The World Orienteering Championships medals will be competed for in Switzerland from July 12th to 16th. shows the races on its channels. First up are the long journeys, the live broadcast of which starts on Thursday at 13:00 on Areena and at 14:00 on TV2.
Six Junior World Championship golds, the most recent of which was six years ago. The most successful male junior of all time Olli Ojanaho26, is aiming for her first senior medal at the World Championships in Switzerland.
In last fall’s World Cup competition in Switzerland, Ojanaho finished fourth twice and knows that the terrain suits him well. In addition, this season’s ninth place in the World Cup in Norway and good performances at last summer’s European Championships in Estonia are behind them.
– Yes, it’s nice to have achieved good results in several races. Know that it doesn’t require any miracles, Ojanaho predicts.
Ojanaho has followed his own paths in his career and a few years ago he longed for a break. Now Ojanaho has found a training model that suits him, which allows him to do sport-specific physical exercises to prepare for the competition.
Read more: The super promise of Finnish orienteering trained too much and got tired of the whole sport – Olli Ojanaho made a brave decision and chose Huili instead of the World Championships
In terms of skill training, Ojanaho has rhythmed his schedule so that even though there are many camps and they are long, there are also periods within and between them when he does not orientate at all.
– In the past, I always guided a lot at the camps. Now training is even more a bit like training at home, but in better conditions, Ojanaho opens.
“A medal right on the fork”
Ojanaho’s preparation for the upcoming World Championships has gone well and without major problems. Since last summer, he has been training at high altitudes in Switzerland, France and Austria.
– During the last year and a half, I have spent eleven months in Central Europe, so at least it shouldn’t get caught up.
Sports expert Minna Kauppi is confident in Ojanaho’s striking ability.
– The basic level is already among the six, and then, when there is an excellent success and a day physically, psychologically and even skillfully, the medal is right there, Kauppi predicts.
Ojanaho is satisfied if, when he reaches the finish line, he feels that he has done his best and that the race went according to his preparation.
– There will be really tough and demanding races with two quite different types of terrain. The long distance has completely different terrain than the middle distance and the relay. I hope I can perform at my own level.
Long-distance terrains are a special question mark
Ojanaho is prepared for the hilly terrains of Switzerland, but in general Kauppi considers the height differences to be a potential challenge for Finnish orienteers. Thursday’s long-distance races in particular are largely based on orienteering with the help of altitude curves.
However, special attention has been paid to height curves in training.
– Some of the athletes have been here for a long time and trained at high altitudes. It shouldn’t cause the same difficulties as if you traditionally came from sea level, but in terms of terrain, long-distance terrain is quite a different orientation, says Kauppi.
– The middle-distance terrain is then more diverse and a little closer to Finnish middle-distance orienteering, demanding and strict ticking. Both terrains are certainly suitable, but of course the middle distance terrain is more familiar to Finns.
I hope for four medals
Kauppi believes that, along with Ojanaho, especially Miika Kirmula there are chances to reach the top three. According to him, all that is required is a really good day and success.
– Of course, women have more experience in taking medals. In a way, such a stable level near the top, says Kauppi.
The women’s team includes, among other things, last summer’s long-distance EC gold medalist Venla Harju. Kauppi will win four medals from the World Championships, if everything goes according to plan.
– I hope that there would be one personal medal for men, one personal medal for women and one for both relays. It takes a lot of work, but it’s good to go after it.
In the relay competition, Ojanaho considers a good performance to be a complete competition.
– A good starting point is that we have been close to a trio of medals and, for example, now in Norway there were others. It is known that the basic level is at the hamin of the leading countries.
Men: Miika Kirmula, Olli Ojanaho, Topi Syrjäläinen and Touko Seppä
Women: Marika Teini, Venla Harju, Ida Haapala, Miia Niittynen, Kirsi Nurmi and Maija Sianoja