The Swedes are celebrating again in the Venlo relay.
Venloje’s relay victory went to Sweden. Markku Heikkilä / AOP
Swedish IFK Göteborg won the traditional Venlo relay for the second year in a row. The winning time in the relay in Porvoo was 3:00.43.
It was already the 12th time in a row that the victory of the competition went abroad. The previous Finnish winner in the Venlo relay is Tampereen Pyrintö, who won in 2010.
This year, however, the Finnish team reached the top three, when Kalevan Rasti from Joensuu was third.
Kalevan Rasti’s team consisted of a Frenchman Cécile Calandry, Ida Haapala, Marika Teini and Mia Niittynen.
Sweden took a double victory in the race, when OK Linné took second place. However, the difference to Kalevan Rasti was only nine seconds when I anchored Johanna Öberg beat Niittynen in the final round.
Among the Finns, Tampere’s Pyrintö, SK Pohjantähti and Lahti’s Suunnistajat-37, which was anchored, also reached the top ten Minna Kauppi.
The Jukola relay, one of the main events of the orienteering season, is traditionally contested after the Venloje relay. The classic seven-leg night race starts at 11 p.m.