After a tough Long Distance, the Orienteering World Cup weekend in Idre Fjäll continued with the Middle Distance on Saturday and the Relay on Sunday. Once again, the athletes of Park World Tour Italia, racing for the national team, gained valuable experience with their sights set on the key target of the season: the World Championships in July in Finland.
Middle Distance – Saturday, June 21
In the elite Middle Distance, held on a highly technical terrain full of subtle contour details, Sebastian Inderst placed 44th with a time of 45:05, finishing +9:49 behind Sweden’s Max Peter Bejmer, who won in 35:16.
An early mistake at control 2 set him back, but the rest of the race was a solid recovery:
“It was a better race than the Long. I made a big mistake at the second control and it was hard to recover, but I found my rhythm again and managed some good orienteering. A Finnish runner caught me and we worked well together – different route choices but good flow. The gap to the leaders was still large, and I definitely felt the Long in my legs. Still, a decent Middle, though my focus remains on the Long. Already in qualification I felt strong physically, and the gap is narrowing. I made progress this winter and that’s promising ahead of Worlds.”
In the B races, Mattia Debertolis had a strong showing, finishing 8th at +2:39, and Jessica Lucchetta placed 18th at +14:41.
Mattia reflected:
“I struggled to get into the map at the start, then had two clean controls. After that, I made small mistakes in the control circle – the terrain features were really subtle. I eventually caught the runner ahead of me and we kept a good pace.”
The women’s race was once again won by Sweden’s Tove Alexandersson in 34:35.
Relay – Sunday, June 22
The Relay featured mixed conditions for PWT Italia athletes. Sebastian Inderst ran the second leg for Italy’s first men’s team, which unfortunately didn’t finish the race due to a health issue affecting the third runner. Inderst, however, delivered a solid performance, bringing the team to the changeover in 18th place provisionally, only +8:18 behind the leaders.
On the women’s side, Jessica Lucchetta ran the first leg for Italy’s women’s team, which consisted of only two runners. Although not ranked officially, it was a valuable experience ahead of WOC. Jessica finished her leg in 34th place, with a +16:49 gap.
“First leg done! It was a great learning experience, and I realized how much more work there is to do. Thanks to PWT and all the opportunities I’m getting – I know this is a great step forward. I made some mistakes, but I’m confident that fixing them will lead to great results.”
All focus now turns to the season’s highlight: the World Orienteering Championships, taking place July 7–12 in Kuopio, Finland, where the team will look to turn progress into performance on the biggest stage.