The Final Day of the Competition Attracted Orienteers

The last stage of the WOC Tour took place in the sunny scenery of Puijo. The distances to the starts were longer than on previous days, and the remote finish was located three kilometers from the competition arena. Thankfully, the youngest and oldest competitors received help with the transfer via bus shuttles, which covered about half the distance.

In the morning, open classes orienteers Anssi Karjalainen from Sotkamo and Tomi Tervo from Tampere were heading out for their runs. They had participated during the last two days of the competition. Karjalainen complained about the stony terrain of Neulamäki, while for Tervo, the forest was familiar from childhood. “The terrain has taken its toll on my knees, but hopefully they’ll hold up for today’s course,” said Karjalainen. The two planned to stay after their own runs to watch the World Championship relay.

At the children’s start, Hilla and Kerttu Laitinen waited for their own start times. The final day’s start made them a bit nervous. Over the week, elevation gain had accumulated, and Hilla had a few mistakes along the way. Kerttu, on the other hand, had gotten through without any mistakes. On Thursday, the sisters had followed the long-distance World Orienteering Championships race.

Pekka Koponen from Tervo arrived at the remote finish sweaty. “The terrain has become fairly familiar during my fifty-year orienteering career, but still, today’s course involved quite a bit of searching,” Koponen recalled of his performance. He participated in all the week’s events, and felt that the Puijo race was by far the most difficult. Naturally, Koponen planned to stay and watch the Puijo relay. “The atmosphere at the two World Championship finals has definitely been the best in any sports event. And today, it continues.”