Nataliya Volynska aims even higher

Nataliya Volynska aims even higher

Nadiya Volynska finished third in the World Cup Final. Photo: Erik Borg

Nadia Volynska has had a great autumn. First she got a bronze medal at The World Games. Then she was third in the second last race in the World Cup.  The Ukraine has got the taste for podium places now.  “Now I want to get a medal at the World Championships”, she states.

The 29-year-old athlete is a full-time orienteer, but not directly on home ground. She has been living in Sweden since 2008. Nadiya and her partner Oleksandr Kratov live in a little Swedish place called Jamjö, near Karlskrona.

“The World Games medal in Cali, Colombia was very important for me, but the World Cup medal feels very big too. The start field was very tough”, she says.

Nataliya Volynska on the streets of Baden, Switzerland. Photo: Erik Borg

In the terrain called “the cellar of the devil” she also got what she likes to get – technically difficult terrain. In the last part of the race it was very challenging to find the controls without making any mistakes because of the many details and contour lines.

– What is your goal for the future?

“An international championship medal”, Nadiya smiles.

The Ukrainian has taken part in six World Orienteering Championships. Her best individual performance so far is 11^th place in the sprint in Vuokatti, Finland, this year. In the World Cup she ended as number 27  this season. She didn’t take part in the races in New Zealand nor in the Nordic Tour.