Venla Harju won the long distance European championship in orienteering.
Venla Harju won the EC gold. The orienteering association’s photo gallery
Navigator Venla Harju has won European Championship gold in the European Orienteering Championships in Rakvere, Estonia on Thursday.
Harju won the women’s 20-race and approximately 13-kilometer long race with a difference of 17 seconds. Sweden came second Tove Alexanderssonwhich has dominated the women’s competitions for the past few years.
Harju says in the Orienteering Association’s press release that he was surprised by the championship.
– I can’t believe that I won, because the competition was not perfect. I was in trouble a couple of times, but I got over the mistakes quickly. Before the race, I knew that I had a chance for a medal, but during the race I thought that maybe I would make it to the top six if I made it to the end, Harju said in an interview with the organizers after the race was over.
The terrain was difficult in the race.
– I like this kind of terrain, when the progress is difficult and sometimes there are faster sections.
In the end, Thursday was a day full of medals for the Finns, because Marika Teini took EC bronze. He finished 52 seconds behind Harju.
The teenager himself celebrated the orienteering European Championship gold in 2018. Alexandersson was second at that time as well.
Middle distance orienteering EC gold has been won Minna Kauppi in 2006 as well Heli Jukkola 2008.