Relay Double for Switzerland
Central Switzerland was at its best for the forest relays at the CISM World Orienteering Championships in Stans. Beautiful autumn weather, a great course and more than 60 teams made for a successful second day of racing. The teams of three competed in the Kernwald forest, where small hills, dips and boulders made navigation tricky at race pace.
Teammates Battle for Gold
The first-leg runners set off at 10 am. Each runner in the men’s race faced 5.76 kilometers, with 195 meters of climb and 17 controls. Right from the start, the race looked set to become a battle between Switzerland 1 and Switzerland 2. Benjamin Wey put Switzerland 2 in the lead on the first leg, finishing 16 seconds ahead of the other Swiss team, with Turkey and Estonia also in pursuit. Pascal Schärer held on to the lead and handed over to final-leg runner Tino Polsini, just five seconds ahead of Riccardo Rancan. Estonia remained in the fight for victory, only half a minute behind. Polsini extended the lead to 1 minute 32 seconds, securing the CISM world title for Wey, Schärer and Polsini. The other Swiss trio, Egger, Rancan and Aebersold, finished second. “It was tough today. The terrain was tricky. Fabian Aebersold and I both made mistakes on the final leg, so it definitely wasn’t my best performance. But I managed to pull myself together and stay focused,” said Polsini.
Finland’s final-leg runner Ruohola crossed the line third, 6 minutes 27 seconds behind the winners. Together with Florian Fritzen and Lari Pernu, he earned silver for Finland, as each country can only win one set of medals. The Finns had been down in 12th after the first leg but fought their way back to a medal. Lukas Novak, Mathias Peter and Nicolas Kastner took bronze for Austria.
Close Fight for Bronze
In the women’s race, Ewa Bernaciak and Kiia Kuusikko pulled away on the first leg. Signe Sirma and Paula Gross handed over together, 49 seconds behind. Lilly Graber then ran a strong second leg for Switzerland. She caught the leaders and built a comfortable advantage, sending Simona Aebersold out on the final leg with a lead of 4 minutes 34 seconds over Finland. Aebersold had some trouble at the first control but still crossed the finish with a lead of over ten minutes. Paula Gross, Lilly Graber and Simona Aebersold were crowned CISM relay world champions. Finland took silver with Kiia Kuusikko, Jenny Virtala and Virna Pellikka.“I didn’t even realize I was in the lead for so much of the race. It was one of my best runs this season,” said first-leg runner Kuusikko. Juliette Basset, Tifenn Moulet and Florence Hanauer secured bronze for France after a thrilling finish.
Three countries were battling for the final medal, and after more than two hours of racing, it all came down to the last few metres. Sweden missed out by just two seconds in the final sprint and had to settle for fourth. Poland finished only nine seconds behind a medal.
After a rest day on Friday, the championships will wrap up with the sprint on Saturday, promising another exciting day of racing.