In the final competition of the Nokian Tyres World Orienteering Championships in Doksy, Czech Republic, 22 year old Norwegian Kasper Harlem Fosser took the first gold medal of his career when he won the Long Distance in dominant style. This was the 4th medal of the championships for Fosser after having 3 silver medal performances in the Sprint, Sprint Relay and Mens Relay competitions. Fosser can add his name to a long line of Norwegian men that have taken long distance gold.
It was clear from the start that he had a higher speed than his competitors and found the best route choices in the early parts of the course. Mid-way along the long leg from control 4 to 5 he caught Matthias Kyburz (SUI) and teammate Magne Dæhli who had started 3 and 6 minutes respectively prior to him in the start list. The trio were together for the remainder of the course and with the dominant speed of Fosser, Kyburz took the silver medal and Dæhli the bronze, 17 seconds ahead of Daniel Hubmann (SUI) in 4th. Emil Svensk (SWE) had a very strong finish after a weak start to his long distance challenge and advanced from 19th position half-way to a 5th position. The final podium place (6th) went to Martin Hubmann (SUI), and with teammate Florian Howald in 7th the Swiss mens team had overall a very strong performance with all their 4 runners in the top 7.
The Long Distance competition is a real test of athlete stamina and this years course was no exception. The mens course measured 13.6 km straight-line with 1050 meters of climb along the optimal route among the steep sandstone valleys. The GPS tracking showed that the best routes could be up to a kilometer wide of the straight line to avoid multiple climbs and descents. Kasper Harlem Fosser completed the course in 95 minutes and 55 seconds, just 55 seconds over the expected winning time.
Results – Nokian Tyres World Orienteering Championships Mens Long Distance
| 1 | Kasper Harlem Fosser | 1:35:55 | ||
| 2 | Matthias Kyburz | 1:39:00 | +3:05 | |
| 3 | Magne Daehli | 1:41:53 | +5:58 | |
| 4 | Daniel Hubmann | 1:42:10 | +6:15 | |
| 5 | Emil Svensk | 1:43:08 | +7:13 | |
| 6 | Martin Hubmann | 1:43:54 | +7:59 |