Hungary takes the sprint relay gold at JWOC in Romania

As always in this disciplin, the level of drama at the mix sprint relay at the Junior World Orienteering Championships, went through the roof. Ingeborg Rygg Eikeland took the second team of Norway into the finish as the first team after the last leg but with a missing control, the second team to cross the finish line in Baia Mare this evening, Hungary and yesterday’s gold medalist on the individual sprint in the women’s class, Rita Maramarosi, took the win and the gold medal instead.

Rita Maramarosi took the Hungarian team into the finish 13 seconds ahead of last year’s winners from Norway, where yesterday’s silver medalist in the women’s class, Pia Young Vik again this year finished the relay for the Norwegians who took the silver medal at today’s mix sprint relay in Baia Mare city centre.

Yesterday’s bronze medallist, Eeva Liina Ojanaho from Finland, crossed the finish line in third position, taking the bronze and completing the list of the exact same nations taking the medals at the sprint relay today, as those who took the medals in the women’s class on the individual sprint yesterday.

During the relay, the lead was held by several nations and the winning team from Hungary was as far as in a 12th position changing over to the third leg. Last leg runner Rita Maramarosi took the Hungarians from a 10th position in the change over to the last leg, 31 seconds behind, to the victory and ran the 3,1 kilometer course in only 11:24 minutes.

“I really felt that ‘flow’ out there today and I kept picturing my dream of taking a victory for my team. It made me push hard and now it came through. I didn’t think anything could be bigger than yesterday but another gold medal and then with my team, is just amazing,” Rita Maramarosi said after the finish.

See the detailed results, GPS-tracking and maps at IOF Live center.

Results mix sprint relay

1. Hungary (Viktoria Mag, Tamas Felfoldi, Marton Csoboth, Rita Maramarosi)
2. Norway (Kristin Melby Jacobsen, Iver Dalsaune Thun, Brage Takle, Pia Young Vik) +00:13
3. Finland (Salla Isoherranen, Sampo Sankelo, Aarni Ronkainen, Eeva Liina Ojanaho) +00:27
4. France (Annabelle Delenne, Mathias Barros Vallet, Guilhem Verove, Alix Villar) +00:44
5. Czechia (Anna Karlova, Daniel Bolehovsky, Jakub Chaloupsky, Lucie Dittrichova) +00:58
6. Sweden (Klara Borg, Hannes Mogensen, Noel Braun, Elsa Sonesson) +1:18

 

Photos: IOF / Camilla Bevensee