Lavarone (Trentino region) hosted the Long Distance race of the WOC-WTOC 2014. Svetlana Mironova (RUS) ahead of Alexandersson (SWE) and Wyder (SUI). Thierry Gueorgiou (FRA) World Champion…once again! Daniel Hubmann (SUI) and Olaf Lundanes (NOR) take silver and bronze

Defending Long Distance World champion Thierry Gueorgiou did it again. The French orienteer took gold in today’s race in Lavarone (Italy) and become the first ever athlete to get three Long Distance world titles in Foot Orienteering history. And he did it in good company with Russian Svetlana Mironova, for the first time ever on a World podium.
‘This morning I was sceptical about my conditions, I was unsure about my shape’, said Gueorgiou at the end of the challenging 16k long race, ‘but after the first kilometres I realized I could reach a great result and at last this is a very good day for me.’ The French orienteer got his third title in Long Distance, and twelfth in career, over reigning European Champion Daniel Hubmann (SUI) by one minute and 27 seconds, while 2012 World Champion Olaf Lundanes closed third.
On women’s side, Russia’s Mironova secured victory from the very beginning and eventually clocked 79 minutes and 44 seconds. Second place went to Tove Alexandersson (SWE) who finished 31 seconds down on Mironova, while third was 2014 Long European Champion Swiss Judith Wyder. ‘The main was that I made no mistakes whatsoever’, claimed Mironova at the end, ‘however I didn’t expect at all to get the gold medal today’.

The promo-event ‘5 Days of Italy’ was held in Lavarone today with over 2000 participants from all over the planet.
The IOF General Assembly is scheduled tomorrow at the Astoria Hotel in Lavarone, while the next WOC races will be the Middle on Friday at 12pm in Campomulo di Gallio.

Long Distance - Men
1 Gueorgiou Thierry FRA 94:45; 2 Hubmann Daniel SUI 96:12; 3 Lundanes Olav NOR 97:09; 4 Hertner Fabian SUI 98:39; 5 Kyburz Matthias SUI 100:12; 6 Johansson Fredrik SWE 100:16; 7 Rollier Baptiste SUI 101:19; 8 Kerschbaumer Gernot AUT 101:40; 9 Nikolov Kiril BUL 101:59; 10 Dahlgren Filip SWE 102.15

Long Distance - Ladies
1 Mironova Svetlana RUS 79:44; 2 Alexandersson Tove SWE 80:15; 3 Wyder Judith SUI 80:34; 4 Fasting Mari NOR 82:06; 5 Ronning Sund Goril NOR 82:38; 6 Billstam Annika SWE 82:40; 7 Wigemyr Tone NOR 82:41; 8 Jenzer Sarina SUI 82:43; 9 Haajanen Sofia FIN 84:29; 10 Bobach Ida DEN 85:05