Junior World Orienteering Championships: Julia queen of the relay
Posted on | July 12, 2009 | Category: News
Julia Gross started fourth on the last leg, 3.35 minutes after leading Sweden. With incredible navigating and high speed she managed to make the day Swiss.
It seemed like there was going to be a big fight for the victory, but Julia Gross really made an impressing last leg and there was no one who could challenge her at the end.
– My tactic was to run carefully without any mistakes. I told myself to keep cool and not to run too fast, she says.
Big gap to other teams
Her speed was incredible. She was almost one minute faster than anyone else in the women’s relay even if she ran with a tremendous pressure on her shoulders. After the second leg, Switzerland was on fourth position. Julia first caught the teams in front of her. Then her very good map reading and running made the gap to the other teams grow. Julia and her team mates Fiona Kirk and Sophie Tritschler ran into the finish with both smiles and tears on their faces 1.47 minutes before Norway. Bronze went to Denmark.
– Incredible, smiled the last-leg runner Julia.
The 18-year-old Swiss had got two diplomas individually at the Junior World Championships in Italy before the relay, but no medals before her incredible run on Saturday. It is seven years ago that the girls from Switzerland last time won gold in Junior World Championships relay. That was in Alicante in Spain.
The relay was the last competition of the JWOC week. All the events went well and the atmosphere during the week was very friendly. The maps were good, and there was half an hour of tv coverage on every final on a big Italian sports channel every evening.
Next year the Junior World Orienteering Championships will take place in Denmark.
The Swiss Fiona Kirk (left), Sophie Trischler and Julia Gross won women’s relay
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