At the World Cup final which was held in volcanic forests around Clermont-Ferrand in France, the home runner Thierry Gueorgiou won almost all he could. He reached three times for gold and there was noone in the field who could beat him in any of the individual races. This brought the Frenchman 150 World Cup points and also the first place in the overall standings of the World Cup in 2006, and also a nomination for the Achievement of the Year.

I think your preparation for the World Cup final can be described as extreme, regardig the amount of time you spent orienteering in the terrain. Were you not afraid to invest so much into it? That in case you didn’t succeed, it could be very stressful?
When you know that you are very well prepared… when you know you have done all the work before, then you feel very relaxed. It is exactly the same as it is at school. You have worked so hard in your preparation that you can’t see a question you would have no answer to.
After the World Championships in Denmark, before the World Cup, I ran through 1000 controls… and all the time, if I made a mistake, I tried to see what was wrong and find the answer. Before the World Cup started, I knew that I was the one who had the best feeling for the terrain, so it was just about taking the map and run. The only mistake you can do in situations like this is to forget to read the map, because of the stress, but once you find the right balance, nothing can be easier.

I see, but I still think it must have been difficult to handle the first event of the programme, the Sprint, which was a discipline in which you had the smallest advantage compared to the other runners as here the terrain was not that special and everyone could run well. Wasn’t it?
I got good results in every discipline, all kind of terrain. I am never afraid about terrain and format. And of course I knew this Sprint was very important because the terrain wasn’t so special and there the difference between runners wasn’t so much affected by the preparation and training. And same I knew Emil and Daniel are both top class orienteers in Sprint and I am not at their level in this discipline.
But these were the given facts I couldn’t change. On the other hand, I knew that to succeed in the overall World Cup, I couldn’t skip the Sprint. To win the World Cup was possible only if I was the best in all the disciplines.

Did you also train a lot for this Sprint or was it mainly Middle and Long you focused on? And what effect did it actually have on you that the schedule changed after the storm due to which the Middle distance final was shifted?
I trained for the Sprint most in the very final preparation. Before the schedule changed after the storm, I had hoped to run well the Middle and win points on Emil and Daniel, and then to keep the pressure on them before the Long Final. But when the schedule changed due to the storm, the Sprint became more important. And I’m quite sure if Daniel had won this first final race, the whole scenario of the World Cup Final would have been very different for me.

And my last question, what was it actually for you the experience of the stormy day, on which the Middle distance final was stopped and later on rescheduled for another day?
I came to the start and there I was told the race got canceled. I was really disappointed and really angry about the organizers… because I knew that I would loose the overall WC standing if they didn’t find the solution. But there was nothing to do about it. I packed my things and returned to the accommodation. I felt depressed and really hoped that the organizers would find a new solution in this situation. But there was one thing really good about it. This whole “storm affair” made me realize how important the race was for me. I understood that missing this competition would meant a lot to me and last thing I wanted was to have regrets when the Word Cup Final was over…

Thierry Gueorgiou – Achievement of the Year 2006
Nominated for: Three consecutive individual World Cup victories in France in Sprint, Long and Middle, securing him the overall World Cup 2006.
Other achievements: European Champion in Middle distance 2006.
Story: Thierry Guergiou has been the king of the Middle distance for several years. In 2003 he outclassed the whole World in this discipline at the World Championships in Switzerland and set new standards for orienteering in this most technical discipline. Since then, he had never lost to anyone in Middle distance at major Championships. Until this 4th August this year, when the Norwegian Holger Hott Johansen overtook the reign over the Middle distance throne. His 4th place in the middle distance at WOC 2006 in Denmark this year was certainly a huge disappointment to him, but also a great source of motivation. After Denmark, he put everything into the preparation for the World Cup final which took place on his home ground at Clermont-Ferrand in France in October. There on special and tricky lava terrain he completed a fantastic hatrick and won all the individual events and thus secured himself a premiere victory in the overall World Cup!

» Runner profile Thierry Guergiou
» Poll: Best of Orienteering 2006

Poll 2006 sponsor:

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

Emil Wingstedt is at the moment Swedish best orienteer and thank to him the country won its only gold medal at the World Championships. For Wingstedt himself, this gold was 5th in the discipline from major Championships, which is something rarely seen in men’s orienteering these days. (Something only the amazing Frenchman Thierry Gueorgiou was able to achieve in Middle distance, in which he won three consecuite WOC title in a row and two straight EOC gold in addition.)
This race to the gold in Denmark and to fifth straight Sprint Championship gold earned this 31-year-old Swede nomination for the Achievement of the Year.

In the WOC Sprint final you won your fifth straight gold from major Championships.. How was this race from your point of view?
Compared to the previous Sprints at the Championships I won, this time I didn’t do a perfect race. But I managed the key moments on the course best, which I think was a reason, why I was at the top, even if this time, I have to admit I was very lucky too, as Daniel was so so close…

What was perhaps most spectacular was the way you handled the long route-choice to the 10th control. Can we get back to this leg and would you describe in detail how you orienteered there?
I think it all started on the leg to the 7th control. I was rather surprised about this leg. It was quite easy, only one route-choice and gave you time to prepare for the long leg to the 10th. It’s quite unusual in Sprint races nowadays. So once I was at the 9th control I could run straight away. I perhaps saved time in the start of the leg. I was running all the time without stopping at all. Once out on the horse track I saw opening on the other side and could run absolutely straight. I also had the feeling that this was the best route-choice, which also always helps you as it gives you self-confidence. While running, I had the time to check the other alternatives and saw them, but I still had the feeling that they were not so good. I didn’t see too many footprints in the ground at the start of the leg on the track, so I knew not many runners took the same option.

Even if got the second straight gold in Sprint, I think, you hoped for a medal also in other disciplines…
When I got the World Champion title in Sprint, I was naturally very glad and I hoped I would be able to keep my best shape for the Middle distance Final, but unfortunately it wasn’t so. Even if I did a very good race in the qualification, the final of the Middle distance was far from what I had hoped it would have been. My orienteering was too shaky and at few places I made really stupid mistakes. Perhaps it was impossible for me to get in 100% focus after the Sprint again. Which was perhaps a result of the long time I had to be out of training due to different injuries and illnesses this year.

I think generally you can be satisfied with this season. You won a title in two major Championships, you were a member of the bronze team in WOC Relay… On the other hand, with regards to the seasons ahead, what was perhaps quite disturbing were the many illnesses and small injuries which kept you out of training for relatively long time…
Yes. This was nothing nice and it was also a reason why I didn’t dare to try the Long distance at the World Championships, which is a discipline in which I would really like to achieve a good result one day. On the other hand, once I am sick, I simply do not want to take any risks and I don’t train until I am fully cured. This often is time consuming, but on the other hand, I really don’t want to gamble with my body. And as I told you earlier, I also believe that trainign while you are injured or sick, rather causes damage. I don’t think you should train when sick or not completely recovered after an injury.

WOC in Ukraine will be of the main focus for you next year I guess. Will you concentrate on Sprint again, or will you try to conquer the throne in other disciplines?
I am really looking forward to the programme of WOC in Ukraine next year, where Sprint is the last discipline of the programme. My main focus now will be on Middle and Long, both of which I want to be the main focus of my preparations. With good health I think I will be ready, but I have to be in good health, not like this year where I had to stop training for a couple of periods due to illnesses. What I also look forward to with regards to Ukraine is fast orienteering in terrain with good runnability. I like it when I’m able to run at full speed everywhere, which may be possible especially in the Middle distance.

Emil Wingstedt – Achievement of the Year 2006
Nominated for: Winning gold medals in Sprint at WOC and EOC at the World and European Championships. The gold in the World Championships was the fifth straight championship Sprint gold for this Swede.
Other achievements: Bronze medalist in WOC Relay. Sixth in the overall World Cup.
Story: The best Swedish orienteer of the recent past. The first time he won a major international event was at the European Championships in Hungary in 2002, where he dominated in the Sprint. Since then he has been always near the top in big international Championships. In 2004 he defended his European Champion title in Sprint and in 2005 in Japan he won his premiere World Championships gold in the discipline. This year, in 2006 the 31-year-old Swede living in Halden struggled with health problems, but managed to get in shape for both the European and World Championships, in which he claimed two more gold medals in Sprint. The gold medal from the Sprint in Mindenparken at the World Championships was his 5th straight Championships gold medal in the discipline.

» Runner profile Emil Wingstedt
» Poll: Best of Orienteering 2006

Poll 2006 sponsor:

Valentin Novikov is the most experienced Russian orienteer. At WOC Relay he took care of the last leg in the golden Russian team, with a style that earned him nomination into the “Achievement of the Year” category of the 2006 Poll. He was by far the fastest orienteer of the day and also thank to his smashing run Russia won their first Relay gold from World Championships.

I guess that when looking over, you must be satisfied with the 2006 season.
TYes, it was much better for me than the previous one and I was really glad I could take part in all the top events again.

The WOC 2006 ended up with your great performance in Relay, but before that in Long and Middle, even if you seemed to have been in your top shape, you two times lost great amounts of time at the end of the course, which twice cost you a medal. Have you analyzed that?
Well, the reasons were quite different. In the Long distance my main problem was that I had decided to use special athletic shoes, which were super light. However, the Long distance final was the first time I used them. I knew it was risk, but I was also aware that the Long distance would involve a lot of track-running this time, which was why I finally decided to take the risk. However, running in these athletic spikes required different running technique to which my legs weren’t used and after about 80 minutes on the course, I strted to suffer with cramps in my thigh muscles, which got really severe at the end of the course. When I got to the finsih shoot, I could barely move due to the pain and when I crossed the finish line, my legs were virtually powerless. And then, on the way back to our accommodation my stomach couldn’t hold anything, not even water. It was only in the evening I could eat my first food…

During the Middle distance you seemed to have been in full strength again. But again you missed a lot of time at the end of the course.
Yes, but this time the story was quite different. I arrived at WOC in great shape and thank to the one day of rest I had after the Long, I could regain my strength and recover completely. But what happened on the final loop of Middle distance course had nothing to do with my shape. At the series of very short legs in the open area with heather, my compass slipped along the map slightly and as a result when going to control 17 I started to orienteer as if I had been running towards the 18. And as you could see, here it was were I lost the chance to win a medal, maybe even the gold.

I think this must have been really disappointing, but it might have also been a reason for your outstanding run in the Relay. Did you get any extra motivation from this?
I would say so. I knew I was in my top shape at the WOC and with every event this shape was getting better and better, in fact I think it culminated in Relay. And of course, once you are running at WOC, you want to show your true class, especially when the whole orienteering world is watching you. And I knew I could do better than what I showed in Long and Middle, and Relay was my last chance in WOC to prove that. I think I have rarely run in Relay with greater motivation.

Valentin Novikov – Achievement of the Year 2006
Nominated forAs anchor bringing Russia to a historic World Championship gold in the Relay. Novikov’s run on the last leg was one of the highlights of the 2006 World Championships.

Other achievementsBronze medallist from Middle distance at the European Championships. 5th place holder from the WOC Middle distance. 3rd in the overall World Cup standings.

StoryValentin Novikov is Russia’s most experienced and one of the best orienteers. In 2004 he was Russia’s most successful orienteer in the World Championships, after he claimed silver in Middle distance and helped the country to another silver in Relay with solid run on the last leg. Last year, however, he missed the World Championships for reasons which are very well known. Things had calmed down over the winter and this year Novikov was back, competing for his country in major Championships. He won bronze in the Middle distance at the European Championships in Estonia. At the WOC in Denmark he competed in Long, Middle and he was also Russia’s anchor in Relay. If in the Long and Middle luck wasn’t particularly playing into his cards, in Relay he displayed a really out-of-this-world performance and with the best time on the last leg brought Russia to the premiere Relay gold medal in the history of the sport. He crowned his successful season with his best achievement in the overall World Cup, when he finished as third best in the overall standings of the series.

Written by:

» Runner profile Valentin Novikov
» Poll: Best of Orienteering 2006

With 13 days to go, 2400 votes have been given in the “Best of Orienteering 2006 Poll” staged by World of O and Orienteering Today. There is a close race for the top position in both the “Achievement of the year 2006″ category and in the “Junior 2006″ category.

Interviews

• “Kajsa Nilsson – Living the Dream”
• “Minna Kauppi – Finland’s golden element”

More interviews to come the next days! Go to the poll page and vote – and tell your friends and club mates about the poll!

Junior News
Some small notes about some of the juniors nominated for “Junior of the year 2006″:

• Søren Bobach, Olav Lundanes and Jan Benes are among the juniors who are in Australia preparing for the JWOC 2006. See newspaper article, this article by Kenneth Buch and the NSW Stingers homepage.
• Betty Ann Bjerkreim Nielsen is the best youth skier in “Tour de Ski” – finishing in a very strong 8th spot at the second part of “Tour de Ski” at January 2nd. See this and this article at NRK.no.
• Hanny Allston is
  awarded the Jörgen Mårtensson International Award.

Help us getting out to the corners of the o-world!
Have you got a web page in your orienteering club? Or a personal home page? Put up a link to the “Best of Orienteering 2006 Poll” – and make it possible for everybody to read about the fantastic achievements these fine nominated men and women have done this year – and to decide who really did the best achievement.
This is also a good way to spread orienteering as an elite sport out to the people doing orienteering in their small corner of the world – not really knowing much about the top runners. Feel free to take a few extracts from the poll description for some of the runners to tell what these achievements are really about. What’s in it for you? As you can see at the poll page, Among all orienteering related websites with on average more than 50 visits a day linking to the poll using the small image to the right or writing a news story about the poll, three prizes will be drawn..

Sites linking to the poll
The following pages are linking to the poll or have written a news article about the poll, and are in on the drawing for Orienteering Today subscription and ads at the World of O (see more about prizes at poll page). Thank you to all of you! And for those not in: Link up – write an email to jan@kocbach.net, and you are on the list next time. Still 10-15% chance to get a prize if you join in…

• Orienteering Australia
• Alternativet.nu
• Martin Pongratz
• OPN.no
• Alession Tenani
• Øystein Kvaal Østerbø
• Simone Niggli
• SOLV Spitzensport
• Ivo Danailov
• Danish Orienteering Federation
• JAK TO VIDÍ BÉĎA
• Moscow Compass
• Sävedalen AIK
• Okansas
• OTTOBRE31
• OLG Rymenzburg
• IL Tyrving
• I-OL.nl
• De Laatste post
• FIF Hillerød
• Emiliano Corona
• Norwegian Orienteering Federation
• Hanny Allston

PS! If your site is missing on the above list, you have maybe forgotten to write me an email about it? Or to put up the link?

In Denmark, at the World Championships, Minna Kauppi brought Finland home to a gold medal in the women’s Relay, something she had already done at the European Championships in Otepää in May. Both achievements which earned her nomination among the world’s best orienteers in the Achievement of the Year 2006 Poll. In this interview, parts of which were published in the latest issue of Orienteering Today, we talked with Kauppi about the World Championships Relay as well as about a strange disease, which keeps affecting her performance at the WOC level.

The WOC 2006 Relay; one of the craziest last legs I have ever seen in elite orienteering. Could you tell me a bit how it felt from your perspective in the forest. I guess a couple of times you must have believed that the race for the gold was over.
That’s true, and I’m not too proud about my performance either, even though I’m proud that we won! Well, I suppose the most crucial moment for me was at the third last control…

What were your feelings before the start? Your shape was obviously not the best…
First of all. I was really very unsure about my self and part of me didn’t really even want to run. Because I was in a similar situation last year in Japan as well. Not feeling well and really disappointed about my individual races. At EOC I was certainly much more confident and feeling physically stronger as well.
And maybe I should be more open about some things. My bad results at WOC-level can be explained quite well. For five years now I’ve had this terrible illness called colitis ulserosa which is an auto-immune disease. It is caused by genes and stress. And as an athlete I’ve got pretty much stress in my life, especially at big events. So at those competitions my colon gets more inflamed than usual and then I’m not in good shape at all.

I see. So when did you actually decide to run the Relay? Did you have to be persuaded?
After the Middle final I announced that I didn’t want to be the anchor. I knew that I should run the relay but I also felt that I wouldn’t be the fighter I usually am. So a little bit of persuasion was needed. On the other hand, I wanted to prove to myself that I can do it and that we can do it.
Actually, I don’t know if I had any other choice. Of course I could have said that I was not going to run but it was just obvious that you couldn’t skip the Relay.

I see.
But everyone in our team knew the situation so I wasn’t under that much pressure either. And Paula and Heli, they both didn’t feel like being the anchor either. So we were quite humble before the competition, and just decided to do our best.

But then, when you were out on the first loop, there everything seemed to have gone quite well for you, especially compared to other teams who started behind you.
Yes, quite well. But I still made a few mistakes.

Alright, but when you got into the arena you must have learned from the coaches that the teams behind were not getting any closer.
That’s true. It was a big relief, because I was, in fact, quite sure that Simone would come and get me. Karro seemed to me a bit lost at that time.

Why am I asking this? Because what happened in the last part of the course, sort of reminded me of the relay at EOC in Estonia where you also, you had a good lead at the spectator control, but then made some real “beginner” mistakes on the final loop.
Partly yes, because I made the biggest mistakes in the last loop there as well. I was too nervous after all. In EOC I was tired, of course, and stopped orienteering too soon, basically I lacked concentration. But in Denmark it was different. There I started to think about winning, that’s why I got lost.

Did you actually believe in gold after what happened at the 3rd last control? Or did you think the teams behind had passed you?
That was my worst fear, but luckily I could hear about the real situation from the finish arena.

Aha, so it was possible to hear the speaker that far away?
Not from that far, but right after the third last, I could hear it. And right after that I also saw Karro running towards the third last.

That must have been a relief. After all that drama, what was it you felt in the run-in when you met Heli and Paula? Relief or happiness?
Both I guess, but the feeling of relief was quite strong.

Minna Kauppi – Achievement of the Year 2006
Nominated for: As anchor bringing Finland to gold medals in Relays both at the World Championships and European Championships.

Other achievements: Gold medalist from the EOC Middle distance. Third place in the overall World Cup.

Story: The Finn Minna Kauppi has been great competitor since her junior years. At the moment, she seems to be the one among women who can challenge and threaten the phenomenal Simone Niggli, especially on the last leg of Relay. This year the two runner had two head-to-head fights on the last leg in Relay and both times it was this young Finn who came out as a winner. Kauppi definitely has the speed and the talent, but sometimes her orienteering is a little bit too fragile and she can make mistakes which are hard to believe. However, when all the pieces of the winning puzzle fit together, she can achieve the highest of positions; as was the case in the Middle distance at the European Championships in Estonia.

Written by:

» Runner profile Minna Kauppi
» Poll: Best of Orienteering 2006

After three days, more than 1600 votes have been given in the “Best of Orienteering 2006 Poll” staged by World of O and Orienteering Today – of these about 40% in the junior category. Votes have been coming in from all over the world, and this surely must be one of the largest and most international orienteering polls of this kind. But still – we want to give even more people the possibility to vote for the best orienteering achievement in 2006 and the best junior in orienteering in 2006 – to make the poll as representative as possible!

More interviews to come
I hope you didn’t miss the very interesting interview with Kajsa Nilsson – “Kajsa Nilsson – Living the Dream” yesterday made by Orienteering Today journalist Jan Skricka? More interviews with the nominated runners are to come the next weeks, so you will get to know the top Orienteering Elite even better.

Help us getting out to the corners of the o-world!
Have you got a web page in your orienteering club? Or a personal home page? Put up a link to the “Best of Orienteering 2006 Poll” – and make it possible for everybody to read about the fantastic achievements these fine nominated men and women have done this year – and to decide who really did the best achievement.
This is also a good way to spread orienteering as an elite sport out to the people doing orienteering in their small corner of the world – not really knowing much about the top runners. Feel free to take a few extracts from the poll description for some of the runners to tell what these achievements are really about. What’s in it for you? As you can see at the poll page, Among all orienteering related websites with on average more than 50 visits a day linking to the poll using the small image to the right or writing a news story about the poll, three prizes will be drawn..

Sites linking to the poll
The following pages are linking to the poll or have written a news article about the poll, and are in on the drawing for Orienteering Today subscription and ads at the World of O (see more about prizes at poll page). Thank you to all of you! And for those not in: Link up – write an email to jan@kocbach.net, and you are on the list next time. Still 10-15% chance to get a prize if you join in…

• Orienteering Australia
• Alternativet.nu
• Martin Pongratz
• OPN.no
• Alession Tenani
• Øystein Kvaal Østerbø
• Simone Niggli
• SOLV Spitzensport
• Ivo Danailov
• Danish Orienteering Federation
• JAK TO VIDÍ BÉĎA
• Moscow Compass
• Sävedalen AIK
• Okansas
• OTTOBRE31
• OLG Rymenzburg
• IL Tyrving
• I-OL.nl
• De Laatste post
• FIF Hillerød

PS! If your site is missing on the above list, you have maybe forgotten to write me an email about it? Or to put up the link?

The 24-year-old Kajsa Nilsson has been nominated in the “Achievement of the Year 2006” poll as the comeback of the year. Orienteering Today to her about the 2006 season, in which she managed to storm back up into the absolute elite in women’s orienteering.

Although you say Middle distance is your favourite discipline, it is Sprint and Relay which are the disciplines in which you achieved the best results, at least on the International level.
But it really used to be so, until this season. I think it has quite much to do with the head and time for which you need to keep your concentration high. The first important thing you need in the world of elite orienteering is the speed. And this year I got the speed, but then you also need to be able to stay focused for certain lengths of time – in Middle, Long, Sprint or Relay. And now I know I have the speed, but I still struggle to keep my focus high for longer time. But I guess I have to be patient and take one thing at a time. Another important thing for your self-confidence is the feeling. And this season, in the beginning, I got some really nice feedback from Sprint races, both during the Park World Tour in Italy and also the European Championships in Estonia. And then, after EOC I was running the final of the Elitserien in Stockholm and half of the race a was 20 seconds ahead of Simone, but then I ran into a tree and made some route choice mistakes and was finally 20 seconds after her in the finish. That day I learned that I was able to run as fast as Simone, or even faster perhaps. That day I decided I would run Sprint at the World Champs.

The bronze medal in Sprint in Mindenparken must have been an “out-of-this-world” result for you after all the previous seasons… Was it also a dream race for you? How do you see this Sprint now, with some distance?
I really enjoyed it. It was a great day and even if I think I could do the race a bit better, I think I just should be happy with what it was. In the beginning I made some mistakes. I was I little bit too “hot” and then, on the leg just preceding the long-leg over the horse-racing track, I ran into a big three. The world got completely dark for some moments. Actually I might ended up in a hospital instead of on the podium that day. I don’t think I lost too much time with the accident itself, but I think it took away some focus for the long leg which was just following. But afterwards, I ran really well. I made only bigger mistake on the final loop where I lost about 8 seconds.
But it really was an amazing day no matter what, a real big step for me into the high levels of the orienteering world and I know that 11 seconds is now the distance to the dream come true.

I see. I think, all in all, this season must have been really motivating for you, wasn’t it?
The hole year has been a test of how it is to be a world class orienteer and now I know so much more. If I look back and try to remember how I was thinking and orienteering in Italy or last year in November, the improvement is just amazing.

What is the biggest difference now?
Routine. That you know how good you are, not just in your dreams but also out in the real world. And you know that you don’t have to do anything special in big events; that normal is good enough.

As far as I can remember, I don’t think I saw you in bad mood this year.
I really enjoy what I do and the biggest gun I have is my big big smile. I try to have my bad days at home. There is not so many of them anyhow, but I think that you you should have your tough days at home and then, when you are out and compete, just relax and enjoy life. I think that I could have never been able to take all these steps this year, if I hadn’t dreamed about it for years and years and had believed it could be possible. And my injuries had been a big help to see life from another side. Orienteering is really not all in your life. Of course it has to be the most important thing for a while if you want to achieve something in it, but not for your lifetime. And I m happy I found this out when I was in my early twenties and not late thirties. Maybe this is what makes me so happy.

Are there more people interested in you now?
I’ve been away from the real orienteering world for a long time and there are people who really had faith in me all this time, they are the ones that I really like to spend time and work with. I know that quite many people had forgotten me or thought that I was rubbish. But after the Sprint at the World Champs, I got 35 SMS’s – most from people I almost didn’t know. And can you guess how many I got after my 9th place in the Middle distance…? The answer is: 0,00. :-)

Such is sport…
Quite amazing. And another thing is that during this autumn, many, many people were interested in me. And just five months ago, in July, no one cared. It seems like most of these “new fans” don’t understand what work there was behind the medal. You know, I really hope that people like me for the person I am and not for my results.

Kajsa Nilsson – Achievement of the Year 2006
Nominated for: Comeback of the year. After four years of struggling with injuries, Nilsson managed to get in shape and win a bronze medal at the World Championships in Denmark.

Other achievements: Two smashing runs on second leg in Relay at European and World Championships. Silver medalist from WOC Relay in Denmark. 4th place from Sprint at the European Championships.

Story: Back in 2001, Nilsson was considered one of the greatest talents and hopes in the Swedish women’s orienteering. Hoever, the bronze medal from the Junior World Championships in Miskolc in Hungary was meant to be her last for a long time. Starting from 2002, she could never train for time long enough to get in her top shape. Whenever she started, soon an injury came and she was out of training and competitons again. This struggle was brought to an end this season, when she finally managed to stay away from injuries and could show what her true level was. She was nominated for the European Championships in Estonia, where she was 4th in Sprint and displayed a great run on the second leg in the Relay with which she managed to bring Sweden up to the fight for top positions. The peak of her short senior career so far came at the World Championships in Denmark, where she won two medals – bronze in Sprint and silver in Relay. At the age of 24, this Swede who lives and trains in Halden in Norway still has a lot ahead of her.

Written by:

» Runner profile Kajsa Nilsson
» Poll: Best of Orienteering 2006

An Orienteering legend, that’s what Hanny Allston became last year, despite being mere 20 years of age. In the 2006 season this young lady from Hobart was living through a dream of a kind. She became the junior World Champion in Long distance and then, a couple of weeks after, she smashed the whole elite orienteering world by claiming the World Champion title in Sprint among seniors, which certainly became one of the headline stories of the 2006 World Championships in Denmark. Here we are bringing you an extract of the interview published in Orienteering Today, the international orienteering magazine.

Winning a World Champion title at the age of 20 must be a very nice thing. On the other hand, it can also bring possible threats along, especially in terms of motivation. What I mean is, once have become a World Champion, then a fourth place would hardly be enough any more… and it can happen, that runners who achieve something like this at such a young age, get discouraged… It is in sharp contrast to what most runners experience, when they have to go all the way up, step by step, improving maybe from a 30th place at the age of 21 to win the title one day, maybe when 32 or something… This may seem like a tedious process but on the other hand, it certainly helps the motivation as you can feel you are making progress all the time. Aren’t you afraid of this?
No, I have won the world title but I am still hungry. To me, I won’t feel like I am the World Champion till I achieve it in the Long distance. To me this discipline is the top of our sport: the ultimate goal. So long as I still have goals to focus on I am sure that I can continue to improve and strive.

Is there anything you will always remember from Denmark? A thing or a moment, which always comes to your mind when you think back about the WOC 2006?
Yes, and it has nothing to do with orienteering. It was when my good friend Grace Elson was about to present Prince Fredrik the boomerang. We were waiting to go up onto the stage when she muttered in my ear, ‘goodness me, he’s hot!’. I just looked at her and got the giggles. And I also started laughing a lot when a certain British female runner accidentally kissed him on the lips. It is the moments like these that I savor the most. Our relay also had to be a highlight. To run up that long finish chute with the girls was a wonderful feeling because we have been striving for that moment for a long while.

When you think back about the Sprint… Could you actually believe what you achieved when you had finished the race? When did you actually realize, that you had become the World Champion? I guess this wasn’t something you would even dream about?
No not really. I knew that I was capable of it but I guess when it actually happens it will always be a bit of a shock that you actually DID IT. You just have to see the sequence of photos in the Australian Orienteer (the Australian National Orienteering magazine, issue from September) to see this. It wasn’t until my great friend BJ muttered in my ear that I was World Champion that I realized. I started crying- I think mostly because I was sad that my Dad couldn’t be there to celebrate with me, my mum and my friends. I have dreamt about it. And I still do.

Actually, what were you thinking coming into WOC 2006? I think you must have known you were in a good shape, but what were your goals for the event?
I knew I was in good shape. My training had been perfect as had my preparation. I just wanted to improve on last years performances. I have to admit I was more focused on the long but this just proves you should aim high in all your races. I certainly would have been very happy to go home with a podium or even top 10 finish because my main focus in 2006 was JWOC. Anything that happened at WOC was going to be the icing on the cake.

As for the Long distance… I guess it was very difficult for you this time to get back down to the earth after what happened the day before and get motivated enough. Was it? Or was there any other problem? I’m guessing this, because of the style with which you ran in the Relay, a technical and tough race, where on the last leg you were able to outclass all your rivals…
The hardest part of the long distance was being allowed to refocus. I was woken at 6am by the media in Australia, and continuously hampered by further phone calls. Plus everyone was coming up to me right up to the start congratulating me and patting me on the back. I really appreciated it all but it certainly made it hard for me to focus. Despite this I was very happy with the end of the long distance. I felt I improved heaps as the race went on, I was just not focused enough at the start.

Hanny Allston – Achievement of the Year 2006
Nominated forBy age still a junior, winning gold at the WOC Sprint in Denmark.
Other achievementsGold medal from the Long distance in the Junior World Championships in Lithuania, JWOC silver medalist in Sprint.
Story: Tasmanian orienteer with exceptional talent. This year Allston showed the whole world that it is possible to reach for the absolute top in this sport even when you don’t live and train in Scandinavia or Europe. Last year she got noticed when she achieved, as 19-year-old, a 6th place in the WOC Long distance in Japan. One year later she was back on the WOC scene and at the age of 20 she claimed WOC gold in Sprint and became the first non-European World Champion in orienteering. In addition to this, Hanny Allston also won silver and gold at the Junior World Championships in Lithuania.

Written by:

» Runner profile Hanny Allston
» Poll: Best of Orienteering 2006

Poll 2006 sponsor:

Today is the day when the two major sources for international orienteering news – the website World of O and the magazine Orienteering Today start the poll for the “Orienteering achievement of the year 2006″ and the “Junior of the year 2006″.

Interviews to come
In the Orienteering achievement of the year 2006 category, you will vote for the best achievement in the elite orienteering in 2006, in the category Junior of the year 2006 the vote is for the world’s best junior this season. In the next weeks, Orienteering Today will be bringing you – through the pages of the World of O – short interviews with the nominees as well as opinions of orienteering experts.

Big presentation
All winners will be made public in the January edition of Orienteering Today which is published at 31/1/2007, and at the Website World of O in a countdown manner the top six will be revealed from 1/2/2007, one name a day. A big presentation of the winner of the “Orienteering achievement of the year 2006″ and the “Junior of the year 2006″ will be made in the magazine Orienteering Today.

Spread the news
Help making the “Best of Orienteering 2006 Poll” as representative for the international orienteering community as possible! To encourage spreading the news about the poll, all sites linking to the poll or writing about the poll will have the possibility to win prizes. Also, to encourage people participating in the poll, prizes will be drawn among the voters.

Read more about the rules, the poll and the prizes in the link.

Link

• Poll: Best of orienteering 2006