In the mens race Australia had no athletes in the final as they missed out in the tough qualifying heats. A number of big names dropped out of the final, with Jani Lakanen (FIN) the current World Champion at this event deciding in the warm-up area just minutes before he was due to start that he would not contest the event. Marc Lauenstein (SUI) had become sick in the last few days and did not compete whilst Martin Johansson (SWE), Holger Hott-Johansen (NOR), Pasi Ikonen (FIN) and home country favorite Yuri Olmelthchenko (UKR) found the conditions too tough and pulled out. It was Switzerland's Matthias Merz that found a good pace that he could sustain over 100mins of racing to win his first ever World Championship title in convincing style.
In the womens race Australia had Hanny Allston and Anna Sheldon competiting. Hanny did not qualify as well as she would have liked and drew an early start, she led the radio and spectator controls early on and held the #1position for much of the morning. As expected groups were starting to form at the back of the womens field with many athletes running together. The overall favorite Simone Niggli (SUI) posted average splits from the begining and this left the door open for the other girls to take advantage of her usual dominance. Finland were set for a gold medal with Minna Kauppi but as time past it turned into 2gold medals with Heli Jukola posting the exact same time at the very end of the day. It was the first time ever someone has had to share their World Championship crown. Hanny Allston held onto 6th position and did Australia extremly proud as she was awarded her flowers on the winners podium. It was the 2nd time Hanny has placed 6th in this event (Japan WOC'05) which is impressive. Hanny was unavailable for comment this evening as she is feeling not too well (we will keep you posted). Anna Sheldon set a new personal best placing of 30th position. "It was not very technical course, it suited the runners. I ran an almost flawless race and im very happy to be able to do that" commented an estatic Anna.
WOC'07 Long Final
Mens: 1 Matthias Merz (SUI) 1:44:28, 2 Andre Khramov (RUS) 1:48:06, 3 Anders Nordberg (NOR) 1:48:36
Womens: 1 Heli Jukkola (FIN) 1:20:17, 1 Minna Kauppi (FIN) 1:20:17, 3 Simone Niggli (SUI) 1:21:48, 6 Hanny Allston (AUS) 1:24:17, 30 Anna Sheldon (AUS) 1:38:18
above photo: whilst the Long Final was being raced the guys were out putting final touches to their relay preparation.
Tomorrow is national Independence Day in the Ukraine with lots of festivities and celebrations accross the entire country. The athletes and team officials in the Aussie will not be racing tomorrow but they will not have time to relax just yet either, instead preparing for the Relay and Sprint Finals. It's going to be hot the next few days so the athletes are drinking lots of water and making sure they get their afternoon naps.
We will also try and bring you a bit of a 'Culture-Shock' special in tomorrow's edition of the blog with lots of food, fashion and other craziness from the Ukraine.
A good day for the Australian team, thanks for all the support from everyone. All the guys n gals appreciate it.
Troy
9 comments:
WOW, super exciting races today--- sounded like some really tough conditions.
WELL DONE HANNY!!!!! awesome effort and very impressive result. And TOP EFFORT anna, great that you had ran such a clean race in the WOC classic fina! well done !!
i'll tuning in for the next installment of your blog tomorrow
well done girls!
looks like a really good mbo area. bet you wish you had your bike for the long leg
good luck to all for the sprint and relay. we'll be watching the live coverage
Very exciting. We didn't eat our evening meal until very late, as I sat glued to the computer waiting for the late runners to come in. Congratulations to both Anna and Hanny.
Nev
Congrats to Hanny and Anna,
Loving the blog.
Look forward to the sprint and relays.
Lorenzo
Congratulations Hanny Awesome result for you and Australia 6th and getting better! Next year a medal?!!Well done also to Anna what a come back can only get better from here!
Looking forward to watching the relays and sprint....having late dinners here...to exciting to leave the internet!
Righto Troy, give me the culture shock. I want to know:
1. How Reuben appraises the local wines (no more than 1500 words)
2. What is the favourite local food
3. Do you blokes/gals eat it
4. How did Rob dress up to celebrate the National Day
5. What did Jo eat for breakfast to celebrate National Day
6. What do you think of the above
Nev
ANNA! wow! everyone in qld is so proud of you! you must be soo stoked, i would be. qld champs this weekend... haha funfunfun.
Hanny!! congrats, i was glued to the computer all night, and was so excited when you came into the 2nd last radio control 1st. I was on the edge of my seat for a verylong time. Good work!!!
So the local wines are "rustic" are they?
Couldn't find the term in my Larousse but get the idea. However, I found a chapter in it on Bulgaria. They have four quality levels. Apparently if you get wines that are designated "controliran" or "reserve" you get the best going, the latter having two years of age for whites, and three for reds. They grow cab sav, merlot and chardonnay, but the best local grape seems to be mavrud, grown around Assenovgrad. It produces dense, tannic and ,long-lasting wines that are much like mouvedre of Southern France. Avoid wines made of gamza as it produces pallid, thin wines that oxidise quickly. Melnik is another indigenous variety but apparently they do not (yet?) know how to handle it properly - an opening for you Reubs? Labels have to read carefully.
You should probably train in a vineyard as they surely wouldn't have all that pollution you talk about.
Bon appetit! Drink in moderation.
Nev
Who's the dill that wrote about the wines of Bulgaria? Everyone knows that Kiev is in the Ukraine. Larousse says that the Ukraine is not as advanced in winemaking as its neighbour, Moldova. The Ukraine is best known for its still white and sparkling wines. Its local grapes are rkatsitili and aligonte. They make a still sauvignon blanc, but it's not nearly up to the standard of Bordeaux (or Marlborough, NZ, I dare say). Larousse says there's plenty of opportunity for Western winemakers to make wines for Western tastes.
Nev
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