Rahel Friederich: “I was ready for the fight”
Posted on | May 2, 2016 | Category: Arena, News
Rahel Friederich saw Helena Jansson several times during her last-leg run, but felt she had the strength to keep her at bay on the last leg of the Sprint Relay.
It was three of the very best women who were fighting for victory in the first Sprint Relay in this year’s World Cup. Rahel Friederich led out on the last leg in lovely weather in the beautiful market place at Trzebnica. Helena Jansson and Maja Alm started not long after her.
The Swiss girl felt strong, also feeling in need of revenge after not doing as well as she wanted on the individual Sprint in Wroclaw, but this was her first time running the last leg. “I am used to running the first leg. Now it was decided I should take the last one to get experience”.
During the race Rahel met the Swede more than once, but she wasn’t worried. She had strong legs. “I thought I would have a chance if it ended up with a sprint from the last control for the victory”, she says. She didn’t look behind her at all on the last leg, but focused on the map and control picking.
It ended with no need for a sprint finish.
“Rahel was too strong. The gap was too big and the leg too short”, smiles Helena Jansson. “But we’re satisfied with second place”.
The Swiss team celebrates victory Photos: Erik Borg
Will there be more last leg runs for the Swiss anchor? “I am ready for more, but I don’t know if I will be doing it again. Nothing is decided about the order or teams for the coming relays”.
Switzerland was the favourite for victory today, and the race started a bit as expected. Judith Wyder was first to the changeover after a very good leg. “It’s really going well now”, she says.
On the next leg Andreas Kyburz was wondering if he could have made a mistake somewhere, because nobody else was in sight. “But I also felt sure I was doing everything well”. He was certainly having a super race, setting up a gap of 35 seconds to the other teams.
After the third leg it was a bit closer again. Jonas Leandersson pulled up some seconds on Matthias Kyburz and it was tight out on the last leg.
The courses were 3.7 kilometres with 22 controls for the women and 4.5 kilometres with 25 controls for the men. The finish was in the market place in the city Trzebnica, about 30 kilometres north of Wroclaw. The competition was organised in an urban area with very good runnability.
The next World Cup round is part of the European Championships in the Czech Republic in the last part of May. Next summer the best orienteers in the world are coming back to Trzebnica, as The World Games will be held there.
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