In Mechelen, Belgium, a real taste of international competition: over the weekend of August 2-3, the test races for the upcoming European Orienteering Championships took place. This year’s edition, focused on sprint disciplines, will be held in Hasselt from August 27 to 31.
The races, which saw strong international participation, served as a useful preview of what’s to come in a few weeks. Four PWT athletes – Guenda Zaffanella, Jessica Lucchetta, Mattia Debertolis, and Fabio Amadesi – took the opportunity to test their speed and simulate the upcoming Championships.
We asked Guenda to give us a summary of her experience. Here’s what she told us:
“It was a successful trip – I came back happy. As for the races, I’m not very satisfied with how I ran on Sunday afternoon. I was really tired and not very sharp, so I struggled to make the right route choices. I often just went with the first one I saw – and as a result, I made quite a few mistakes.
For the knock-out sprint qualification, I managed to stay focused from start to finish, which was my main goal, so I’m pleased with that.
There’s still room for improvement technically, especially in terms of route choices, and my map-reading speed is still slower compared to the top runners – but my legs are there.
These races were also helpful in teaching me how to manage recovery time and how to pace myself between events, especially since the EOC will involve more than one race per day.”
Caterina Dallera, also selected for the EOC, was unable to take part in the races, as she’s about to leave for Chengdu, China, together with Mattia Debertolis. There, from August 8 to 11, they will represent Italy at the World Games. We wish them both the best of luck as well!