Nilsson and Nielsen campioni a Palermo
Nilsson and Nielsen Champions in Palermo Palermo's La Favoritta park was stage to the first ever Park World Tour race on the pictoresque Sicily island. Sweden's Kajsa Nilsson and Denmark's Christian Nielsen were the fastest orienteers on the challenging 2.8 km course with astart and finish right in front of the famous Palazzina Cinese, a historical residence built in 1799 at the behest of Ferdinand III of Bourbon. The event with a grand podium and big screen was a true celebration and great orienteering premiere in Sicily's most populated city with more than a million inhabitants.
Full report about the race in Orienteering Today 1/2006
Smashing debut for Nilsson
In 2001, in her first year as a junior, Kajsa Nilsson won bronze medal on the short distance at the Junior World Championships and was well under way to become a super-class elite orienteer. In the autumn that year she suffered the first of many injuries which constantly bothered her since then. Every time she managed to get back in shape, a new injury stopped her.
In 2006, so far, Nilsson seems to be back in top shape, running faster than anyone else. After winning the PWT prologue in Ficuzza on Friday, the 23-year-old Swede started out on the course as last among the 20 women in the field.
- I liked the heat of the race today. Even if I probably couldn't start the race any worse. I made big mistakes both at the first and the third control. But then I told myself: Kajsa, that's it, no more mistakes!
Already at the 5th control Nilsson was nearly a minute down on last year's overall PWT winner Dana Brozkova of the Czech Republic. With an excellent performance on the second half of the course she managed to get in the lead and take the victory, more than a minute ahead of the runner-up Zuzana Macuchova of the Czech Republic.
Seline Stalder of Switzerland, third in the Ficuzza prologue took another bronze position and was the last runner to climb the podium. The young Swiss was just a second ahead of the Dana Brozkova who could only regret two huge mistakes at controls 9 and 11 in the second part of the course.
Denmark back on the PWT throne
Four years ago Christian Nielsen suffered a brain concussion and was glad to be able to start walking again. At that time, the idea of being able to race and train at the elite level was distant to him, but he never gave up. Gradually building up his training he managed to get back in his top shape.
With a time of 13:54,4 Nielsen was clearly the fastest runner on the 16 controls technical course, and as Nilsson he could add the 750 euros jackpot for the race victory to his account.
- I like flat and fast terrain combined with technical challenges, so I couldn't wish for a better course today. There were many places, where you had to slow down and take time to read the map, but you always had to be ready to speed up again on the longer legs.
As many other runners, Nielsen made a mistake at the third control where he went into a wrong passage and ended up at a dead-end track. This woke him up.
- I made no more mistakes after this one and I was really sharp in my navigation since, giving it all I could. This is an incredible moment for me and I was very proud to stand on the top of the podium today, confessed the 27-year old Dane at the finish.
Michal Smola managed to get closest to Nielsen and deservingly took a second place, just a few seconds ahead of another Czech national team runner Jan Prochazka.
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