Triple triumph for Swiss athletes in Japan
Orienteering specialist Simone Niggli-Luder has won her third gold medal at the world championships in Aichi, Japan.
Two other Swiss athletes won silver and bronze in Friday’s long-distance races.
Niggli-Luder, the world number one orienteering specialist, dominated the long-distance competition, two minutes and 12 seconds ahead of Finland’s Heli Jukkola.
Switzerland’s Vroni König-Salmi came in third and took bronze.
Marc Lauenstein completed the Swiss triumph by clinching a silver medal in the men’s top event.
He came in two minutes and eight seconds behind Andrej Chramov of Russia. Another Swiss, Daniel Schneider, finished in fourth position and missed a medal by only 33 seconds.
The championships in Aichi will wrap up on Sunday with the relay races.
It was Switzerland’s sixth medal at this year’s championships – Niggli-Luder alone has won three gold. She finished all her races, – sprint, middle- and long distance – well ahead of her competitors.
Friday’s victory was her ninth world title overall. She has also won two World Cups and three European championships.
Orienteering involves using a detailed map and compass to navigate one’s way round a course with designated control points.
On route, orange and white control markers are set in place that correspond to the points on the map. The winner is the competitor who takes the least time to visit the points in the right order.
swissinfo with agencies
Gold: Simone Niggli- Luder (3 medals)
Silver: Marc Lauenstein, Daniel Hubmann
Bronze: Vroni König-Salmi
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