Portugal "O" Meeting and XI Meeting Ori do Centro

Hi!


Last weeks we participed in some important portuguese competitions.


21st-24th February:

Portugal "O" Meeting 2009 - a organization by CPOC, the Mariana's club.

Were 4 days of competitions in diferent and interesting maps where the o-laranjitas ran in W-20. A competition with a lot of foreign athletes, where were present some important selections like the Swiss Team, the Czech Team and the Denmark Junior Team.

The first day was a middle distance (5,0 km) in a simple map with a fast kind of terrain and at nigh there was a sprint event. The 2nd day was a long distance (8,6km), a WRE event where Simone Niggli and Matthias Merz from the Swiss Team were the winners of the elite class. The map was too much exigent physically and had some technical interesting parts. The 3rd day was a middle distance (4,4km) in a very fast terrain with a lot of stony parts. At the afternoon there was the Orienteeing Show, a very interesting competition to participe and also to see. The 4th and last day was a intermediate distance (8,4km), in the same map of the previous day but with other part very technical which made the competition very interesting.

On the Total of the 4 days, Joana was 2nd, Mariana was 4th and Isabel was 10th. In the middle of the W20 portuguese athletes were the girls from the Denmark Team, have been the winner of the class, the European and world Champion, Emma Klingenberg. Were 4 days well passed with a lot of sun and with good orienteering races.

28th February-1st March:
XI Meeting Ori do Centro

After POM we went to another WRE, this time in Pataias. Saturday was a middle distance (3,5km), a very fast race in a interesting map with a very fast terrain. Sunday the competion was in the same map, but this time we had a long distance (6,5km). This time also there were a lot of foreign athletes that stayed in Portugal to train. At the end of the weekend Joana was 2nd, Mariana was 4th and Isabel was 6th, again with the Danish girls between us.

For now we are very busy with the tests and works from the school, but soon we will write you with the opinion of each one of us about these events and with the maps and route choices from these races too. We will also write about last weekend, when we were in Madrid to prepare the "World Schools Orienteering Championship 2009" that is already in the next month.

See you soon,

o-laranjitas