The fight for victory in the Venla relay on Saturday afternoon might become very tough, and no clear pre-race favorites are easy to name like in previous years. If one however were to bet on someone, it would be some of the tough teams from Sweden. Maybe the best trio in advance would be the top 3 in this spring’s Tiomila: Domnarvets GoIF – Järla Orientering – Stora Tuna OK, with IFK Lidingö SOK and OK Linné as well as surprise-ready Alfta-Ösa OK looming close behind.
The Norwegian Halden SK screwed up slightly in Tiomila but will certainly be fighting for top ranks. The winner of the two latest Venla relays, OK Pan Århus from Denmark, has weakened a bit for this season but should not be completely forgotten either. As one of the organizers, the number four in Tiomila, Paimion Rasti is not able to compete, so the title of the best Finnish team will most likely be given to either Kalevan Rasti, SK Pohjantähti, Koovee or Tampereen Pyrintö.
We set a few questions to some elite clubs concerning their preparations and expectations for Louna-Jukola.
The recent Tiomila victor Domnarvet has twice taken also the Venla challenge trophy home. National team stars Emma Johansson and Lena Eliasson are a strong frame for the team. According to coach Peter Löfås, the Venla relay is often a bit difficult race for Swedish teams. The terrain looks challenging, and margins are small so one mistake might be all it takes to make a difference.
– The first leg is very important, as in case of having made mistakes it can be difficult to pass a large number of slower runners. Our goal is at least top 5, and in addition to make it a double, ie. to win both Tiomila and Venla the same year. There are many favorites, one of them being the technically skilled Järla. Alfta-Ösa OK could be on a really high rank in the end, comments Löfås.
Narrowly placing second in Tiomila, Järla has become one of the top teams also in women’s races, with the “newbie” Emma Klingenberg from Pan Århus and the “reborn” Elin Hemmyr Skantze as their top runners. The head coach Axel Mattsson predicts the somewhat Stockholm-like terrain to be suitable for them. They’ve done a lot of relay training through the winter, and after 10mila the focus is now entirely on Venla relay.
– We’ll head to Finland already on Tuesday to prepare. Our aim is high, but we only concentrate on good performances and having fun, we shall see where it’ll get us. I see Domnarvet as the number one winner candidate, says Mattsson.
The Järla women’s team celebrated their second place in Tiomila this spring. Photo: Axel Mattsson / Järla Orientering.
Stora Tuna has the orienteering super star to be placed on the last leg, where she’s almost able to do miracles at best. So, the other legs affect a lot where their chances are on the last leg. Staffan Eriksson as one of the coaches emphasizes team spirit and doing things together as well as many relay races in preparation. The goal is to do solid performances so that each runner feels they’ve succeeded when arriving to the changeover.
– The terrain looks really nice on the maps. Our first and last leg are in strong hands, so we just need to “hang on” on the legs in between. I consider Domnarvet and Lidingö as favorites, but on the other hand SK Pohjantähti and Halden will certainly be stronger than in Tiomila, reflects Eriksson.
IFK Lidingö has good and wide level, starring e.g. the Swiss national team runners Ines Brodmann and Sarina Jenzer. But is the level high enough for a victory? Coach Thomas Furuheim tells the club has visited Finland several times and done especially relay training through the winter.
– Our goal is to place high, and also to have the best second team. The race is pretty open, and I see our chances as good to be there and fight for the win, says Furuheim.
Out of Finnish teams, Hiidenkiertäjät might not be high when betting on winner, but with good success they could be very high in the results. According to manager Ville Luoma, the preparations have concentrated on good quality camps and training weekends. The terrain is close and similar to “home terrain”, and they’ll also arrive on the spot as late as on Saturday.
– Despite familiarity we need a humble attitude. The size of the event sets certain kind of challenges that are inherent to Jukola, but one is able to prepare for them. Our aim is to better from last year and to even surprise many. Alfta-Ösa is another potential team to be surprisingly high, Luoma notes.
On early Saturday evening we shall know in whose vitrine the Plate of Venla challenge trophy will spend its next year!
