Yesterday saw the third medal day of the World Orienteering Championships with the Middle distance race held in the hilly venue of Jizera.  Switzerland’s Matthias Kyborz took gold in the Men’s and Tove Alexandersson claimed her third gold of the competition so far to win the women’s.

Three heats in each category were comprised of 102 men and 83 women competitors from whom the course setter prepared a very challenging course in the mountain terrain with thick forests, rock fields, granite boulders and steep hills. The fifteen fastest runners from three heats in each gender qualified for the final race, with the winners of the heats managed to push down the time to between 28 and 31 minutes on courses with the length of 3.5 km and 200 m elevation gain for women, and 4 km and 265 m of climb for men.

The fastest men in the individual heats were Norwegian Kasper Harlem Fosser, together with Swiss runner Matthias Kyburz and Lucas Basset from France. The big favourite of the race, Swedish runner Tove Alexandersson, conquered the women’s heat B, whilst Sabine Hauswirth of Switzerland and Marie Olaussen representing Norway were the best in the other two heats.

GB Megan Carter-Davies, Cat Taylor, Peter Bray, Ralph Street also qualified and gained their places to compete in the Individual Middle distance race later that day.

The terrian for the Individual Middle distance race Final was challenging mountain terrain with broken ground, partly marshy. Hilly and physically demanding, altitude 530 - 836 m. 

Swiss runner Matthias Kyburz was crowned the new 2021 Middle distance world champion managing to finish the 5.4 km long course in a very demanding terrain of constant rock fields and granite boulders in 39:31, more than four minutes behind the expected winning time. 
Kyburz said:  “It’s been five years since the last individual medal and to win again after this long time is just amazing. I told myself today that I have to be really strict with the map reading as it is a technical terrain. Sometimes in the control circle, I felt like the windscreen wiper, looking for the control, but I never lost the grip.”  Kyburz is the owner of five gold World Orienteeringg Championship medals. He beat the silver medalist Gustav Bergman from Sweden by 40 seconds and Ukrainian Ruslan Glibov in the third position by 47 seconds.

• Matthias Kyburz (SUI) – 39:31 
• Gustav Bergman (SWE) – 40:11 
• Ruslan Glibov (UKR) – 40:18 
• Lucas Basset (FRA) – 41:36
• Kasper Harlem Fosser (NOR) – 41:38
• Eskil Kinneberg – 41:40

GB Ralph Street (49:06) and finished in 27th position and Peter Bray (51:21) finishing in 34th.