“I haven’t time to be nervous”

“I haven’t time to be nervous”

What a rush everything is for Tim Robertson right now. The 17-year-old from New Zealand can’t take part in the JWOC banquet this year – just as last year.

Just as one year ago, the young Kiwi will take part in both JWOC and WOC. Last summer he impressed a lot. On a Friday last year he was in the Kiwi team that got a great seventh place at JWOC in Slovakia. The day after he was 1500 kilometres away from Kosice, and ran very well in WOC, placing 33^rd in the Sprint final in Lausanne.

“Stressful? I didn’t get time to be nervous”, he smiles.

This year there are a few hours more between his races at JWOC and WOC. His last race in the Czech Republic is the relay on Saturday. Then he is travelling immediately to the airport in Prague, about 150 kilometres away, and is setting off for Finland. He will spend one night in Helsinki, and during Sunday he will arrive in Vuokatti and there could be time for a little preparation. Monday is the Sprint day. “My goal is to get to the Final again”, he says.

Earlier this year he demonstrated his skill in Sprint in finishing 20^th in the sprint World Cup race in his home town Wellington. “But I had never been in the terrain before”, he tells.

– How can you have such good races? You are still just a second year junior!

“I do a lot of cross-country running and I’m still competing in that”.

In Finland he will also run the Middle distance and Relay.

In Hradec Králové he was 25^th in the Long final. For the Middle he didn’t qualify for the final, but his big goal is of course Friday with the Sprint and also Saturday’s relay.

“I like banquets, but so far I have only taken part in a banquet at WOC, not JWOC. It’s a little bit strange”, he smiles.