The long-distance championship medals in orienteering were competed for in Ruokolahti on the weekend.
Having recently won the long-distance EC bronze in orienteering Miika Kirmulan On Sunday, the prize chest was completed again with one long-distance SM gold.
Kirmula, representing Kalevan Rasti, won the long-distance championship by a good two minutes. Ikaalite Nousevan-Voima directed Hopela Eetu Savolainen and the Turku Suunnitatije for bronze Touko Seppä.
– It was indeed a wonderful terrain, and it’s great that such a big race could be organized here, Kirmula praised the terrain of Ruokolahti’s Lökkiö in a press release from the Orienteering Association.
The gold medalist said that he made a few bad route choices and felt that his own performance was not entirely worthy of the terrain.
– There have been a few challenges with Jalavaivaa in such Nordic terrains with heavier terrain, and for the next two weeks we will do sensible training in that regard, so that we will be in full swing at the main race of the season at the Kuopio World Cup at the end of September, Kirmula continued.
A double win for Pirinnön’s women
In the women’s race, Tampereen Pyrinnön was the fastest Venla Harju. Harju’s parting with his teammate who won silver Lotta to Karhola was one minute and 20 seconds.
The bronze was taken by Kalevan Rast Marika Teini.
– The race didn’t go quite clean for me, as sometimes I had a little too much speed for the situation. It got me excited to enjoy such nice terrain at speed, but then sometimes I noticed that I had gone a little crooked, and I had to correct those situations a bit, Harju described his actions in the press release.
The winner admitted that the brave pace sharing weighed down the rest of the journey.
– This was actually a preparatory race towards the end of the World Cup, and I wanted to push the limits in the balance of speed and orienteering technique in this type of domestic terrain, Harju said.