TRAILO.IT - http://portugueseorienteeringblog.blogspot.it: LAURI KONTKANEN
Five participations in WTOC, three individual medals,
three team event medals, Lauri Kontkanen is one of the
best trail orienteers ever. Born in Kontiolahti 26 years
ago, now living in Jyväskylä, he's a student (Physical
education) and mapmaker since 2002. And it was exactly
by the maps that we started our talk.
In which way being a mapmaker represents some kind of
advantage for you?
Lauri Kontkanen (L. K.)
– Maybe a fast “map image” formation is an advantage on
timed controls. Otherwise, I don’t see that many
advantages compared to the others. It depends so much on
courses and maps. A map with excellent accuracy is
better to me.
For those who think that trail orienteering is for old
or disabled people, you are the evidence that they are
wrong. Why did you choose trail orienteering?
L. K.
– Trail orienteering is a very nice and challenging
sport and you can improve all the time. To find the
right solution, to get the way to solve the problems,
this is amazing and it’s the essence of competing.
How did you start doing TrailO?
L. K.
– I was asked to be a course planner to WTOC 2006 in
Joensuu, Finland. I started to compete after WTOC by
myself and here we are now.
Can you tell me about the development of trail
orienteering in Finland?
L. K.
– TrailO in Finland has developed all the time,
especially during the last couple of years. On the
previous week we had a course planner training day.
There were, in total, fourteen new and old course
planners together. It’s important to have good course
planners who can use OCAD and so on. Last winter we
started to coach each other by arranging coaching
seminars. Also we have done lots of “event analysis”,
which means that we analyze how to solve problems in
each competition. Improvement has given us quite many
WTOC medals during the last years. We don’t have much
promotional campaigns at schools, only in some few
places. But we planned to develop this, already in the
next year.
What is your opinion about WTOC 2012?
L. K.
– I think we came back to “bingo” controls (luckily only
4 controls on Day 1). Map accuracy was not as good as it
should be, at least comparing with the last four years
in WTOCs. So I didn’t fully like this. The flags were
too tight to each other and I think these weren’t the
best Championships.
TrailO or TempO?
L. K.
– I like them both. About TempO, it will depend on what
kind of rules they will make it but, anyway, I like it.
In a traditional way, TrailO has to be slower and you
don’t have to hurry up, so… Both are good to me.
The next World Trail Orienteering Championships will be
held in Finland. What do you have to offer?
L. K.
– I believe that we will have a really good and
demanding World Championships. The map quality is
totally different and the course setting will be better
than here. I believe that, next year, we’ll have the
best World Championships ever.
How much longer are you going to do trail orienteering?
L. K.
– At least for one more year. My aim is to win in
Vuokatti. This time, in Scotland, I’ve got a gold medal
in the team competition but I want an individual medal.
So, there is something to do for the next year.
And Portugal, in ETOC 2014? Will you be there?
L. K.
– ETOC 2014 in Portugal and WTOC 2014 in Italy sounds
very interesting. If I am selected to the teams, I’ll be
there.
Joaquim Margarido
