Hungary surprised everyone by the World Orienteering Championships women’s relay after the first leg. On the second leg Sweden’s Emma Claesson took Sweden to the lead, followed by Finland’s Merja Rantanen and Anne Margrethe Hausken from Norway. In the end, the relay was a battle between three teams: Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Sweden’s Helena Jansson got first to the last leg, but Minna Kauppi (FIN) and Marianne Andersen (NOR) were determined to fight for the gold. After several mistakes by Jansson at an early stage of the course, it became clear that either Finland or Norway would take the relay win. They took at times different route choices, but were always at the same time at the controls. After the second last control, Kauppi suddenly left Andersen behind, and ran Finland to a clear victory. In an interview she was asked to explain what happened at that control.
-I just started to run fast, she said.

Also the other two Finnish runners, Anni-Maija Fincke and Merja Rantanen, made very few mistakes during the race. Norway kept its second place to the finish line, while the Swedish team had to settle with a third place.

 

Photo: Erik Borg

Leading results

1) Finland 1:59:04
2) Norway 1:59:15
3) Sweden 2:00:19
4) Switzerland 2:01:56
5) Denmark 2:02:09
6) Czech Republic 2:06:44