Last day, last distance, last chance of medals and a last blast of energy bursting out into the forrest together with the 54 men’s teams and 43 women’s teams at the Junior World Orienteering Championships 2023 relay today. Czechia seized the opportunity for another gold medal in the men’s class and the same did Hungary amongst the women.
The last day at Cavnic Arenastarted out with the men’s forrest relay. On the first Sweden and Albin Warvelin changed over in the lead closely followed by Switzerland 1, Great Britain, Norway 1, Latvia, Finland, Switzerland 2, Germany, surprisingly USA, with a great race from Keegan Harkavy and Czechia 1.
Changing over from the second leg, Norways Martin Vehus Skjerve was first in, together with Switzerland 1 and Czechia. Finland and Switzerland 2 changed over 45 seconds behind.
On third and last leg of the men’s relay, the battle for the victory stood between Czechia’s long distance junior world champion Jakub Chaloupsky and the two Swiss teams. The Czech was strongest and took his second victory and third medal at this year’s JWOC, with at winning margin of 19 seconds down to Switzerland 2, where Benjamin Wey passed his teammate and took the silver.
The firstteam from Switzerland crossed the finish line in third position but as only one team from each country counts in the final result, Finland mooved to the bronze medal position as Aarni Ronkainen crossed the line 3:18 minutes behind the Czech winners.
In the women’s relay, Hungary and Rita Maramarosi got their third gold medal of the Junior World Orienteering Championships 2023, after a dramatic conclusion to the competition.
On the first leg Czechia’s Anna Karlova changed over in the lead, 11 seconds in front of Sweden 1 and 40 seconds ahead of Finland 2, with a big group of teams just behind.
The women’s relay changed completely on the second leg, where Norway’s Mathea Gløersen took Norway 1 to the lead together with Hungary and Victoria Mag, running out on the last leg. Sweden 1 changed over 36 seconds behind, half a minute in front of Czechia, Finland 2 and Switzerland 1.
It became clear, that the last leg would be decisive and that a sprint finish would decide the medals between Sweden 1, Hungary and Czechia, a fight that Sweden’s Alma Svennerud won, crossing the finish line seconds ahead of the two medalists from sprint and middle distance, Rita Maramarosi from Hungary and Lucie Dittrichova from Czechia.
Unfortunately Svennerud didn’t punch the second spectator control and was disqualified. The gold moved to Hungary, the silver to Czechia and the bronze then accrued to Pia Young Vik and Norway 1, meaning that the strong norweigan last leg runner took her fifth medal out of five possible, at her last JWOC.
瑞士1完成第六小组的女人n’s relay, moved to the 5th position as a consequence of the Swedish disqualification, but was then themselves disqualified for not punching alle the right controls on the las leg.
Find all results, GPS-tracking, maps and pictures from the JWOC relay viaIOF Live.
Relay results
Men
1. Czechia 1 (Daniel Bolehovsky, Jiri Donda, Jakub Chaloupsky)
2. Switzerland 2 (Joschi Schmid, Elia Ren, Benjamin Wey) +00:19
3. Finland 1 (Jussi Raasakka, Santeri Kirjavainen, Aarni Ronkainen) +00:58
4. Germany 1 (Marek Pompe, Konrad Stamer, Anselm Reichenbach) +04:39
5. Norway 1 (Alfred Bjoerneroed, Martin Vehus Skjerve, Iver Dalsaune Thun) +04:52
6. France 2 (Antoine Derlot, Romain Pichard, Mathias Lataste) +04:56
Women
1. Hungary 1 (Boglarka Czako0, Viktoria Mag, Rita Maramarosi)
2. Czechia 1 (Anna Karlova, Marketa Mulickova, Lucie Dittrichova) +00:01
3. Norway 1 (Kristin Melby Jacobsen, Mathea Gløersen, Pia Young Vik) +00:29
4. Finland 2 (Silva Kemppi0, Virna Pellikka, Jenny Ojala) +02:24
5. Denmark 1 (Sigrid Høyer Staugaard, Amalie Ertmann, Eva Örnhagen Jørgensen) +04:22
6. France 1 (Annabelle Delenne, Diane Body, Alix Villar) +09:19
Photos: IOF / Camilla Bevensee