The technical test!

Today was the technical test of orienteering the middle distance. The final test will come tomorrow but there are many that didn't pass today's. For the Boomerangs four of our six runners made it through to tomorrow's final and this is how it played out in the middle qualification....

Jasmine (above) had a solid but cautious run and was right on the edge of qualifying. Many nervous minutes were spent warming down around the arena before Jas was finally confirmed in 15th place and into the final. This was a great performance from Jasmine in technical Scandinavian forest and she will race her first WOC middle final tomorrow. 

After the qual

 Next in was Ness who had a smooth run with only a few wobbles and hesitations. This terrain certainly suits Vanessa's skills with tough running and technical orienteering. She ended up in 8th place in her heat to be starting mid field in tomorrow's final. She will be beaming with confidence from this run! 

Next up was Hanny who had the advantage of being in the know as soon as she finished with not many ladies left in the forest. Despite doing her best to provide some entertainment with the GPS on the first control she finally settled into the map and got into her routines and finished strong to place 12th in her heat. Watch out for Han in the final! 

Coach Wendy delivers the happy news - Oh yeah! 

Happy ladies! 

Breezer! 

First bloke to finish was Breezer. He had a tough day out there today and placed a valiant 30th place in his heat. It was a brutally technical course with big mistakes by the best in the world (check it out here) and Bryan is already out in the same forest building his confidence for the relay... so watch out!

Next in was Lachy who was having a storming run and was sitting in 23rd position in a very competitive heat until the second last control where he rolled his ankle badly and had to hobble into the finish to place 29th in his heat. This was a solid run for Lachy (until his injury) which he can take a lot of confidence from in the future but his ankle injury will be assessed by Elin tomorrow to see if he can back-up for the Relay. 

Seconds count Simon....5,4,3,2,1....

To finish off the Aussies today Simon came into sight just in time. Watching him on GPS we knew it would be close...and we were yelling at him pretty loud in the finish chute.....but as usual Simon was calm as a cucumber and he waltzed into the final with 3 seconds to spare placing 15th in his heat. A solid run from Simon and we know his uber calm approach will suit the technical final tomorrow! 

Simon close your eyes....Coach Tom's positive pose! 

Coach Tom close your eyes....Simon's positive pose! 

 If you would love to see some entertainment from today we suggest you check out the GPS routes here.

The Middle Final tomorrow is on very similar terrain which we are sure even Thierry will love. With plenty of downhill legs and some tough climb thrown in for fun expect some great racing.

Tune in live here

Aussie's in action (AEST Friday)
Simon Uppill 20.11.30
Jasmine Neve 22.05
Vanessa Round 22.17
Hanny Allston 22.38

Cheer them on loud and proud! 

WOC in Finland...Then and Now

Grant Bluett, Troy de Haas, Rob Walt, Tommy Q...ring a bell?

Back in 2001, WOC was every two years, teams were larger, there was no live GPS tracking and there were four runners in the relay....yes it was only 12 years ago! Today on our rest day for that little bit of inspiration for the two big races that remain we take a look back at Australia's equal best ever result in a WOC men's relay, 6th place! We profile the four runners in the Australian team back in WOC 2001 in Tampere, Finland. This report has been compiled this week by the current team from contacting the guys from around the world where they currently live. (except Tom, cause he is here!)  Thanks to the four of them for sharing their thoughts on their experiences on WOC 2001!

WOC 2001  relay arena...I think.

WOC 2001 Then and Now!

First Leg : Grant Bluett
Age: 40

Grant....then winning World Games and now as as father! 

Hometown then: Sandviken, Sweden
Hometown now: Canberra, Australia
Training hours (per week) then: 12 hours +
Training hours (per week) now: 3 hours (more in summer)
Weight then: 70kg
Weight now: 80kg+
Thoughts about your race during the WOC Relay in 2001 when the team came 6th?
I remember really struggling to keep up in the first part of the race. Then towards the end feeling that I could run as fast as I wanted to. When I made a small mistake, I could catch back up to the leaders in no time. Then I ran away from the pack in the last section of the race. I was very happy to punch the last control first and soak up the atmosphere of the big crowd in the finish chute.I didn't really realise that Jani Lakanen was about to pass me before the change to TDH before it was too late...

 
How do you feel when you reflect back to the WOC Relay 6th place in 2001?
Great memories! Was such a great feeling to share a result like that with my mates. All four of us spent a lot of time together back then. Training, racing and lots of hanging out doing nothing (recovering...). Tom and TDH are a bit hard to hang out with these days as they live a bit far away, but its great Rob is basically part of the family these days.

Second Leg: Troy de Haas
Age: 34

Troy then competing for Turun Suunnistajat

Hometown then: Turku, Finland
Hometown now: Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
Training hours (per week) then: 10-18 hours
Training hours (per week) now: 7 hours
Weight then: 63
Weight now: 69
Thoughts about your race during the WOC Relay in 2001 when the team came 6th?
It all happened very fast and seemed surreal at the time. None of the men's team ran particularly well during the week (couple of us cracked top 20) so we did not have high expectations going into the relay. All I remember is Grant running down the finish chute with team Sweden and Finland he just got pipped at the line by Jani Lakanen (Finland) and there I was thrown into the deep end, I could either choose to sink or swim!
Grant handed over my map and off I went, it all came very naturally after running at the front of the race at Jukola earlier that same year
(where we went on to win with Turun Suunnistajat) so running amongst world-class runners was comfortable. At a few stages during my race I hit the lead and broke away as I was so focused on my own race I did not notice at the time and handed over to Rob Walter in second place just a few seconds behind team Sweden and 30 seconds ahead of Finland. Apparently whilst a nervous Rob was warming up and waiting for the change over team Finland runner Juha Peltola (home country favourite) whispered to Rob that he was "going to kill him out there!". Which was not what Rob needed going out in front of the Finns in 2nd place all whilst on live TV. Both himself and Tom handled the pressure extremely well and managed to hold our position and record Australia's equal best performance ever in the men's relay at WOC which still stands today?!

Troy now as a travel agent to the world's cycling elite!

How do you feel when you reflect back to the WOC Relay 6th place in 2001?
Looking back it was not only a huge achievement for us as individuals but Orienteering in Australia. It was probably the first time Australian orienteers were recognized and respected to be competitive on the world stage of orienteering. We had all come from the other side of the world, committed to living in Scandinavia and being semi-professional at our sport and the rewards paid off. We had seriously challenged the Scandinavians at their own sport and in their own backyard.
I am very proud of the boys looking back and we will share this special experience and this bond for life.

Third Leg: Rob Walter
Age: 37

Rob then competing for Australia and now as a father in Canberra

Hometown then: Canberra, Australia
Hometown now: Canberra, Australia
Training hours (per week) then: 10-12 hours
Training hours (per week) now: 3-5 hours
Weight then: 76kg
Weight now: 81kg
Thoughts about your race during the WOC Relay in 2001 when the team came 6th?
Tom Q and I drove out to the race a bit later as we were running 3rd and 4th legs, we were listening on the radio and it was great to hear us going so well, we got there in time to see Grant storm up the finish in the equal lead with home favourites Finland.
Just before I was about to start the Finish 3rd leg runner came up to me and said "I'm going to kill you" I was too shocked to say anything back, but its fair to say I was pretty nervous even before that point.
Troy came back in the equal lead with Finland and running to the start I was that pumped that I trod on the Finnish runners heels I was so close behind him.
Unfortunately I made a small mistake, 45seconds or so, at the first control and that was the last I saw of Finland. The Swedish team caught me here and I battled with them for most of the rest of the race. I did a lot of small mistakes but was running very hard and in good shape which saved me a bit. From memory I came back around 5th place with quite a few teams around me, partly disappointed but also very excited we were in with a shot at the podium.

How do you feel when you reflect back to the WOC Relay 6th place in 2001?
Of all the races I did this is one of those that I think back to most. I was very new to running a relay in a high pressure situation and with the experience I have now I think I would have been a lot cooler heading out to the first control which could have changed the whole race for me.
I have also thought of a stack a things I would say back to the Finnish guy if I hadn't been so shocked at his comments at the time.
To run with Tom, Grant and Troy who are great mates and finish on the podium at the world champs was one of the best experiences I have had in orienteering but at the same I think about how much better it might have been if I had had a really good race like the other guys did.

Fourth Leg: Tom Quayle
Age: 37

Stylish Tom then posing for the cameras!

Hometown then: Sundsvall, Sweden
Hometown now: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Training hours (per week) then: 10 hours +
Training hours (per week) now: 1 hour
Weight then: 66kg
Weight now: 76kg
Thoughts about your race during the WOC Relay in 2001 when the team came 6th?
Got a good start after getting sent out in a great spot by Grant, Troy and Rob. Ran really hard through the spectator control and knew we were in for a good result. Started feeling the nerves on the final loop and made a mistake in a difficult section and was really relieved to find out I hadn't lost any places there. 

Tom now as WOC team coach...still posing for the cameras...some things don't change!

How do you feel when you reflect back to the WOC Relay 6th place in 2001?
My strongest memory is how nervous I was before the start, listening to the guys going really well and trying to control my nerves was a real struggle, I just felt sick. I was so impressed with how the other guys ran and they inspired me.The coaches were also really good and did their best to help us. I am happy to have been a part of a great result together with such good friends.

The team will certainly be taking some inspiration from those interviews into the next set of races this week! Thanks boys!

In other news...the team had a very relaxing day with various restful things happening throughout, from a few laps in the heated indoor pool for Wendy and Aislinn to a few hills intervals for Felicity and Wendy (again). Watch out for Wendy at Aus Champs! 

But the highlight was our supporters afternoon tea. This allowed us to thank the supporters who are here all week competing in their own spectators races and providing great support for the team out at the WOC races! 

Elin, our Swedish physio also arranged a special competition which fits into our overall in-house team competition (more about this later) for the team and supporters which provided endless entertainment. I'll let the pictures and video speak for themselves! 

The boys organised everything....

Simon even baked kanelbulle

To be honest.. the girls baked and made everything and it was delicious!

The team and supporters enjoying the lakeside setting

The final game...catch a biscuit from your forehead in your mouth with no hands....who won? Watch the video!

The action continues tomorrow with the middle qualification. In action and their start times we have: 

Jasmine Neve 16.13 AEST

Vanessa Round 16.19 AEST

Hanny Allston 16.43 AEST

Bryan Keely 17.25 AEST

Lachlan Dow 17.47 AEST

Simon Uppill 18.19 AEST 

Cheer them on live here

The Classic!

Today was the day for the classic. The traditional distance in orienteering which is being slowly whittled away from the orienteering program due to the dominance of sprint and middle races. Hanny was our girl in the final and most team members had a restful morning waiting for the action to start. Well, everyone except Tom 'the boss' Quayle, who managed to get three punctures on his 45 minute morning ride and had to be rescued just in time to take Hanny to quarantine. 

Resting up in the morning

What better way to hear about the Long Final than from the finalist herself.....Hanny.

Hanny finishing in front of the big crowd

'9th July... a long but very exciting day for spectators and runners alike.  Today was the long distance final held ( ).  After Julian dropped Tom & I off to the quarantine, Tom & I boarded the bus for our long drive to the pre-start.  Whilst we chatted about life and the universe, we managed to circumnavigate the entire map, only to end up back near the arena.  A 60 min scenic tour of more Finnish forest, farmlands and marshes.

I felt surprisingly relaxed and tried to just take in the atmosphere of my first WOC back in 4 years.  I am amazed by how much the sport has developed and running into the arena for the start highlighted this.  There were people everywhere!  

Discussing the race...

My plan was just calm, cautious and relaxed, leaving some energy in the tank for the end of the 14km course.  I did just that, my only mistake was a large 5 min error as I tried to find a bridge across the impassable river just before the arena.  I was expecting a large, wooden bridge and sadly missed the floating pontoon hidden by the grass and long vegetation along the river's edge.  This shook my confidence for a while before I regained control.  This was my only error for the entire course and whilst the Russian girls came flying past me, I felt solid and completed the race according to plan.

With the middle and relay coming up, there is still lots more to look forward to.   However, I am already thinking forwards to next year.  What do I have to do to crack the top 6 again? I already know that in order to be competitive in the long distance race, high end running speed and maintaining this over a long period of time will be critical.  I feel excited at the thought of returning home and strategising!

As I have the honour of writing this post, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the amazing support of our coaches - Tom & Wendy.  They are two legends and the rocks of our team.  I have turned to them for support & confidence when I have felt in need of a boost.  The thing is, we all have and they never fail to give all their energy to our team.  I must also acknowledge the rest of the team - Simon, Bryan, Lachie, Aislinn, Jas, Fel, Sus & Ness, you are all amazing athletes, team mates and friends.  It is an honour to share WOC 2013 with you all.  And finally, big thanks to Elin our physio for keeping my legs turning, the Aussie supporters here cheering in the arenas, and to all our wonderful families, friends and followers back in Australia.  

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... Oi, Oi, Oi!'

-Han

The crowd was huge and atmosphere electric...

With Hanny placing 22nd it was a solid result for her return to WOC competition. The rest of the afternoon was spent with the team in the hustle and bustle of the Finnish crowd with the other Aussie supporters, watching Simone Niggli and Thierry Geuorgiou reassert their dominance of international orienteering. Thierry was clearly annoyed with the 'ease' of it though. 

Now,I'll be able to answer journalists about my time at half-marathon:1h41'39".Looking forward to attack trickier controls in Vuokatinvaara!
— Thierry GUEORGIOU (@tgueorgiou) July 9, 2013

When Jani Lakanen came in to take silver it was going off in the arena as you can see below. 

The girls playing silly

In the evening all the athletes and spectators gather outside Vuokatti Sports Institute for the medal ceremonies which gives the event a great village-like atmosphere all day and night. Tonight this made the girls very excited....or maybe it was just that they found a new swing to play on....

Although....it was obviously endorsed by 'The Boss' Tom as he joined in!

In good news for the team, Bryan 'Breezer' Keely has been feeling good after his sprint qualification race with his seven stitches in his knee, testing it out with a run today. He is pumped for the middle and relay later in the week. 

The seven stitches

Breezer getting 'well looked after' by the caring Swedish lady Elin - gotcha! 

Stay tuned tomorrow for our rest day blog and a special look at Australia's past WOC performances here in Finland with an enthralling 'Then and Now' article on our smoking mens relay team from WOC Finland 2001...where are they now?

Two Sprints in One Day

Hi all, Lachy Dow reporting to you from Vuokatti, at the end of a hectic day of both the sprint qualification and sprint final. 

The qualification was held in a holiday park consisting of many nearly identical houses, a put put gold course and some water features. The organisers also put up temporary fences for added route choices. 

Sprint Qual Map

The runners and spectators were greeted with a great day and cut-throat racing. It was a good qual for us Aussies, with all three women qualifying! Simon made it through to the final as well, and while Bryan missed out, it really was a good international debut. to give you an idea of how tough qualifying is, Bryan was 26 seconds and five places away from the cut off. all with seven stitches in his knee! Dont worry bryan, you'll be back with a vengeance!

'Breezer' breezing through the Qual

Intimate racing in the qualification with big crowds

Simon 'bumming' the crowds away

By the last control Simon had perfected his punching technique!

Happy qualifiers

Do I have to take this picture...

After lunch back at our accommodation and a short celebration for Susanne's birthday (happy birthday Sus!) runners began refocusing for the sprint final. for most this is all about relaxing and getting a bit of sleep, but for everyone its about eating and drinking! Simon's favourite (recovery) foods are pringles and coke.

After dealing with the traffic jam of spectators (over 5000 of them) getting to the final arena, we were greeted with one of the coolest sprint arenas possible. The runners both started and finished in the Sotkamo baseball stadium:

The Sprint final arena. 

The women ran first, and our girls did us proud, with Felicity in 31st just pipping Vanessa (32nd). Both seemed to have cautious but clean runs, a sound strategy in the town sprint which was heavily modified with impassable temporary fences. Route choices with often wide and convoluted, and hard to spot on the map. Jasmine was disappointed with her run, with an early mistake and she found it hard to find routes through the buildings. But when you see how high the level of competition is, just making it to the final is no small feat. There was no betting (literally) on who the winner of the womens race would be. Simone Niggli was the unbackable favourite as she stormed home for the gold medal.

Vanessa starting

Jasmine starting

Fel starting

Vanessa loved the experience and atmosphere!

Jas found the route choice really tricky!

Fel discussing her course with Elin after the finish.

Simon making a flying start. 

Men's Final

In the mens race Simon made a cracker start to be right up there through the tricky labyrinth style section in the town, but he faded a little toward the end with a mistake missing the small gap on the way to the last control which cost him a few places. But, Simon did come out with his best ever WOC result of 30th place. Mårten Boström gave the home crowd something to cheer loud about when he stormed through the course and provided the first real surprise of the WOC week winning gold ahead of a great friends to many Aussies and someone we were cheering loud for - Scotsman, Great Brit, Prisoner of Her Majesty... Scott Fraser with Sweden's Jonas Leandersson third.  

It certainly was a great atmosphere in the arena but the online results failed to work for most of the Women's race along with a distinct lack of commentary did make us wonder that maybe you had more information than us watching back in Australia. 

Tom 'The Boss' Quayle wondering which country this weirdly dressed supporter comes from???

After a big day, Tom 'The Boss' Quayle went to extraordinary lengths, (with the permission of Wendy 'The Manager' Read) cleaning up spectators and driving off gutters, to get home on time for a late dinner and bed. Just to prepare for the long, the classic day tomorrow where we have Hanny Allston looking to perform in the forest in the Long Distance Final. Remember, grab a beer, the paper and watch away, it is just like cricket....goes alllllllll daaaay. We will be out there cheering Hanny on and we hope you are at home as well! 

GPS routes from today are here

Results are here

Hanny starts at 20.11 AEST Tuesday. Follow live here. 

Long Qualification done...

The first race for WOC 2013 has been run. The team got one qualifier, Hanny, through to the final out of four runners today. Hanny  returned to international competition after a four year hiatus and placied 3rd in heat 3  which gives Hanny a great starting position in the Final on Tuesday.

'Relieved' was Hanny's feeling after today's Long Qual

Susanne has a solid run to place 17th in heat 1 just missing the top 15 qualification threshold. See Susanne's thoughts on her race below. 

Aislinn had a solid run for 11/13 legs but lost time on a few controls to place 20th in heat 2. See Aislinn's thoughts on her race below.

Lachlan made his debut at a World Championships race today and there isn't a tougher way to do that than in the depths of tough Scandinavian terrain in a Long Qualifier with a winning time 7 minutes longer than expected. Lachlan was not happy with his race with a significant mistake on the long leg to 5. He will certainly be better for it in the future and will have many more opportunities. Starting with the Middle Qualifier on Thursday. 

Naturally disappointed, but many more opportunities to come for Lachlan!

This afternoon the Sprint runners are resting up and preparing for their big day tomorrow.

In the meantime check out GPS and the maps from today here.

Long Qualification is on!

Today it is time for the Long Qualification. Conditions are fine, warm and sunny with not a cloud in sight. Perfect long conditions.  Susanne, Aislinn, Lachlan and Hanny were all in good shape heading out the the quarantine this morning.

Tom 'I'm the boss' Quayle has things in order with the OFFICIAL team car! 

Awaiting them is fast and open forest as you can see with the old map below.

You can see the results of the prettying up session yesterday with the team photos done here in Vuokatti. 

'I reckon here, let's just get it done' - Bryan

C'mon team 

'How do we have the collars again'

'Finally got it...'

'Ah yeah the Coaches too...'

'It was a bit hot...'

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