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