UKS Orientpark.pl Iwiny coach Dariusz Pachnik:
This is terrain unique on a national scale, presenting “orienteers” with very difficult physical and technical challenges. This year’s competition consisted of two stages. A middle-distance race was held on Saturday, and a classic-distance race on Sunday. Since the event took place in Lower Silesia, athletes from UKS Orientpark.pl Iwiny could not be absent.
First stage
Dariusz Pachnik: “The first stage proved very demanding technically. The terrain was difficult to run through, with substantial uphill sections and partly waterlogged areas. There were therefore many surprises, but most of them were very positive for us.”
He adds:
Małgorzata Pachnik proved the best in the women’s elite category, as did Jędrek Pachnik in the younger junior category (M16). The biggest surprise, however, was Wojtek Pachnik taking second place in the men’s elite category, which included several leading national competitors.
Our other representative in this category was Marek Wojnowicz—11th place. Second place went to the increasingly successful Oliwia Hetnar (K12) and Antoni Pachnik (M12). Martyna Nikołajuk (K12) finished fifth. Her sister, Maja, two years older, was ninth (K14), as was Wiktoria Kulka (K16).
Just outside the top ten was Kornelia Kulka (K12), in 11th place. The team was completed by the masters competitors: Joanna Nikołajuk (K35), fifth place; Bartosz Nikołajuk (M40), eighth; and Dariusz Pachnik (M50), third.
Eight-year-old Emilka Hetnar ran in the family category with her mother. These are her first steps on her orienteering journey, but she has no shortage of ambition or fighting spirit.
Second stage
Coach:
This is the so-called classic. The courses are long, with substantial elevation changes. Because of professional and family commitments, our elite competitors did not start. The youngsters nevertheless represented our club with distinction.
He lists the results:
A career-best result was achieved by Oliwia Hetnar, who, although second in this stage, overtook all her rivals in the overall standings and stood on the top step of the podium for the first time at such a prestigious competition. In this category, Martyna Nikołajuk retained fifth place overall, while a very good race by Kornelia (fourth place) moved her up to seventh after the two races. The silver medal went to Jędrzej Pachnik, who made navigational errors and failed to retain the lead from the previous day. His brother, Stanisław Pachnik, who had run disastrously on the first day, thoroughly outclassed his rivals this time and proved that next week he will be the main contender for gold at the Polish Championships over this distance. His race was so strong that it enabled him to overtake his rivals and reach the top step of the podium.
The youngest of the Pachnik family, Antek, was second again, both in the stage and overall. Maja Nikołajuk and Wiktoria Kulka also performed well, ultimately finishing in seventh place.
The veterans performed to the best of their abilities: Joanna and Bartek both took sixth place, while Darek, despite winning the stage, remained in third place.
Next week, the juniors and veterans will compete in the Polish Championships in Trzcińsko, near Jelenia Góra, while the younger competitors will rest before the Youngest Competitors’ Cup, which will be held in Drzonków in two weeks.
Detailed results: https://pucharslezy.pl/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/XXXIIPS_Wyniki_Generalka.pdf.