On 14–16 May, the Polish Orienteering Club Championships took place near Ostróda (the Dylewskie Hills). The terrain was very demanding. What is more, it was bitterly cold, rain was falling and a dense fog prevailed. Despite the unfavourable weather conditions, the Tukan athletes performed excellently. On the first day, a relay race was held. The Iwiny youth relay team finished seventh, while the juniors took eighth place. Last year’s Polish junior runners-up competed in the senior category this time (finishing in 11th place).
On the second day of the competition, classic-distance races were held. Małgosia Szeliga (K-18 category) finished sixth. Angelika Haniszewska (K-16) and Wojciech Pachnik (M-20) finished in seventh place.
The final day of the championships proved lucky for the Tukan athletes. In the sprint race, Małgosia Szeliga won a silver medal, while Marek Wojnowicz (M-18) won bronze. Małgosia was just 11 seconds short of victory (which is not a significant margin in orienteering). Our athlete led for most of the course. A minor mistake decided the defeat of the runner from Iwiny.
The younger junior Angelika Haniszewska, despite having started only a year ago, is among the Polish elite in her category. In the sprint race, she took an impressive fifth place and qualified for this year’s Polish National Youth Olympics. Wojciech Pachnik also secured a place in the top ten, finishing ninth.
A qualifying tournament for the European Junior Championships will take place later this week. The editorial team of IstotneInformacje.pl is keeping its fingers crossed for the runners from Iwiny.
(information: Dariusz Pachnik/ii)
