Big names from the past, now Masters Champions

Galina Vinogradova RUS, Yvonne Gunell FIN, Alida Abola LAT, Svajunas Ambrazas LTU, Håkan Eriksson SWE – all once well-known elite athletes at the top of the tree, now winning their classes at the World Masters.

This year’s World Masters Orienteering Championships are being held in Latvia, and many athletes who have run in World Championships in the past have found their way to Riga and its surroundings. The entry of more than 3,500 has just completed the forest Qualification and the Middle Final, with just the Long Final to come on Friday.

Four athletes retained their titles from last year.  Sirra Toivonen FIN (W50), Asta Sjöberg SWE (W80), Signe Nyman SWE (W90) and Håkan Eriksson SWE (M55) all fall into that category, with Eriksson enjoying an emphatic win in M55.

For all information about the World Masters Orienteering Championships 2019 visit https://www.wmoc2019.lv/

WMOC 2019 Middle distance champions

35  Natalia Efimova RUS & Dmitry Mikhalkin BLR

40  Galina Vinogradova RUS & Janis Krumins LAT

45  Yvonne Gunell FIN & Mantas Rimkus LTU

50  Sirra Toivonen FIN & Svajunas Ambrazas LTU

55  Laila Hoglund SWE & Håkan Eriksson SWE

60  Kane Andersson SWE & Sixten Westlund SWE

65  Alida Abola LAT & Clas Fries SWE

70  Kari Timenes Laugen NOR & Mykola Bozhko UKR

75  Katharina Mo Berge NOR & Raimo Karvonen FIN

80  Asta Sjöberg SWE & Gunnar Østerbø NOR

85  Bernice Antonsson SWE & Georg Reischi GER

90 Signe Nyman SWE & Kurt Dose DEN

The first Final, the Sprint in central Riga, was badly affected by a gate being left locked in a passage shown on the map as open, a critical route choice option on a large number of courses. The Jury decided that all these had to be voided. The Sprint Champions for the courses not affected are listed below.

Sprint Champions

W75  Torid Kvaal NOR

80  Birgitta Thunell SWE & Eric Bucher SUI

85  Verena Harzenmoser SUI & Martin Hutzli SUI (retained title)

90  Ullabritta Hall SWE & Kurt Dose DEN