Niggli-Luder crowns Swiss success
The Swiss orienteering team have rounded off their success at the world championships in Japan in style, bringing home two more medals in the relays.
The women’s team, led by world number one Simone Niggli-Luder, struck gold and the men picked up the bronze medal.
As at the 2003 world championships in Rapperswil-Jona in Switzerland, Niggli-Luder proved unbeatable in Aichi. On Sunday she added a gold in the relay to her three individual successes.
The 27-year-old map-reading runner from Bern went into the third and final leg of the relay in fourth place and more than two minutes behind the leading Swede. However Niggli-Luder got her bearings and finished 1 minute and 43 seconds ahead of a Norwegian.
The Norwegian men on the other hand retained their title, pushing the Swiss into third place behind the French.
The relay successes were the seventh and eighth medals in Aichi. With four golds, two silvers and two bronzes, Switzerland was the dominant country.
Orienteering originated in Scandinavia in the 19th century as a military exercise and involves using a detailed map and compass to navigate one’s way round a course with designated control points.
The winner is the competitor who takes the least time to visit the points in the right order.
swissinfo with agencies
World championships in Aichi, Japan
Women:
1. Switzerland (Lea Müller, Vroni König-Salmi, Simone Niggli-Luder)
2. Norway
3. Sweden
Men:
1. Norway
2. France
3. Switzerland (Matthias Merz, Marc Lauenstein, Daniel Hubmann)
Swiss medals in Aichi:
Individual:
Gold: Simone Niggli-Luder (3)
Silver: Marc Lauenstein, Daniel Hubmann
Bronze: Vroni König-Salmi
Team:
Gold: women (1)
Bronze: men (1)
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