Minnas’ decision about the future

Minnas’ decision about the future

For Minna Kauppi the World Orienteering Championships on homeground were the main goal for the season. In the last World Cup races she didn’t perform as well as earlier. What will happen now? Will she have the motivation to continue another year?

The nine-fold World Champion had planned to get to celebrate gold at the World Championships on home ground. However, she only got one silver medal in relay, and no individual medals at all.

“I had trained well this year, probably too much. I was almost over-trained”, she says.

Before the Championships there was in Finland also huge interest in the Finnish star, probably more interest than any other orienteer ever has got. Everyone expected medals from Minna.

She didn’t fulfill the expectations in Vuokatti, not the ones she herself had, nor the ones others had. Partly therefore, the 30-year-old has decided to continue her career.  “But don’t ask me about the past. Ask me about the future”, she says.

So how do you look at the future?

“I am looking forward to training well”, Minna says. “And I am looking for a few years more, but it’s a bit strange when Simone will not be in the business anymore.”

In the overall World Cup Minna Kauppi ended as number 24. The number shows that 2013 really wasn’t a normal year for the Finn.

 
Minna Kauppi was good in the forest but not so fast to find the controls in the city of Baden. Photo: Erik Borg