Isabelle Feer, opiskelijoiden maailmanmestari!

How did you prepare for the competition?

- Just as it was a normal important international competition. Unfortunately this time the preparation time before was quite short, because our qualification races were just the week before and we knew definitely about the selections just 2 days before taking off to Spain. The two days we went earlier to Spain, unfortunately it was not possible to train in a similar kind of terrain as the long distance was. (There did not exist a similar training map around and the competition map was made new just for the race, so that route choice speculations were not possible to make.) So I prepared more mentally for a tough, steep and hot competition where I have to fight until the end and always stay flexible for everything thats coming!

I have heard some comments that the course was real extreme orienteering. What do you think about this?

Hassu kysymys;) In my opinion the terrain was in some parts "extreme" because of these steep and cliffy ravines which were in some cases impassable to cross. The terrain was uneven and the vegetation as usual in Mediterranean areas tight. As "extreme orienteering" was maybe meant the crossing of one of the biggest ravine, where it was, as well as on the whole map, difficult to read the overloaded map. The route choices were also "real orienteering".

And what happened during competition?

I started secure to get to know the terrain. The beginning was quite well and I also took a good route choice to the 2nd control. For the salmiakki I invested some time to take the right direction and be able to read the detailed map. After that I took a wrong route choice to control 14 and had to cross a deep ravine. The next route choice I went around, which was actually a good decision. Unfortunately I lost in the beginning of this leg quite a lot of time to cross another and bigger ravine after the 14th control. There I couldn't manage to read the map, full of contour lines and cliffs. Because of that my feeling was not good while running the end of the course.

How was the feeling when you got to know you are the winner of World University Orienteering Champs 2012 on long distance?

Right after the finish I couldn't believe, that I had until then the best time. So I was very surprised about the victory, but of course it felt great and I was very happy!

Your next goal and plans?

I'm going to take part at the WOC's spectator races and will run some of them as good training competitions. Sitten elokuu tule pian ja minä tuleen koko elokuu suomeen harjoituksen. Sveitsi joukkue on leiri vuokattissa, mitä on hyvää valmistelu 2013'lle. Ja totta kai suomenmestaruskilpailut ovat myös tärkeää ja hyvää kilpailut.