Five orienteers took full straight of the WMOC competition week

09 Aug 2024 - WMOC info

The week of the World Masters Orienteering Championships ended with the long-distance finals in open rocky terrain in Rymättylä.

Track setter Heikki Andersson, who was reached before the race, praises the terrain unhindered. “Damn fine open rock from Southwest Finland. However, it is not easy today, as the possibility of identification errors is very high.”

One of the most successful orienteers of all time, Simone Niggli, summed up the competition week with thanks. “The terrain was really lovely and I liked the track. All these competitions have been well organised and the volunteers have been very helpful. I have enjoyed my time here and it was crowned by today’s competition. The biggest reason I wanted to come here to compete was the terrain, and it was definitely worth coming. Of course, I’m also happy with my performances and my three gold medals.”

Men’s 35 series winner Fredric Portin enjoyed the day’s terrain. “It went well! There were no major problems, but I had to be careful not to fall asleep when I could run so fast in fast terrain. At long intervals, you may be left in a running-like mode, but you still had to tick the boxes carefully. It was great.”

The hero of today and the entire race week is 97-year-old Sole Nieminen, who also enjoyed himself in the scenery of Southwest Finland. “A couple of those 30-metre spins in the checkpoint circle. I am satisfied. It’s raining and I can´t see properly anymore. It took an awful lot of time to study the map. The terrain was absolutely wonderful in some places and in other places you couldn’t get through. I’ve made it through all competitions with honor.”

During the competition week, two qualifiers and finals were contested in the sprint, middle distances and long distances. Five orienteering competitors won all the gold medals on offer during the week: Merja Rantanen, FIN (W40), Simone Niggli, SUI (W45), Yvonne Gunnell, FIN (W50), Manu Mutka, FIN (M50) and Sole Nieminen, FIN (W95).