Author: craigf

Hanny Allston made her WOC final return, after a 4 year hiatus, in the forests of Vuokatti with a solid 22nd place in the women’s WOC Long Final.

With a longer winning time than expected and the soft Scandinavian terrain it was a tough, very long competition.

Hanny started well and made a clean race until she lost considerable time looking for an passage through an impassable creek on the long leg. Hanny commented that she felt good but tired in the second loop due to the soft terrain taking its toll.

Hanny’s 22nd place is a solid return and will give Hanny a good base to take on the middle distance on Thursday.

Simone Niggli took another gold in the women’s race, clearly ahead of two Swedes, Tove Alexandersson in 2nd and Lena Eliasson in 3rd.

In the men’s competition Thierry Gueorgiou restated his claim as the best ever male orienteer when he won the men’s race ahead of local favorite Jani Lakenen and Latvian Edgars Bertuks in 3rd.

Catch up on all the inside news on our blog. 

GPS here

Results here

Australia had three top 35 placings in the World Championship sprint final today in Sotkamo. The atmosphere and challenges of the sprint final were very different to the ease and calm of the qualification in the morning. Runners faced a roaring parochial crowd of around 4000 Finnish spectators in the Sotkamo baseball stadium who saw a Finnish gold medal in the men’s class from Mårten Boström and Simone Niggli take another gold in the women’s class.

The course itself was characterised by complex route choices which constantly made runners second guess their decisions as they had to zig-zag many times through the impassable fences specially constructed for the final. This certainly took Sprint racing to the next level with a somewhat artificial environment created specifically just for the race.

Felicity Brown made her World Championship debut and had a ´cautious but mistake free run´ on the complex course to finish in 31st position.

Vanessa Round running in her first sprint race at a World Championships really enjoyed the atmosphere of the competition and started her race very well but missed a few route choices in the middle of the course to place a very respectable 32nd place, two seconds behind Felicity.

Jasmine Neve after a solid performance in the qualification found the final very complex with many tricky and windy route choices which made competitors unsure of their decision all the time. She finished off strong and came 42nd in the sprint final.

In the men’s race Simon had  smooth and careful run though the urban area until he dropped places with a mistake on the way to the second last control due to tiredness. But he was pretty well satisfied with his best ever WOC result of 30th place in a competitive men’s field.

Check out the GPS routes here and results here.

The inside news on the Boomerangs blog here. 

Action continues tomorrow with Hanny Allston in the women’s long final starting at 20.11 AEST Tuesday.

The World Championship Sprint Qualification at Katinkulta Holiday Club was a fast and furious affair with simple route choices and super fast running in park terrain.

The Australian girls made a great start with Jasmine Neve posting a great time from first starter to place 13th in heat 3 despite the large crowds surrounding controls.Vanessa Round also performed well with a stable run to place 13th in heat 1. Felicity Brown making her WOC debut ran a stable race to place 9th in heat 2.

All three girls are through to this afternoon’s Sprint Final in the town of Sotkamo.

In the competitive Men’s qualification it was always going to be very tough. Bryan Keely made a great start despite recently being stitched up with seven stitches in his knee from a fall in training two days ago. Bryan faded a little in the second half to finish in 19th position only 26 seconds from qualifying in his WOC debut! A stellar effort from Bryan after coping with his knee injury in the lead up.

Simon Uppill, a later starter, ran a characteristically stable fast race to place 10th in heat 3 only 44 seconds down in a heat which contained many of the favorites for this afternoon’s final. Simon will be competing in his third WOC Sprint Final this afternoon in Sotkamo.

Awaiting the four Australians in the Sprint Final this afternoon will be a more complex urban sprint in the Finnish town of Sotkamo.

JWOC Relay 2013. What a great day full of excitement and anticipation! It was warm, the Aussie supporters were out in force and the athletes eager to start. First off was the women’s race, mass starting at 10.00am. Lanita and Mary were first to begin and soon disappeared into the forest. Spectators could follow the action and mistakes on the big screen and the race was well commentated. Lanita was the first Aussie to appear and tagged Jacqui who sped off and collected her map from the map change area.

Mary tagged Michele and we once again had two Aussies in the forest. Third change was Jacqui to Heather and Michele to Nicola. There was a lot of excitement in the air as the winning team was disqualified, leaving 2nd placed Czech Republic the gold medal. Aussie finished in 28th and 37th.

The men’s race started at 12.00pm with Ian and Matt the two Aussie representatives. A huge wave of athletes past over a narrow bridge to disappear into the forest.

For some time a power interruption cut off the announcing and the big screen, so spectators were anxiously waiting to see what was happening. We eventually got sound back just in time to welcome the first men through the spectator area. Aussie was doing well with Ian in 22nd. Ian completed the final loop and tagged Oscar who sped off to collect his map. Matt changed to Brodie and both 2nd leg runners were in the forest. Oscar had a brilliant run tagging Olle in 16th position. Brodie too caught up some positions and gave some words of wisdom to Andrew as he tagged through the change area.

With Olle and Andrew in the forest, there was lots of excitement with the lead field. Czech made it a double with a convincing win over Finland and Sweden Team 2. Australia finished in 17th and 37th position. Final thoughts from the Aussies;

Lanita – A mistake half way through put me down in places a bit but I was still happy with my run and the JWOC 2013 Championships!

Mary – Limping now! Tripped around the course after straining my quad. However absolutely awesome time at JWOC. The long was my best and some disappointment in others but overall had heaps of fun! I want to come back for more. Bring on Euro Meeting.

Jacqui – Solid run today and looking forward to getting a lot stronger for next year JWOC 2014.

Michele – Nice to finish with technical challenge. I am ready to reflect on JWOC2013 in preparation for next year.

Heather – Nice way to finish last JWOC race. OK run just really tired after a big week.

Nicola – Bit of a disappointing way to finish but happy with my JWOC week. A great experience!

Matt – Very average. Lost time on first control and lost pack. Poor from then on. Good experience though and a good run in the sprint. I have lots of ideas and stuff to work on for JWOC 2014.

Brodie – Went out too fast and blew first control. Lost 4 minutes. Hit sore knee on first control. Still ran through though, relying on track options as I was by myself. Lost 3-4 minutes on separate controls. Not my best race and hit my knee again near the finish. Slowed down momentarily but finished strongly. Lots of things to work on next year and looking forward to JWOC2014.

Andrew – Good! Took Brodie’s advice, ‘be safe’, as we tagged, so took easier routes to eliminate mistakes and had a steady run. It paid off with a good run and time.

The Australian Boomerangs got their World Championship campaign underway in the forest of Vuokatti today with the Long Qualification race.

With warm sunny conditions four Australians entered the tougher than expected forest with the aim of reaching a top 15 position to qualify for the ‘Classic of  Orienteering’ the Long Distance Final on Tuesday.

Hanny Allston made a successful return to international orienteering after claiming World Championship gold in 2006 and World Games gold in 2009 to comfortably qualify in 3rd position in heat 3 for Tuesday’s final.

Hanny was ‘relieved’ with her performance after a very ‘cautious’ run and she will surely take confidence from her performance leading into the rest of the week.

Susanne Casanova made a gutsy performance after being hampered by sickness in her lead up and finished in 17th place narrowly missing the final.

Aislinn Prendergast in her second WOC long distance after qualifying last year, lost too much time on two controls and finished in 20th place in heat 2.

In the men, Australia had sole representative Lachlan Dow who was making his World Championship debut.  Lachlan lost time on the long leg and placed 23rd in heat 1. He will bounce back for his Middle distance race on Thursday.

Action continues tomorrow with the Sprint Qualification and Final.

Check out the inside news from the team on their blog.

The 2013 World Championships begin Sunday in the northern Finnish town of Vuokatti.

The Australian team led by Coaches Tom Quayle and Wendy Read began their competitions with the Long Qualification. The program for the World Championships and the Australian competitors in Australian Eastern Standard Times (AEST) are:

Sunday 7th July  Long Qualification

Hanny Allston, Susanne Casanova, Aislinn Prendergast

Lachlan Dow

Monday 8th July 16.00 (AEST) Sprint Qualification  

Felicity Brown, Jasmine Neve, Vanessa Round

Simon Uppill, Bryan Keely

Tuesday 9th July 00.50 (AEST) Sprint Final 

Top 15 from qualification

Tuesday 9th July 18.55 (AEST) Long Final

Top 15 from qualification

Thursday 11th July 16.00 (AEST) Middle Qualification 

Hanny Allston, Jasmine Neve, Vanessa Round

Lachlan Dow, Simon Uppill, Bryan Keely

Friday 12th July 20.10 (AEST) Middle Final

Top 15 from qualification

Saturday 13th July 20.30 (AEST) Relay

Women: Hanny Allston, Vanessa Round, TBA.

Men: Lachlan Dow, Simon Uppill, Bryan Keely.

You can follow the Australian Boomerang team right here, on the team blog, on the Orienteering Australia Facebook page and live online TV and GPS.

For more information check out the great coverage from Worldofo.com

Today was a day of mixed emotions for the supporters and athletes in the JWOC Sprint 2013. From the devastation and disappointment of 4 Aussie mispunches, to the satisfaction of good racing and best performances for the carnival, to the elation of New Zealander Tim Robertson, as he took out the Bronze medal. A great sprint in the old city centre of Hradec Kralove with lots of steps and terraced gardens. Matt Doyle had his best race for the carnival finishing in 43rd place. Olle and Oscar finished equal 45th just 4 seconds behind Matt. Andrew again had a good race in a time of 17.09. In the Girls, Lanita in 66th (17.00) was the best performer with another strong race for the carnival. Jacqui and Mary continued with clean runs of 18.01 and 18.13 respectively and Michele finished in a time of 20.09.

Ian set the fastest time for the day in the mens but his unfortunate mispunch put him out of contention. Florian Schneider (Switzerland) was rewarded with the world championship in a time of 14.35, with Heidi Martensson (Norway) 14.33, taking out the women’s event.

Mary – My run was clean but I felt slow

Andrew – It was fun!

Matt – It was good.

Jacqui – Felt slow but had a reasonable run.

Michele – Happy for the first part. Lost it in the old town.

Nicola – It was fun. Didn’t feel very fast. Very stupid rookie error!

Lanita – Really happy with my run again. Fitness good and had running speed, hesitations let me down!

Brodie – Apart from a mispunch and a few minor mistakes, I was happy with my race. My leg felt good and I feel confident for the relay tomorrow.

Heather – Bit disappointed about mispunching but quite happy about other parts of my race. Could have potentially been a good result.

All set for the JWOC 2013 relays tomorrow!

Men’s teams

Ian, Oscar and Olle

Matt, Brodie and Andrew

Women’s teams

Lanita, Jacqui and Heather

Mary, Nicola and Michele

Good Luck Australia!!

The Middle Distance Finals were held today using the same event centre as the Middle Qualifications but with a different part of the map. The terrain was steep and covered in rock, with narrow crevices between them. The day was warm and sunny but thunderstorms threatened throughout the afternoon but didn’t eventuate.

Both the men’s and women’s B and C finals started the days competition with some great Aussie results. Then came the A finals, firstly the women’s followed by the men’s. The women’s final saw the fastest qualifier from yesterday, Lucy Butt (GBR) outclassed today with Miri Thrane Odum from Denmark taking the World Championship. In the men’s final, the Swedes took out a trifecta with Emil Svensk becoming the World Champion.

What did our Aussies think?

Michele – Really happy with my run except for number 6 where I lost concentration because of other competitors and then doubted my navigation.

Nicola – I lost about 3 1\2 minutes on two controls but reasonably happy, a lot happier than yesterday and it was a bit more technical today and I thought I navigated well.

Mary – A bit nervous going into the start of the race, I didn’t have my head in it. Slow to the first two controls and that’s where I lost my time because I smashed the rest of the race. I am a little bit disappointed but ok.

Jacqui – Happy with my race today. I felt that I navigated really well Yaaaa!

Matt – pretty average run with no big mistakes but lots and lots of little ones. I cut my hand on a rock but have seen a doctor and all is OK.

Lanita – Had a really good run, only a few mistakes. I actually thought I would be better placed with how I felt and my run in general. I am very happy though.

Ian – Great terrain! I had fun! Very positive, I wasn’t worried about my result just went out for a jog around the terrain.

Brodie – I had so much fun out there today. I went really, really slowly as my knee, still very swollen, prevented me running faster due to the restricted movement. I made a couple of small mistakes but loved the terrain!! I nailed the finish punch while running didn’t even stop. Hopefully running helped my knee and it will be better for the sprint, after a rest day tomorrow.

Heather – Lots and lots of mistakes. Not a good run. I was completely exhausted from the last couple of days but it was still a great experience. It was unusual to see cameras, camera crews and power leads throughout the forest but they didn’t however help in finding controls. I was really excited to be in the A final.

Oscar – Well done to Oscar who competed in the A final with a result of 55th.

Andrew – Started off well did first half steady and solid. Crossed a hill into a more vague area and this is where I made my first mistake. This rattled me a little and then we went back into the detail. At the second control back in this area, I saw a camera guy and lost concentration and lost map contact. This resulted in a big mistake, knowing also that everyone would be watching it. I was a bit sloppy from then on to finish but still had plenty of energy for a strong finish and I am happy to have competed the A final.

JWOC 2013 – Middle Distance Qualification.

A sunny warm day saw some great competition and some fantastic results from the Aussies. The qualification round of the middle sees athletes divided into three groups in both Mens and Womens. Results showed tight competition with the top 20 athletes from each group qualifying for the A final with the next third the B final, and the final third the C Final. The Aussie supporters and athletes themselves were nervously waiting for the late starters to finish to determine just how many Aussie team members would make it to the A. At one stage we had 7 of our team contenders to run the A tomorrow which was a fantastic effort!!

When all had finished, some were disappointed and others elated as six of our team made the top 25 with 3 Heather (20th), Andrew (19th) and Oscar (19th) making the A final and 4 others so very, very close, but relegated to the B final; Olle (25th), Ian (22nd), Lanita (22nd) and Brodie (21st), just 1 second between him and an A final berth. Jacqui (31st) and Mary (34th) will also start in B final tomorrow. Matt (46th), Michele (48th), and Nicola (45th) will all run in the C Final.

Team thoughts about their runs;

Nicola – Happy how I coped with first two controls considering I was first starter. I then messed up number 3 and the more girls I saw, I was thinking of how slow I must have been. I hope to redeem myself tomorrow.

Matt – One large mistake and a little sloppy. I lost a bit of motivation after that.

Ian – Reached a new level of disappointment from yesterday. I have my hopes set for relay though!

Jacqui – Happy with my run except for a 5 minute mistake on 3. I knew I wouldn’t then make the A final but happy and proud of myself for pushing through the later part of my course.

Mary – My run could have been a little cleaner but I hit most controls well. I wasn’t feeling 100% at start but pretty happy. It was not my best result but I am OK with it.

Andrew – It was heard that last night Andrew exclaimed that he still had heaps of energy after the long so can’t have pushed himself enough and that is why when everyone else was resting, he decided he needed to use some energy and go to Tesco nearby. He stated that in the Middle he would need to run fast! That is exactly what he did and by finishing in 19th place in his group, he will run fast in tomorrows A final as well!

Olle – Disappointing! However, focus is now on the sprint and a relay top ten position, which is why I am not running B final tomorrow.

Brodie – Pretty good start and smooth through the first, even though hard to run. Caught a guy from Croatia once I got over the cliffs and I had strong attack points, nailing most of those controls except one. Coming out of 8, in the green, my foot went down a hole smashing my knee on a rock. Lost 1 minute and wasn’t sure if I could keep going but tried. I had no plan for the next control but chose a good route and nailed navigation from then on. A French guy chasing me down made my adrenaline kick in and I finished strongly in 10th and thought I may have a chance to hold on but ended with 21st, 1 second off A Final.

Michele – C Final tomorrow.

Lanita – Very happy, lost about a minute on 1st controls so had to regain focus and had a good run. Finished in 15th, dropping to 22nd, just missing A final.

Heather – Really, really happy. Good race plan. Started well and confidently. Made a small mistake at 5 and thought it may have cost me the A final so I pushed hard over the next few controls to make up some time, then I was quite cautious to the end but made it through Ya!! I was very nervous watching the board as I dropped in placings but managed to hold on to 20th.

Oscar – Pretty good race. We were told from the managers meeting last night that there had been recent selective tree cutting in the first section of the courses. This was different then to what we expected. I made a mistake on the recently logged part and lost a little time and struggled to get back. Good though through the middle section and good enough to get through to the A Final.

Steep! Tough! Very physical! A description of JWOC 2013 day 1 – The Long Distance. The weather was fine, a little cool to start with but warmed up for the later starters. The Aussie contingent was there early, ready for a day of excitement. Some took part in the JWOC Tour (public events) others had to forego due to clashes with watching their sons/daughters finish. It was about an hour in before we saw anyone in the arena, the men with a spectator run through and map change about 17-20 minutes from the end of their course, the women just finishing up the chute.

There was a roar of encouragement as the first Aussie appeared. Nicola finished first, closely followed in by Mary. First male through was Brodie, then Matt, who finished in the chute with his sister Jacqui. There were cheers as each Aussie finished their race, Lanita, Oscar, Heather, Michele, Andrew, Olle and Ian. JWOC male champion was Piotr Parfianowicz from Poland and the female champion was Lisa Risby from Sweden. Overall results and placings are listed below but just how did our Aussie team feel about their efforts in today’s conditions?

Nicola – “For my first big race I am happy not to have made any major mistakes. I am pleased with my navigation but I felt I was a bit hesitant with some route choices.”

Mary – “I am very happy. I had fun and really enjoyed the forest. My run was clean and I ran hard to do. I may have been able to run faster but I am happy I had no mistakes!”

Brodie – “I lost 2-2 1/2 minutes in the circle, close to controls but other than that I only lost time due to strength and route choice errors. Preparing for next year, my focus will be on running strength in soft terrain and making quick, direct, route choice decisions.”

Matt – “Happy enough with my result. I had no big mistakes, so happy!”

Jacqui – “Already moving on, looking forward to tomorrow!”

Lanita – “Very happy, clear run, hills a bit tough. Happy with my first result!”

Oscar – “Fairly clean run but took poor route choices in some places. I took longer route choices to avoid some hills and over some hills when I should have gone around! I didn’t have the strength or power up hills.”

Heather – “I thought it was really tough. So steep! I was happy with my navigation and I thought it was pretty exciting but I was really exhausted at the end. Different route choices may have eliminated some climb for me.”

Michele – “I am going to take my run in my stride and try harder tomorrow.”

Andrew – “Hills were tough but I navigated OK. I am happy.”

Olle – Very few mistakes just physically not as well as I was hoping. Didn’t think hills would be so big.”

Ian – “I am not too happy and feel disappointed. I thought I was more prepared but struggled. Hope to bounce back for tomorrow’s middle.”

Results JWOC 2013 Long Distance – Men

1. Parfianowicz Piotr Poland 69.21

2. Schneider Florian Switzerland 70.37

3. Kozyrev Andrey Russia 71.44

52. Poland Oliver Australia 80.34

69. McNulty Oscar Australia 83.53

85. Lawford Ian Australia 86.24

91. Nankervis Brodie Australia 87.46

102. Doyle Matthew Australia 89.21

135. Barnett Andrew Australia 97.01

JWOC 2013 Long Distance – Female

1. Risby Lisa Sweden 60.42

2. Hagström Sara Sweden 61.29

3. Savkina Ekaterina Russia 61.36

73. Steer Lanita Australia 79.13

84. Fleming Mary Australia 81.46

90. Muir Heather Australia 83.32

116. Blatchford Nicola Australia 91.04

125. Doyle Jacqui Australia 95.33

127. Dawson Michele Australia 97.14