JWOC 2024 Training camps – Thank you!
Orienteering is an experience sport and getting familiar with the terrain as well as with the local style of mapping may be crucial for the success in a race. Especially young athletes may lack wider international experience and JWOC 2024 may be their first high level experience with specific Czech terrains. That is why some 250 runners from 14 countries took part in the official JWOC 2024 training camps this spring.
The organisers have prepared various training locations which usefully show the typical terrain features as well as orienteering problems which are expected to appear during the JWOC 2024 races. While the stationary training areas are still available an official camp took place between 1st and 7th April 2024. The participants had the opportunity to enter suitable local races and experience the area in a full race tempo.
One man relays in the Košutka area on the 4th April 2024 challenged the participants in a highly technical terrain rich in highly confusing clusters of knolls, tiny re-entrants, depressions and other small terrain features. The fastest men were Zefa Fa’avae (NZL), Florian Fritzen (FIN), and Jussi Ankelo (FIN). In the women’s category, the winner was Tille De Smul (BEL), followed by Elli Punto (FIN), and Arttu Syrjalainen (FIN).
The middle distance took place in Kyšice on 6th April 2024 and provided a typical course with a combination of fast transitions and small terrain details in diverse vegetation.
New Zealander Zefa Fa’avae won the men’s category in a close finish ahead of Rauli Aho (FIN) and Verove Guilhem (FRA). Lucie Dittrichová (CZE) won the women’s category, finishing over a minute ahead of Virna Pellikka (FIN) and Elli Punto (FIN), who placed second and third, respectively.
In the sprint distance race which took place in the city of Plzeň itself, the participants spread themselves over various age categories where they typically placed among the winners. A notable result was scored by Rokas Barauskas (LTU) who won the main senior category race.
The long distance race on 7th April 2024, in Ejpovice, featured a mix of natural and modified terrains, typical of a region known for its mining and industrial history.
The men’s category was won by Rauli Aho (FIN) ahead of Simon Tobler (AUT) and Anton Buschek (AUT). Having placed on the podium on both days, Rauli Aho showed a great form as well as good understanding of the terrain.
In women’s category, Lucie Ditrichová (CZE) was once again well ahead of her Finnish chasers Virna Pellikka (2nd) and Elli Punto (3rd). These results surely are promising for the rising Czech athlete.
We hope the camp has been helpful to all who took part. We also hope that the participants enjoyed the hospitality of the region and gained further motivation toward the JWOC 2024. We look forward to seeing how this training camp will impact performances at JWOC 2024. Thank you to all the organizers and participants who contributed to the success of this event. Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the championships!
The 14 stationary training areas are still available. For details check the Trainings page.
Here is a quick feedback from the participants: