International Orienteering Federation On-line Newsletter Issue 3 – October 2009

In this issue

In this issue: Orienteering is a new-born star in Chinese Taipei; Andrey Khramov: “My biggest moment – The World Games”; Simone’s way back; Daniel Hubmann – tough training keeps him in shape; World Ranking Top 10; Martin Johansson: “Sport is just a game”. Good reading!

BARBRO RÖNNBERG

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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Orienteering is a new-born star in Chinese Taipei

BY ERIK BORG

The interest for orienteering is growing in Chi-nese Taipei. Being host for The World Games is one reason for that.

– Orienteering is a kind of new-born star in

The world’s top-level athletes at The World Games became a role model for the local orienteers. Here Daniel Hubmann is pictured together with some of his many fans.

Chinese Taipei, Chun-Ming Chen says.

Chun-Ming “Jimmy” Chen was the Techni-cal Delegate for orienteering at The World Games, having taken big steps forward in his knowledge of orienteering in the last five years. Now is he a keen member of the Chinese Taipei

Orienteering Association (CTOA), but hasn't any formal position in the Federation.

– Organising the orienteering competitions during The World Games was not only a big challenge, but also a big opportunity for CTOA to develop orienteering in Chinese Taipei, says

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Chun-Ming Chen.

Chun-Ming’s interest in orienteering started with his work at the Olympic Games in Ath-ens in 2004. – After I had finished my work in the Language Service Section I decided to register as a volunteer for The World Games in 2009. The Organising Committee reviewed my background and suggested that I choose a sport that I had never heard about before – orienteering. That started my orienteering adventure, he says.

The spirit of ‘Sport for All’

In order to enrich his knowledge and practical experience he started competing in the local orienteering events and a national event in 2005.

– In 2006 I first experienced the spirit of “Sport for all” and the potential of orienteering when I attended the O-Ringen Academy and competi-tions in Sweden. After getting some interna-tional experiences from participating in and organising competitions, I decided to attend the IOF Event Adviser clinic in Switzerland in 2007, and I qualified as an IOF Event Adviser in 2008, he says.

More participants

During a year CTOA organises about six

national competitions, and in addition one international event at the end of the year. The national competitions attract more than a hundred participants from the whole country, a big growth compared to the past.

– Participation has grown after The World Games. More athletes are taking part and are interested in training for orienteering and are keen to improve their performance, says Chun-Ming.

Possibilities for new interest

Chun-Ming sees a big potential for orienteer-ing.

– Orienteering is a great sport and physi-cal activity for all age groups. From several points of view it is very beneficial to promote orienteering in Chinese Taipei. Orienteering can be very competitive, such as in a Cham-pionship. It can also be just for fun, as a game or training in school. Hosting an international event like The World Games has speeded up the development of orienteering in Chinese Taipei. I think a World Ranking Event and other major orienteering events could now be held in Chinese Taipei. The world’s top-level athletes at The World Games also encouraged local orienteers, becoming a role model for

their later training, he says.

What is most important to you for developing the sport?

– Orienteering as a sport should get into other big multi-sports events such as the Olympic Games, the Asian Games or even the East Asian Games. This is the only way to attract governments’ and athletes’ attention. We must have this vision of orienteering becoming a major sport in the world, Chun-Ming says.

The World Games competitions were very spectator-friendly. The runners came through the arenas during the races and there was also a big screen with live pictures.

Chieh Chen is one of the best Chinese Taipei orienteers.

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Chun-Ming “Jimmy” Chen (right) was the Techni-cal Delegate for orienteering at The World Games. Here together with the IOF support team members Mike Dowling, Christine Brown, Erik Bobach and Erik Nielsen.

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BY ERIK BORG

Andrey Khramov won his fifth World Championships gold medal this summer, but the biggest moment of his year was in Kaohsiung in Chinese Taipei.

– The gold medals I won at The World Games are the biggest successes for me in 2009. Those golds were my first in that event; I am very delighted with what I achieved, the Russian says.

The 28-year-old athlete has again im-pressed with his knack of being at his best on the biggest occasions. He won both the sprint and the relay at The World Games, his biggest challenge of the year. Then he went on to win the sprint at the World Championships as well.

In the World Cup he was fourth overall. He didn't take part in all the World Cup races this year, and his condition was also a bit up and down.

– Daniel Hubmann impresses everyone with his good speed over the whole season. I am too old to have that sort of form all the time, smiles Andrey.

Why are you so good at the times when you want to do well?

– I think it's in my head. My body changes when very important competitions are ap-proaching. I don’t have the same kind of feeling at less important competitions. The World Cup wasn't so important for me this year, he says.

Not stopping for a while yet

Andrey has been a top orienteer for some years now, but he is in no way getting tired of being a full-time sportsman. He has the energy for many more years.

– I haven't been thinking about stopping my career – I enjoy the sport so much.

What about The World Games in Colombia in 2013?

– I hope to be there, he says.

My biggest moment - The World Games

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‘The spaceman’

At home in Russia he has his wife Nadia and their son Alexander, seven years old last February.

– Being a father, it's not so nice to be so much away from home. I have told my son that I’m a spaceman, smiles Andrey.

Alexander has inherited running skills from his father.

– He has taken part in the children's course at orienteering events and has run about one kilometre in 3½ minutes. He can cer-tainly run, but I don't know about his ori-enteering skills yet, says the proud father.

Andrey Khramov has had an especially good year with gold medals at both The World Games and the World Championships. Here he is on the way to the third last control in the second last race of the World Cup.

Andrey Khramov (left) and his team-mates Dmitriy Tsvetkov, Galina Vinogradova and Yulia Novikova, exultant after winning the relay at The World Games.

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BY ERIK BORG

Simone Niggli-Luder is back to her orien-teering best after she gave birth to Malin one year ago, but it has been a way back with many challenges.

– It hasn't been as easy as it might seem. Ear-lier this year when I was injured it was really tough, and I didn't know if I would be able to run at my best speed again, Simone says.

She won three individual medals at the World Orienteering Championships (WOC), including the gold in the long distance on the last day. That was her 15th WOC gold. On the final weekend of the World Cup she won both races, and won overall for the sixth time. Just after the final race she felt that this overall victory was the biggest she has had.

Little Malin needs a lot of time, of course. She is also present at the races and has been together with Mum on the podium.

Simone’s way back

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– It has been a new and demanding situa-tion for me, but I have got very good help, Simone says.

Less running training

Compared to earlier, Simone has done less running this year.

– When I was allowed to train again after my injuries, I planned a smart training programme with my doctor and coach. I knew that it would take some time to be at the top again. Luckily there was also plenty of time before WOC, she says.

Simone Niggli-Luder shares her joy with the spectators after winning the World Cup for the sixth time. The Swiss star has again had a memorable year.

Simone was able to train very well in the last few months before WOC. Her training included less running and more alternative training compared to earlier.

– I introduced alternative training like spinning, force training and water run-ning. I think it was really good. I am very confident with this type of training and this way of preparing for key races, she says.

Celebrations

She celebrated her sixth overall victory in the World Cup with a good dinner to-gether with the family. In her home town Münsingen, 120 kilometres from Zurich, a reception was organised for her.

– It was really nice being with all the people from the town. In November there will be the Swiss-O-Gala where the whole Swiss orienteering family will celebrate the year, Simone says.

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Daniel Hubmann – tough training keeps him in shape

One of many good moments in the year for Daniel Hubmann was winning the middle distance race at The World Games.

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BY ERIK BORG

Gold at The World Games, two golds in the World Championships (WOC), victory overall in the World Cup, double Nordic Champion, triple military World Champion and a lot of other gold medals too. What a year for Daniel Hubmann!

After almost all your races you talk about having no problems. How do you manage to do so well all the time?

– Competitions motivate me. I like to com-pete and I need the pressure in the important races to do my best. I have been in good shape this year, says Daniel.

He ended the World Cup season with two victories on home ground in Switzerland. He has won four of the nine races in the World Cup during the year, and his victory overall follows up from last year’s victory.

Not so many hours’ training

The Swiss star doesn’t use a massive amount of time in training. He says that his training amounts to about 600 hours over a year. There are a lot of runners training for longer than that, but Daniel probably uses more time in tough training than many others.

– I am doing hard training in the winter as well. My body is used to fast running and my condition doesn’t go up and down much, it stays good all the time, says Daniel.

A new challenge

Daniel hopes he will still be going strong in 2012 when WOC is on his home ground. Next year WOC is in Trondheim in Nor-way; the World Cup races in Norway at the end of June were almost the only important races this year where he performed below his best.

– The coming WOC on Nordic terrain gives

Foot Orienteering Men: 1) Daniel Hubmann (SUI) 5737 points 2) Thierry Gueorgiou (FRA) 5650 3) Andrey Khramov (RUS) 5627 4) Matthias Merz (SUI) 5547 5) Peter Öberg (SWE) 5493 6) Emil Wingstedt (SWE) 5478 7) Martin Johansson (SWE) 5467 8) Valentin Novikov (RUS) 5459 9) Matthias Müller (SUI) 5457 10) Anders Nordberg (NOR) 5445

Women:1) Simone Niggli-Luder 5715 points 2) Minna Kauppi (FIN) 5679 4) Marianne Andersen (NOR) 5676 5) Anne Margrethe Hausken (NOR) 5644 5) Helena Jansson (SWE) 5612 6) Dana Brožková (CZE) 5547 7) Signe Søes (DEN) 5523 8) Merja Rantanen (FIN) 5418 9) Vroni Koenig-Salmi (SUI) 5413 10) Linnea Gustafsson (SWE) 5400.

MTB Orienteering Men:1) Lasse Brun Pedersen (DEN) 374 points 2) Erik Skovgaard Knudsen (DEN) 350 3) Victor Korchagin (RUS) 349 4) (RUS)lan Gritsan (RUS) 338 5) Jiři Hradil (CZE) 305 6) Tobias Breitschädel (AUT) 304 7) Beat Schaffner (SUI) 298 8) Andreas Rief (AUT) 295 9) Simon Seger (SUI) 284 10) Beat Oklé (SUI) 264

Women:1) Michaela Gigon (AUT) 405 points 2) Christine Schaffner (SUI) 380 3) Hana Bajtošová (SVK) 361 4) Ingrid Stengård (FIN) 355 5) Marika Hara (FIN) 345 6) Sonja Zinkl (AUT) 336 7) Ksenia Chernykh (RUS) 335 8) Anna Füzy (HUN) 329 9) Nadia Mikryukova (RUS) 316 10) Rikke Kornvig (DEN) 285

World ranking, Top 10 (As of 12 October)

me an extra challenge for next year, he says.

Daniel has, however, done very well in

Nordic terrain on other occasions. Early this season he won the long distance race at the Nordic Open Championships in Finland.

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BY ERIK BORG

Martin Johansson is planning on competing again in the World Championships (WOC) next year, but he hasn't yet fully recovered from the injury he suffered in this year’s WOC relay.

– And I have realised that sport is just a game, the Swede says.

Martin was leading in the relay when his leg was skewered by a branch on his way towards the finish.

– I would love to know what position I would have finished in if I hadn't had to stop, Martin says.

He had opened up a little gap from the other competitors and knew he was leading. He was running better than ever before. Just a couple of months before WOC he won his first World Cup race.

Two years ago at the World Championships in Ukraine he also had problems: he drank so little during the long distance race that he was in a bad condition at the finish and had to have special treatment.

Do you feel you have been unlucky?

– No, I will not say that. Other athletes are sometimes injured for years.

Has what has happened had any influence on your outlook on sport?

– I have realised that sport is just a game. Earlier I considered that sport was a really serious thing, he says.

Martin started light training again just two weeks after the World Championships in Hungary. Just after the middle of September he started roller skiing; he is eager to do well in cross-country skiing this coming winter.

At the beginning of October his leg was still quite stiff; the wound was still not fully healed and he hadn't started any running.

– I have been told that I will recover fully, and my big goal in orienteering is the World Championships in Trondheim next year, says the 25-year-old Swede.

Sport is just a game

Martin Johansson is heading for new challenges, but he has got a rather more relaxed outlook on sport after what has happened to him in a couple of World Champion-ship races.

The spectators applauded Thierry Gueorgiou, Michal Smola and Anders Nordberg who all gave up their positions in the World Championship relay to help Martin Johansson.