Countdown to WOC

[Big Jon]

Memories, memories...... what a day!
Steve's 1993 relay run won the Swedish sports journalists "run of the year" - and this was never awarded for a relay performance.... but his run that day was so outstanding that they had to change their ways.

[Jon X]

Just 3 days to go, and today is...

...1 week to the Middle Final at Darnaway
1 home WOC ago, it was a golden day for the GB team, just 16km west of Darnaway.

A first ever GB gold medal, for Yvette Hague in the Short Distance, roared through the spectator control and down the run-in by a huge GB crowd at Dallaschyle near Cawdor.

An amazing day. A home WOC and for the first time a GB athlete standing on the top step of the podium, and for the first time “God Save the Queen” ringing out at a World Championships.

Compass Sport began the tale of the race with these words:
“Darnaway, Scotland 1976. A nine year old girl in pigtails watches Liisa Veijalainen win the World Championships and vows to emulate her heroine.
Cawdor, Scotland 1999. The World Championships returns to Scotland. The Short Race is being held less than 10miles from the forest where Yvette’s dream was born.”

In a week’s time we come full circle, back at Darnaway for another home WOC. And with a GB team where, in their turn, many of the 2015 athletes were present in 1999 to watch Yvette run to her gold medal.

Indeed, later that same day, three of the 2015 team (step forward Murray Strain in M16A, Ruth Holmes for W12A, and Cat Taylor for W10A) sealed 6-day victory and got to try the top step of the podium themselves. The 6-day planner that day is the 2015 planner for the WOC races at Darnaway

Compass Sport has only reported one GB medal at a home WOC, so far...

[Jon X]

Just 2 days to go, and today is...

...7 days to the Forest Relay
7 WOCs ago, what the World of O website describes as “one of the most special thrillers the orienteering world has seen” was played out in the Czech Republic in 2008.

That thriller was in the men’s relay, with a starring role for GBR.

Graham Gristwood took the first leg and delivered in textbook style, working his way through the field, never far from the front, and handing to Jon Duncan in 4th place just 30 seconds behind leaders France.
With the opportunity to compete at the front, Jon did not disappoint, first leading the chasing pack and then breaking away to catch and pass France and come to the changeover first, setting Jamie Stevenson off with a 24second lead over the middle distance gold medallist, Thierry Gueorgiou for France. A further minute back was Valentin Novikov for Russia in third.

The day before, a scrappy finish to the 17.2km long distance (won in 106mins) had seen a disappointed Jamie drop from 5th to a 10th place finish in the final few minutes of the course. Meanwhile both Thierry and Valentin had sat the long distance out, to rest for the relay. Could Jamie really compete with those fresh legs?

Both France and Russia started fast, and after a small miss by Jamie at number 10 it was France with a 30second lead ahead of GBR and Russia together in pursuit. Already by this stage of the race it was clear that these three were moving faster than any other last leg runners, and would decide the medals.

And then at control 16, GB supporters watched in disappointment at the tracking on the big screen as Jamie had the long gaffle through the green, and fell behind Russia into third place on his own. At the arena passage it was France by 37seconds from Russia, with GB another 21secs back. Bronze then. A great effort against fresh legs in other teams.

Just the final loop remained and still Jamie was chasing hard and catching slowly, gradually, a few seconds at a time. He was 10seconds closer at the next TV control. And then...the on-screen tracking showed Thierry going the wrong way, then the right way but with 30secs lost and the lead lost, and then with some sort of problem, moving slowly. Suddenly it was all change, it was Russia ahead! And now GBR only 9seconds behind! There they were on the TV pictures, so close to the end and with Russia still seconds ahead but in clear sight of Jamie behind. And as it cut away, surely he was closing...

The TV cut to the camera in the finish field, at the penultimate control. The spectators waited. The camera waited. And then it was Jamie first into sight! With a small gap! But a gap that widened with every stride, a gap that meant he could greet his team-mates on the run-in and cross the line to celebrate a sensational win and GB gold medal with them and waiting team coach Dave Peel

A win and celebration you can watch again on the extensive TV highlights right here
http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ivysilani/1 ... -behu-2008

A first ever GB gold in a WOC relay. Jamie Stevenson the first GB athlete to win gold for a second time, and joining Yvette Baker on the GB record of four WOC medals.

7 days to the WOC Forest Relay 2015. Graham Gristwood (in his 11th WOC, equalling the GB record of Sarah Rollins) is joined by Scott Fraser and Ralph Street in the GB men's team, with Hollie Orr, Cat Taylor and Claire Ward lining up for the GB women. Strong teams, may they be inspired!

And it remains the case that only Jamie Stevenson has won both individual and relay medals for GB at WOC, so far…

[RS]

Thank you Jon. What a refreshing and enjoyable thread - we need more like this on the forum

[andy]

[graeme]

With a little help from the Bee team

2 days till we kick off with the sprint qualifiers. Anybody feeling brave enough for some predictions?

[andy]

With a little help from the Bee team

2 days till we kick off with the sprint qualifiers. Anybody feeling brave enough for some predictions?

All the brits to qualify for the final.

[RS]

1st Scotia
2nd Hubmann D
3rd Bobach S

1st Wyder
2nd Alm
3rd Eliasson
4th Klingenberg

or maybe not in that exact order

[ba-ba]

Does anyone else prefer teams on the run-in in mufty compared to todays team kits? GG's board-shorts, the Russian team looking like they've just jumped out of the shower...?

Anyway, for the sprint:
Michels, Scotia and Bobach in the mens. Top 6 for Murray, Top 12 for Jonesy. Don't fail me here guys!

Klingenberg, Alexandersson, Wyder in the ladies. Top brit Charlotte (top 20) ahead of Ruth (top 25) and Alice (A-final)

[ER]

In the men's sprint we have athletes that could each win a medal.
Start believing it.

Enjoyed the well crafted reminiscences. There will be more memories to add to the store from the next 10 days.

I just hope the weather warms up for you all.

[Adrian]

Getting in the mood, going through photos from WOC 2009, which was our only previous visit to the World Championships. Reminds me that it looks better on TV than in the arena but you can't beat the atmosphere. http://s247.photobucket.com/user/dadgec ... ry/woc2009 Any chance that Inverness will be blessed with a sudden heatwave?

[Little Hoddy]

I think our Sprint Relay team have a good chance of improving on last year's 6th place, with a medal position not off the table.

[andy]

Any chance that Inverness will be blessed with a sudden heatwave?

didn't check inverness but Nairn on Saturday evening looks a bit mingin', less bad on Sunday evening in Forres...

[Jon X]

Just 1 day to go, today is...

...just 1 day to the Sprint Qualification
Just 1 GB WOC medal not yet mentioned, last but in no way least is Scott Fraser’s superb silver medal in Sprint in 2013.

In 2012, Scott was a tantalising 4th in the Sprint, beaten only by a Swiss clean sweep (and in fact a clean sweep by people named Matthias!).
The next year, in 2013, Scott was pre-selected for the Sprint but an ongoing foot injury left him in a race against time to be ready for WOC.
And he was ready in the very nick of time – lining up for the sprint qualification was his first race of the year!
A strong 3rd in the qualifier set him up well for the final….and in the final he was always in medal contention in a very tight race, then nailed the route on the final long leg to control 20 to move into second place, and at the finish (after a short nervous wait for the final finishers!) was able to celebrate his first WOC medal with a fantastic silver behind an inspired run from the home favourite Marten Bostrom.

Scott was 4th in Sprint in 2012 in Switzerland, beaten only by three Swiss athletes.
He was 2nd in Sprint in Finland in 2013, beaten only by a Finnish athlete.
This year in 2015 in GBR, Scott toes the line for Sprint as one of the GBR athletes...

Joining Scott as the home athletes in the men’s sprint team are fellow Scot Murray Strain (WOC Sprint best to date of 9th, and stepping it up this year with two new 5000m PBs in the past fortnight) and Welshman Kris Jones (already with European gold and World silver at junior level, and 6th in sprint at last year’s European Championships).
And alongside the men, the draw for the heats later today will see one of the three GB sprint women - Ruth Holmes, Alice Leake and Charlotte Ward – named as the athlete with the privilege of kicking off the GB campaign at this home WOC, when the women’s sprint qualification races in Forres begin at 6.01pm tomorrow as the very first races of WOC 2015.

Best of luck to both the women and the men for a smooth qualification on Friday ahead of Sunday’s final, which is back in Forres on Sunday evening.

Scott already had a birthday in common with 2003 Sprint gold medallist Jamie Stevenson, and his silver medal means that he now also shares with Jamie the distinction of being the only GB men to win individual WOC medals, so far...

And Scott’s silver medal is the most recent WOC medal won by a GB athlete, so far...

[Jon X]

Today is...
...today’s the day!

Today it all begins.
Today it is the first race of WOC 2015.
Time to watch this year’s GB team show what they can do.
Time to watch them, support them, cheer and applaud them.

Kim Buckley, WOC 1999
“I thought I’d never reach the finish, the climb to the second last control was awful. But it was great to hear the crowd, all I could hear was my name. A big thank you!”

Jon Duncan, WOC 1999
“Then came the spectator control and the wall of noise that only British spectators are capable of.”

Heather Monro, WOC 1999
“I’ll never forget hearing the crowd shout me in from the 3rd last control in the classic, the noise when I came out of the forest into the finish arena in each race, the Union Jacks waving as I ran down the run-in, seeing my name painted in big white letters on the grass halfway along, the huge home crowd. Uplifting. Inspiring.”

Yvette Baker, WOC 1999
“Then the noise hits me. How many times have I run a race, miserably listening to encouraging shouts for the girls around me? Today the encouragement is for me. The power is incredible.”

The GB team have prepared excellently and with huge commitment, drive and passion.
The team would love your support, appreciate it, and thrive upon it.

It is time for the GB team to show their best. They are ready.
Let’s make sure the GB support shows its very best too!

See you at WOC