2010 WUC Orienteering Update: Day 1 of Competitions – Interviews

BORLANGE – On Tuesday morning, July 20^th, it was finally time for the first official start of the 17^th World University Orienteering Championship. The long-distance race took place in the hills of Gyllebergen outside of Borlänge. The race director and course setter for the day, Thomas Norgren, was happy to present a typically Nordic course, one very different from the continental course style that most of the competitors are used to. ‘I have been looking forward to setting this course for a long time now. It is the highlight of work that has taken me some time. The area is a national reserve and therefore the nature is practically untouched. We have tried to set a course that will challenge the elite but still give the less experienced competitors a chance to finish the race. Hopefully no one will get lost. This is really the wilderness. The athletes are more likely to run into a bear or a wolf than a civilian’, said the race director with a smile.

The winner of the Men’s Long Distance was not a surprise. The favourite and former World Champion Mattias Merz from Switzerland distanced his chanceless opponents with a winning time of 01.11,16. ‘I did a real good race today. I have only seen a few other runners in the forest and made almost no mistakes. I lost a few seconds early in the race, but kept focused on the orienteering, high speed and going for straight route choices. I’m not running O-ringen, but taking the WUOC seriously as a general repetition for the World Championships in Trondheim in August’, said the satisfied winner.

Sweden’s home runners were also successful in the Men’s Long Distance, with both Erik Rost and Johan Runesson being placed on the podium, winning the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Women’s Podium Long DistanceThe Swiss success continued in the women’s discipline, when Sara Lüscher won Switzerland’s second gold medal of the day. A slightly surprised winner said: ‘I don’t think I have understood it yet. It’s really cool to win here, and one of the most important competitions for me. In a hard technical terrain, and a lot of good runners, I feel really happy with winning. I knew that I could run good, top 6 or 10 maybe, so this is really nice.’

In a tight race, Sara finished with a time of 01.00.09, beating Finland’s Saila Kinni by a mere 38 seconds. She explains the success. ‘I had a good start, but not too fast. I focused on the map and to find the right ways. And from the beginning I felt good about the terrain and succeeded to navigate real good with the compass. The thing that I did very well today was that I could be calm enough to stop and have an extra look on the map until I was sure.

(Source: Helena Olsson, OC)

A large group of VIPs showed special interest in the competitions by trekking far into the forests of Gyllebergen for a better, closer look at the action. The mission was carried out in complete silence and from hidden positions so as not to confuse the athletes or to reveal the location of any controls. The VIP’s appreciated the experience, enjoying both the orienteering as well as the Swedish nature.

FISU Vice-President Stefan BerghAmong those out in the forest was the Vice-President of FISU Stefan Bergh. He was clearly satisfied with what he had seen of the championship so far. ‘As a guest here at the WUOC in Borlänge, the general impression is that the local orienteering club and host Borlänge Stora Tuna have been organizing this event in a very professional way. I trust them completely and know that they will host a well organized championship. Everything from transportation, lodging and organized competitions seems to be well planned. The delegations I have been speaking to have been more than happy so far. The many volunteers are, of course, also vital to make a championship like this a success’, said FISU Vice-President Stefan Bergh.

Men’s Podium Long Distance

RESULTS DAY 1

Long Distance Race