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

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

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