OL WM 2003: Long-distance qualifying on the Zugerberg

• Favorites in front
• Swiss women’s team convincing
• Bad luck for the Swiss Felix Bentz

The OL WM 2003 has been opened with the qualifying event in the area of the Zugerberg for the long-distance final on Wednesday under scorching temperatures. Physically the challenging courses cast the hierarchy among the world’s best orienteers in concrete. All favorites were able to qualify for the final on Wednesday. Whereas the situation in the men’s race is widely open, the four Swiss ladies were able to resist the pressure and placed themselves among the first three in their individual heats.

The result lists of each of the three women’s and men’s heats exclusively show well-known names on the top spots. With the reigning world champion Simone Luder and with Marie-Luce Romanens, the sprint world champion from 1995, the Swiss women field the leaders of two of the three heats. They impressively raised the claim for top results in the final. With their third places Sara Gemperle and Brigitte Wolf underlined the fact that the Swiss women currently have all bases covered.

With the Russian Mikhail Mamleev (third of the current world-ranking list), the Ukrainian Yuri Omeltschenko (short-distance world champion in 1995) and the Norwegian Björnar Valstad (long-distance world champion in 1999) experienced orienteers lead the pack of the three heats of the men. Well placed was the Swiss Thomas Bührer (second to Omeltschenko), who, according to himself, has not felt any pain from his injury of the foot. The WM freshman from Neuchatel, Marc Lauenstein, has also attained a promising result, whereas his teammate Felix Bentz toppled and got injured in the face. Because of a heavily bleeding wound he had to quit the race.

According to the Swedish team coach Göran Andersson the situation for the men’s final, which is going to take place in the Eschenberg near Winterthur, is as widely open as it has not been for a long time: “Many runners have the potential to become long-distance world champion next Wednesday.” Then, not only the Scandinavians but also athletes from Central and Eastern Europe will have to be considered as favorites.

Provisional results

Men:

Results heat A
1.	MAMLEEV Mikhail (RUS)   	 	1:07:43           
2.	JÖRGENSEN Carsten (DEN) 	+   0:22 behind
3.	JEDLICKA Michal (CZE)	 	+   0:56 behind
also: BENTZ Felix (SUI) did not finish (injury)

Results heat B
1.	OMELTCHENKO Yuri (UKR)	1:08:08
2.	BÜHRER Thomas (SUI)		+   1:35 behind
3.	JOHANSEN Holger Hott (NOR)	+   1:31 behind

Results heat C
1.	VALSTAD Björnar (NOR)		1:09:36.14
2.	DOMONYIK Gabor (HUN)		+   2:21 behind
3.	LAKANEN Jani (FIN)			+   2:33 behind
also:  6. LAUENSTEIN Marc (SUI)	+   4:58 behind



Women:

Results heat A
1.	ROMANENS Marie-Luce (SUI)	52:04          
2.	MONRO Heather (GBR)		+   1:30 behind
3.	RAKAYOVA Martina (SVK)		+   1:49 behind

Results heat B
1.	AREWANG HÖJSGAARD Karolina (SWE)	56:01
HAAPAKOSKI Paula (FIN)		+ 0:00
3.	WOLF Brigitte (SUI)			+ 1:18 behind

Results heat C
1.	LUDER Simone(SUI)			43:05
2.	STAFF Hanne (NOR)			+   1:27 behind
3.	GEMPERLE Sara (SUI)		+   3:43 behind

Posted: 2003-08-04 16:02:23