one of the main producers of orienteering sportswear. Since its foundation in 1976 with base in the orienteering market, Trimtex Sport has been producing sportswear with focus on unique colours and designs, for clubs and corporations. Today, Trimtex Sport is the proud maker of outstanding sportswear, which is carefully designed from top to bottom to fit the customer’s needs and specifications.

Trimtex Sport is, like last year, the main sponsor or The Orienteering Achievement 2009 election and they are generous to give the following prizes:

• Each of the two winners of the poll get the brand new Trimtex Softshell Air jacket
• Among the Lucky voters 4 Trimtex Extreme o-pants will be drawn
• Among the people suggesting/discussing nominees 1 Trimtex Extreme o-pant will be drawn (it is still possible to suggest/discuss why you want your favourite to be nominated here)
• See Trimtex webpage for more information about Trimtex

Event sponsor: Nordvestgaloppen

Nordvestgaloppen is a popular event in Western Norway. The event is known for its mix of interesting orienteering with wonderful nature between fjords and mountains. Nordvestgaloppen 2010 is organized from July 14th until July 18th – this year it can provide a good stop ahead of WOC 2010 in Trondheim for many of the competitors.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Nordvestgaloppen 2010 will be drawn.
• See Nordvestgaloppen webpage for more information about the event

Event sponsor: Highlands Open

Highlands Open is a popular event in Northern Italy. The terrain is know to be very varied – from detailed with rocky features to really fast with open forest, some karstic areas, and some full of trenches of the 1° World War. Highlands Open 2010 is organized from August 22nd until August 29th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Highlands Open 2010 will be drawn.
• See Highlands Open webpage for more information about the event

Event sponsor: OOcup

OOCup is a popular Slovenian event which is famous for its interesting karst orienteering and great nature. OOCup 2010 is organized from July 24th until July 28th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete OOCup 2010 will be drawn.
• See OOCup webpage for more information about the event

From the nearly 3300 votes given, 11 prizes from our sponsors Trimtex, Highlands Open, Nordvestgaloppen and OOCup have been drawn. Check below if you took home one of the prizes.

At first we would like to thank Trimtex, the Highlands Open, OOCup and Nordvestgaloppen
for sponsoring “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″. Thanks to them, World of O and Ultimate Orienteering were able to draw lucky prize winners among those who nominated and voted in this years election.

Among the people suggesting/discussing nominees 1 Trimtex Extreme o-pant have been drawn. Among all people voting 4 Trimtex Extreme o-pants, 2 transferable starts for the complete OOCup 2010, 2 transferable starts for the complete Highlands Open 2010 and 2 transferable starts for the complete Nordvestgaloppen 2010 have been drawn.

The prize winners are:

• Clemens Roos – drawn from the ones suggesting/nominating (Trimtex Extreme o-pants)
• Dario Pedrotti (Trimtex Extreme o-pants)
• Sophie Tritschler (Trimtex Extreme o-pants)
• Hanna Rudakouskaya (Trimtex Extreme o-pants)
• Daniel Marques (Trimtex Extreme o-pants)
• Gernot Kerschbaumer (Start OOCup 2010)
• Christian Pedersen (Start OOCup 2010)
• Fanny Boher(Start Highlands Open 2010)
• Jaakko Tervo (Start Highlands Open 2010)
• Fabien Pasquasy (Start Nordvestgaloppen 2010)
• Stefan Schaltter (Start Nordvestgaloppen 2010)

All prize winners will be contacted by e-mail with further information.

Websites linking to “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″

Thanks to all websites that linked to “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″ organised by World of O and Ultimate Orienteering, we were able to make the election results as representative for the orienteering community as possible.

Five free “Sponsored links” were announced to be drawn among the websites linking to “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″.

The websites are:

• Nopesport.com – one month “Sponsored link” (in January) at Ultimate Orienteering
• Orient.simf.at.ua – one month “Sponsored link” (in January) at World of O
• OL-Sport.at – one month “Sponsored link” (in January) at Ultimate Orienteering
• Orientering.dk – one month “Sponsored link” (in February) at World of O
• Orientering.se – one month “Sponsored link” (in January) at Ultimate Orienteering

Congratulations!

Tomorrow the winners unveiling of the “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″ will take place. Stay tuned!

Main Sponsor: Trimtex

Trimtex Sport, based in Norway, is one of the main producers of orienteering sportswear. Since its foundation in 1976 with base in the orienteering market, Trimtex Sport has been producing sportswear with focus on unique colours and designs, for clubs and corporations. Today, Trimtex Sport is the proud maker of outstanding sportswear, which is carefully designed from top to bottom to fit the customer’s needs and specifications.

Trimtex Sport is, like last year, the main sponsor or The Orienteering Achievement 2009 election and they are generous to give the following prizes:

• Each of the two winners of the poll get the brand new Trimtex Softshell Air jacket
• Among the Lucky voters 4 Trimtex Extreme o-pants will be drawn
• Among the people suggesting/discussing nominees 1 Trimtex Extreme o-pant will be drawn (it is still possible to suggest/discuss why you want your favourite to be nominated here)
• See Trimtex webpage for more information about Trimtex

Event sponsor: Nordvestgaloppen

Nordvestgaloppen is a popular event in Western Norway. The event is known for its mix of interesting orienteering with wonderful nature between fjords and mountains. Nordvestgaloppen 2010 is organized from July 14th until July 18th – this year it can provide a good stop ahead of WOC 2010 in Trondheim for many of the competitors.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Nordvestgaloppen 2010 will be drawn.
• See Nordvestgaloppen webpage for more information about the event

Event sponsor: Highlands Open

Highlands Open is a popular event in Northern Italy. The terrain is know to be very varied – from detailed with rocky features to really fast with open forest, some karstic areas, and some full of trenches of the 1° World War. Highlands Open 2010 is organized from August 22nd until August 29th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Highlands Open 2010 will be drawn.
• See Highlands Open webpage for more information about the event

Event sponsor: OOcup

OOCup is a popular Slovenian event which is famous for its interesting karst orienteering and great nature. OOCup 2010 is organized from July 24th until July 28th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete OOCup 2010 will be drawn.
• See OOCup webpage for more information about the event

Thierry Gueorgiou, Daniel Hubmann, Olli-Markus Taivainen, Peter Öberg, Fabian Hertner, Simone Niggli, Helena Jansson, Ida Bobach, Marianne Andersen and Linnea Gustafsson. These are the 10 runners who have been nominated for The Orienteering Achievement of 2009 – a poll organized by two of the major sources for international orienteering news on the Internet – World of O and Ultimate Orienteering.

Who did the greatest achievements of 2009? Read their stories – and vote here:

• The Orienteering Achivement of 2009 – Men
• The Orienteering Achivement of 2009 – Women

10 great prizes from our sponsors are drawn among all voting. 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).

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:

• http://poll.worldofo.com/poll2009.html

Of all websites with on average more than 50 visitors/day who link to the poll after it has been opened for voting, five websites will be drawn who will get a free “Sponsored Link” at either World of O or Ultimate Orienteering. Websites with on average more than 200 visitors/day will count triple when linking to the poll. Send an email to Jan@Kocbach.net 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 drawn. All sites linking to the poll will be listed at the poll page.

These images may be used when writing about the poll:

Main Sponsor: Trimtex

Trimtex Sport, based in Norway, is one of the main producers of orienteering sportswear. Since its foundation in 1976 with base in the orienteering market, Trimtex Sport has been producing sportswear with focus on unique colours and designs, for clubs and corporations. Today, Trimtex Sport is the proud maker of outstanding sportswear, which is carefully designed from top to bottom to fit the customer’s needs and specifications.

Trimtex Sport is, like last year, the main sponsor or The Orienteering Achievement 2009 election and they are generous to give the following prizes:

• Each of the two winners of the poll get the brand new Trimtex Softshell Air jacket
• Among the Lucky voters 4 Trimtex Extreme o-pants will be drawn
• Among the people suggesting/discussing nominees 1 Trimtex Extreme o-pant will be drawn (it is still possible to suggest/discuss why you want your favourite to be nominated here)
• See Trimtex webpage for more information about Trimtex

Event sponsor: Nordvestgaloppen

Nordvestgaloppen is a popular event in Western Norway. The event is known for its mix of interesting orienteering with wonderful nature between fjords and mountains. Nordvestgaloppen 2010 is organized from July 14th until July 18th – this year it can provide a good stop ahead of WOC 2010 in Trondheim for many of the competitors.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Nordvestgaloppen 2010 will be drawn.
• See Nordvestgaloppen webpage for more information about the event

Event sponsor: Highlands Open

Highlands Open is a popular event in Northern Italy. The terrain is know to be very varied – from detailed with rocky features to really fast with open forest, some karstic areas, and some full of trenches of the 1° World War. Highlands Open 2010 is organized from August 22nd until August 29th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Highlands Open 2010 will be drawn.
• See Highlands Open webpage for more information about the event

Event sponsor: OOcup

OOCup is a popular Slovenian event which is famous for its interesting karst orienteering and great nature. OOCup 2010 is organized from July 24th until July 28th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete OOCup 2010 will be drawn.
• See OOCup webpage for more information about the event

He looked like the happiest of all the medal winners in Miskolc this August

- I started the WOC sprint qualification with enormous self confidence. The secret behind Fabian Hertner’s self confidence was 3.5 weeks high altitude training camp followed by 3 weeks of training focused fully on the Sprint discipline. Running only the sprint at the World Championships has its advantages.

Fabian Hertner has been in the shadows of the big Swiss stars – Daniel Hubmann and Matthias Merz -for years. He has been showing his very big potential at regular intervals – JWOC gold on middle in 2005, 9th spot in EOC sprint in 2006, several extremely good races at less important occasions – but missing that little something required for the really great performance.

His self confidence brought him all the way to a Silver medal at the World Championships sprint this year – and afterwards he looked like the happiest of all the medal winners in Miskolc this August. One of the spectators put it this way: - I think seeing him when he knew he got a medal was one of the nicest moment I ever saw in orienteering.

Nominated for:

Coming out from the shadows of the big Swiss stars, taking a surprising Silver medal in the World Championships Sprint.

In the middle distance I had especially big ambitions, wanting to qualify for this discipline and the Relay

From good to bad

The fight for a WOC selection is though in the Swiss Team. Thus the WOC selection races are nearly as important as the WOC itself. And it turned out to be a close call for Hertner.

- The selection races started with two forest sprints. In the first, I had some small technical uncertainties (see map). In the second I got a good race (map). I run a good third spot in both races. [...] In the middle distance I had especially big ambitions, wanting to qualify for this discipline and the Relay. I made a clean race, maybe 15 seconds mistake. In the finish I thought it would be good enough for a top spot.

However, the results showed a different story for the new Swiss orienteering star.

- 3 minutes behind and a 5th place was a big disappointment for me with such a good race (map). In the long distance my bad shape was confirmed. I run to the finish with nearly 15 minutes up to the winner (map).

Rebuilding confidence

With 6.5 weeks to go until the World Championships Sprint, Hertner had to start building himself up again – both physically and mentally. – The selection races were a disappointment for me, and just now I feel a big emptiness and am unable to explain what has happened, Hertner wrote at his homepage just after the selection races.

In the end, the bad qualification races on Middle and Long might have been a blessing in disguise. Being able to concentrate fully on the Sprint, and building himself up step by step seemed to do the trick for the new Swiss orienteering star!

• Map WOC Sprint Qual – Fabian Hertner
• Map WOC Sprint Final – Fabian Hertner

Event sponsor: Highlands Open

Highlands Open is a popular event in Northern Italy. The terrain is know to be very varied – from detailed with rocky features to really fast with open forest, some karstic areas, and some full of trenches of the 1° World War. Highlands Open 2010 is organized from August 22nd until August 29th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Highlands Open 2010 will be drawn.
• See Highlands Open webpage for more information about the event

Probably one of the biggest setbacks for Simone in her career – but it might have given her that little extra she needed for the Long distance two days later?

In 2007 Simone Niggli was close to unbeatable – with victory in 8 of 10 World Cup races – taking two Gold medals in the World Orienteering Championships. She took a break in the 2008 season after giving birth to her Malin – and Simone and everybody else where curious to see if she would be able to get back to the top. The Swiss star was far from unbeatable at the start of the season – coming back from the Nordics without any medals for the first time since 2003.

Niggli used the remaining months towards the World Championships in Hungary wisely. Already at the World Cup races in Oslo in June she climbed up to the podium – taking a third spot. During the World Champs, she continued her climb back to the top, taking Bronze medals in both the Middle and the Sprint.

At the second last day of the World Champs in Hungary her team mates served her a perfect position for a Gold medal – or at least a medal – in the Relay. In the end she lost the fight against Marianne Andersen, Helena Jansson and Minna Kauppi after searching for a well hidden control for minutes – and Switzerland ended 4th. Probably one of the biggest setbacks for Simone in her career – but it might have given her that little extra she needed for the Long distance two days later?

The WOC Long distance belonged to Simone. She caught Minna Kauppi quite early in the course – just before the butterflies – and after the “spreading” in the butterflies they were together again. They run together for the remainder of the course – and came to the finish as number one and two. Simone was back at the top!

And if that wasn’t enough: Niggli also won the two last World Cup races on home ground in October – winning the overall World Cup as well!

Nominated for:

A fantastic comeback this year with World Championships Gold medal over the Long distance and overall World Cup victory after giving birth to her child. Also: Two additional medals at the World Champs this year – Bronze in Sprint and Middle.

Specializing late

Simone Niggli did not have a lot of focus on orienteering training when she was young. She did many different sports (Volleyball, Skiing, Swimming, etc.), and did not start writing down her training until she was admitted in the regional team at the age of 15. At this time she only went running once a week. Since then she has gradually increased her training. Niggli did not start concentrating on orienteering until she got into the national junior team at the age of 18.

- This way I could increase my training gradually – I think this has helped me on my way to success.

Ready for Trondheim

Simone Niggli has done a lot of good races in Scandinavian terrain – but she has not been as dominating as on the continent. Next year the World Orienteering Championships is in Trondheim, Norway. Simone’s current project: – Make Trondheim feel like home. Below you can see some of her preparation for the Championships next year:

• Corridor training, Trondheim area
• Route choice training, Trondheim area (- Marshes were wet, but still they were fast)
• Relay, Trondheim area

You can find 195 (and counting) of Simone Niggli’s maps (many of them with her route choice) at Omaps.worldofo.com.

Can Simone manage to take another Gold medal in Trondheim next year? The Trondheim championships next year will definitely be a new and interesting challenge for Simone!

Event sponsor: Nordvestgaloppen

Nordvestgaloppen is a popular event in Western Norway. The event is known for its mix of interesting orienteering with wonderful nature between fjords and mountains. Nordvestgaloppen 2010 is organized from July 14th until July 18th – this year it can provide a good stop ahead of WOC 2010 in Trondheim for many of the competitors.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Nordvestgaloppen 2010 will be drawn.
• See Nordvestgaloppen webpage for more information about the event

Before last years JWOC she was the only one of them without a JWOC medal – now she has passed both of her older brothers

She is only 18 years old – and with 4 medals of 4 possible in the Junior World Champs in Italy she got the Queen of JWOC. One month earlier, she was part of Ulricehamns winning Venla Team – running the first leg. This young Danish girl has really showed that she wants to start fighting with the seniors sooner rather than later – these achievements are definitely enough to get her nominated for the Orienteering Achivement of 2009.

Ida Bobach is the youngest of three very talented siblings. Before last years JWOC she was the only one of them without a JWOC medal – now she has passed both of her older brothers. Ida has one Gold, two Silver and two Bronze – her brother Søren has one Gold, one Silver and three Bronze. And Ida Bobach is still only 18 …

Picture above: From JWOC 2009 in Valle di Primiero, Italy. Photo by Newspower-Canon..

Nominated for:

Only 18 years old, and Queen of JWOC 2009 with 4 medals in 4 competitions – including the Gold medal on the Long distance! Also: Winner of Venla relay with Ulricehamns OK and winner of the JEC Relay for Denmark.

Picture from Tutzon@Picasa

- In most of the course I had a good flow, but I used some time at every control to make a good plan

The JWOC Long Gold medal

- When I started my warm up, it was raining a lot, and there was lightening and thunder. It was really cold to warm up, and my motivation sunk a bit. It didn’t really feel like a World Champs competition I was preparing to run. However, 10 minutes ahead of my start, the weather and my motivation turned. The rain stopped, and the sun came out. In the same way, my motivation came out, and I really looked forward to getting the map in my hands.

This is Ida’s description of the minutes ahead of her Gold medal competition in JWOC this year. Being able to turn on your motivation ahead of a competition is extremely important – and here she even got some help from the sun. If your Danish is good (or you trust Google Translate), you can read the complete description of her race on the blog of the Danish junior team.

• Map JWOC Long

- I am a senior World Champion

Ida Bobach has grown up with orienteering. Both of her parents are orienteers – and they brought her to orienteering events when she was very young. Orienteering will also have a very important part of Ida’s life in the future.

- [In 10 years], I am a senior world champ! But that is just a dream. I think that in 10 years I am spending much time on elite orienteering and I am trying to be the world’s best orienteer. But I also want to get a good education, so at this time I have found a great balance between these two things.

That is what Ida Bobach said about a year ago. Now she is several steps closer to her goal for 2018. The senior Gold medal might come a lot sooner than that if she continues as she has done…

Event sponsor: OOcup

OOCup is a popular Slovenian event which is famous for its interesting karst orienteering and great nature. OOCup 2010 is organized from July 24th until July 28th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete OOCup 2010 will be drawn.
• See OOCup webpage for more information about the event

After 14 Silver and Bronze medals in World Champs, European Champs and Nordic Champs, the Gold medal was finally there

- Thanks to an intense fear for ruining this possibility for a World Championships Gold medal, I managed to get a 4-5 seconds lead to Helena Jansson on the way out of the third last control. That is Marianne Andersen’s description of the dramatic final part of the WOC Relay in Hungary this year. And that was enough: Andersen kept the lead all the way to the finish, where she was met by extremely happy team-mates.

After 14 Silver and Bronze medals in World Champs, European Champs and Nordic Champs – the last silver medal on the Middle distance just a few days ahead of the Relay – the Gold medal was finally there for the Norwegian runner! Andersen has been among the top three female orienteers in the world for years – but has not been able to take that last and difficult step up on the podium until now.

This Gold medal tasted lovely for Andersen after all the Silver and Bronze medals!

Nominated for:

After 14 Silver and Bronze medals in major championships, finally winning a gold medal in the World Champs thanks to a fantastic last leg on the WOC Relay. Also: Winning Silver medals in WOC Long and Middle.

Better with 900 hours

Marianne Andersen is famous for putting in the largest amount of training hours of all orienteering women, more than 900 hours a year!

- After two seasons with about 100 hours less training, I have now gone back to the 2006-scheme. And I have noticed that it suits my body better with 900 hours than 800 hours, Marianne Andersen told NTB in an interview this autumn.

900 hours is also more than almost all of the men. If you want to take a look for yourself, you can find a summary of Marianne Andersens training for 2006 – and a sample training week – here (Norwegian text). Andersen is also one of those who do orienteering technical training in form of map training while brushing her teeth. All details count.

- Last winter I had several 5-6 hours trainings in Nordmarka. The longest one was 7 hours. And I enjoy every second of it.

All disciplines

Still long distance is probably her best discipline, but she has collected Silver medals in WOC or WOC in all individual disciplines – so she has possibilities for a Gold medal every time she is on the start in a championship. Here are the maps from her medal races in the World Championships in Hungary this year:

• Map WOC Relay, Gold
• Map WOC Long, Silver
• Map WOC Middle, Silver

In her 10 individual Silver and Bronze competitions, Marianne Andersen has lost her Gold medal to four different women Minna Kauppi, Simone Niggli, Dana Brozkova and Helena Jansson. Is Andersen ready for the individual Gold medal on home ground in Trondheim in 2011?

Event sponsor: Highlands Open

Highlands Open is a popular event in Northern Italy. The terrain is know to be very varied – from detailed with rocky features to really fast with open forest, some karstic areas, and some full of trenches of the 1° World War. Highlands Open 2010 is organized from August 22nd until August 29th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Highlands Open 2010 will be drawn.
• See Highlands Open webpage for more information about the event

Gueorgiou’s silver medal on the WOC long distance was even more impressive

The King of Middle did it again! After several big disappointments in the spring season, Thierry Gueorgiou came back 100% prepared for the World Orienteering Champs in Hungary, and took his 6th WOC Gold medal over the middle distance – and his 7th individual WOC Gold medal overall.

This in itself would probably have been enough to be nominated for the Orienteering Achievement of 2009. However, Gueorgiou’s silver medal on the WOC long distance was even more impressive. Only two days after getting his big dream of a WOC Relay Gold medal for France broken in a dramatic way for the second year in a row, the French runner took the silver medal over the Long distance – only beaten by Daniel Hubmann.

With WOC Gold medals in Middle and Sprint from earlier on, the flying Frenchman has now truly shown his potential in all disciplines.

Nominated for:

Coming back and taking the silver medal in the WOC Long distance after the traumatic relay incident. Also: Winning despite the pressure ; The King of Middle took another WOC Middle Gold medal this year – now arrived at 6 WOC Middle Gold medals.

Force: Orienteering Technique

Thierry Gueorgiou is a remarkable orienteer. His force is surely his orienteering technique – and he is known to train more with a map than any other top orienteer.

He had his breakthrough in WOC 2003 winning the WOC middle distance with almost three minutes (see map from WOC 2003 short distance final and qualification). He continued to win the next four middle championships in a row (WOC 2004, WOC 2005, EOC 2004 and EOC 2006) – and then failed at WOC 2006 (map here).

2007: Back on Track – Ready for another Triple

He was back on track in 2007 with Gold in both Sprint (map) and Middle (map) in Ukraine, and he was unbeaten in international events the whole season. During 2008 he got competition for the position as the biggest star among the men at the moment when Daniel Hubmann won the World Cup in impressing style. Still – he again took care of the Gold medal at the WOC middle distance in 2008 (map). And repeated it again in 2009 – for the 6th time (map).

With the silver medal at the WOC 2009 Long distance – and the Relay silver medal in Japan in 2005 – there is now only the Relay and Long gold medals missing in Gueorgiou’s medal collection… And these are clearly Thierry’s goals in the years to come.

Event sponsor: Nordvestgaloppen

Nordvestgaloppen is a popular event in Western Norway. The event is known for its mix of interesting orienteering with wonderful nature between fjords and mountains. Nordvestgaloppen 2010 is organized from July 14th until July 18th – this year it can provide a good stop ahead of WOC 2010 in Trondheim for many of the competitors.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Nordvestgaloppen 2010 will be drawn.
• See Nordvestgaloppen webpage for more information about the event

Trimtex, Highlands Open, OOCup and Nordvestgaloppen are the sponsors of “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″. That means that you can win Extreme O-pants from Trimtex or starts in Highlands Open 2010, OOCup 2010 or Nordvestgaloppen 2010. The winners of “The Orienteering Achivement of 2009″ get the brand new Softshell Air jackets from Trimtex. Read on to see how you can win!

» See here for all info about The Orienteering Achievement of 2009

Main Sponsor: Trimtex

Trimtex Sport, based in Norway, is one of the main producers of orienteering sportswear. Since its foundation in 1976 with base in the orienteering market, Trimtex Sport has been producing sportswear with focus on unique colours and designs, for clubs and corporations. Today, Trimtex Sport is the proud maker of outstanding sportswear, which is carefully designed from top to bottom to fit the customer’s needs and specifications.

Trimtex Sport is, like last year, the main sponsor or The Orienteering Achievement 2009 election and they are generous to give the following prizes:

• Each of the two winners of the poll get the brand new Trimtex Softshell Air jacket
• Among the Lucky voters 4 Trimtex Extreme o-pants will be drawn
• Among the people suggesting/discussing nominees 1 Trimtex Extreme o-pant will be drawn (it is still possible to suggest/discuss why you want your favourite to be nominated here)
• See Trimtex webpage for more information about Trimtex

Event sponsor: Nordvestgaloppen

Nordvestgaloppen is a popular event in Western Norway. The event is known for its mix of interesting orienteering in wonderful nature between fjords and mountains. Nordvestgaloppen 2010 is organized from July 14th until July 18th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Nordvestgaloppen 2010 will be drawn.
• See Nordvestgaloppen webpage for more information about the event

Event sponsor: Highlands Open

Highlands Open is a popular event in Northern Italy. The terrain is know to be very varied – from detailed with rocky features to really fast with open forest, some karstic areas, and some full of trenches of the 1° World War. Highlands Open 2010 is organized from August 22nd until August 29th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Highlands Open 2010 will be drawn.
• See Highlands Open webpage for more information about the event

Event sponsor: OOcup

OOCup is a popular Slovenian event which is famous for its interesting karst orienteering and great nature. OOCup 2010 is organized from July 24th until July 28th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete OOCup 2010 will be drawn.
• See OOCup webpage for more information about the event

2009 has been another year full of great orienteering achievements – and as we now are moving towards 2010, it is again time to decide the greatest of achievements of the year. The annual poll to find the biggest Orienteering Achievements of the year is organized by two of the major sources for international orienteering news on the Internet – World of O and Ultimate Orienteering.

In this edition YOU get even more influence: You are invited to suggest your candidates for “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″ – including why the runner shall be nominated – and based on reader suggestions, five men and five women will be nominated. Please take the time to suggest a candidate – including a reason for why the person is nominated. A prize from our sponsors will be drawn among all suggesting a candidate / participating in the discussions.

• Suggest your candidate here

Note that in the vote for “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″, the best achievement of the year is to be named – and not necessarily the best orienteer of 2009. Thus it is not necessarily the gold medalists who have done the greatest orienteering achievements. All nominees for the Orienteering Achievement of 2008 can be found here. Note that only individual orienteers can be nominated – not group of orienteers.

The winners from the Orienteering Achievement of 2008 were Daniel Hubmann and Minna Kauppi. Help decide who will win “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″.

Timetable

Starting November 25th, nominees will be presented on a a day-by-day basis at World of O and Ultimate Orienteering. The winner is decided in a vote amongst all the readers of World of O and Ultimate Orienteering after all nominees have been presented between Monday November 30th and Friday December 4th. The winners will be announced December 8th. The following categories are included in The Orienteering Achievement of 2009:

• The Orienteering Achievement of 2009 – Men
• The Orienteering Achievement of 2009 – Women

Prizes for “Lucky voters”

Prizes will be drawn among the voters:

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. Sponsors and prizes will be announced Wednesday November 18th.
3. The winners will be made public after the poll closes at World of O and Ultimate Orienteering.

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:

• http://poll.worldofo.com/poll2009.html (voting will be opened from here)

Of all websites with on average more than 50 visitors/day who link to the poll after it has been opened for voting, five websites will be drawn who will get a free “Sponsored Link” at either World of O or Ultimate Orienteering. Websites with on average more than 200 visitors/day will count triple when linking to the poll. Send an email to Jan@Kocbach.net 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 necessarily by the website drawn.

Sponsors

We have got some sponsors ready who will contribute with prizes for the voters – but the voters can surely take more – so if you are interested in sponsoring “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″ please contact jan@kocbach.net. All sponsor-contribution will go directly to the voters / winners. Sponsors will be presented accompanying the runner presentations. If you are organizing a multiday-event in 2010, this might be the visibility you are looking for to attract more participants. Or maybe you have got a piece of high-quality orienteering equipment you want to share with the readers?