World Masters Orienteering Championships: seven win double gold

World Masters Orienteering Championships: seven win double gold

Seven of the Sprint gold medallists from earlier in the week, three women and four men, repeated the feat in the Long distance finals held on a hot day in Sagna Longa in the Italian Alps. One of these was M35 Petteri Muukkonen, Finland who achieved the same results in 2012 as well.

The others were Katin Cejka (W55, SUI), Torid Kvall (W70, NOR), Ebba-Lisa Flygar (W80, SWE), Peo Bengtsson (M80, SWE), Jakob Hug (M90, SWE) and Rune Haraldsson (SWE – the only entrant in M95).

One of the oldest women participants, Astrid Andersson from Sweden in W90, won her third Long distance gold in successive years. She also has gold medals from 2008, 2003 and 1999.

Sweden had the highest total of gold medals in the Long race with 7, all of them aged 75 or older. Finland took 5 golds and Norway and Switzerland 4 each. The courses, held over 2,000 m above sea level and with climbing in some cases more than 5% of the course length, benefited those with good physical strength. Closest race was in M40 where Fabrice Vannier, France won by 16 seconds over Manu Mutka, Finland.

Gold medallists, Long distance

W35  Yvonne Gunnel FIN

W40  Tenna Nørgaard Landsperg DEN

W45  Michela Conti SUI

W50  Pavlina Brautigam USA

W55  Kati Cejka SUI

W60  Päivi Kekki FIN

W65  Tamara Ovsiannikova RUS

W70  Torid Kvaal NOR

W75  Asta Sjöberg SWE

W80  Ebba-Lisa Flygar SWE

W85  Signe Nyman SWE

W90  Astrid Andersson SWE

M35  Petteri Muukkonen FIN

M40  Fabrice Vannier FRA

M45  Svajunas Ambrazas LTU

M50  Anton Bjartnes NOR

M55  Jukka-Pekka Rantio FIN

M60  Tom A Karlsen NOR

M65  Franz Wyss SUI

M70  Roar Forbord NOR

M75  Veijo Tahvanainen FIN

M80  Peo Bengtsson SWE

M85  Ture Gunnarsson SWE

M90  Jakob Hug SWE

M95  Rune Haraldsson SWE