Runesson and Kyburz: two ways of approaching JWOC

June 28, 2009 by Lucie Babel

Both of them are succesfull. Very, indeed. Both of them are born 1990 and are juniors one cannot wait to see breaking through in the Elite, for their results seem already that promising. Both of them are figureheads of two strong national teams. Though, both of them have different ways of training and a different approach of orienteering.
Both of them should have competed at JWOC in less than one week too – that’s at least what was still on plan when we realized this crossed interview between Johan Runesson and Matthias Kyburz two days ago. Today the Swedish Federation informed that the big king of JWOC 2008, Johan Runesson (which worst result there was a silver medal in sprint, as he obtained gold on the three other disciplines) was laying sick and would not participate in JWOC. He will be replaced by Kalle Johansson.
As they had only met in the Nordic countries until now, where the Swede was clearly in lead, we were waiting on an interesting challenge with Swiss runner Matthias Kyburz in the steep slopes of the Alps. It won’t be the case, but we believe these two juniors deserve to be presented anyway… with regard to the future.

Matthias Kyburz’ sayings were translated from German.

To Johan Runesson: At last year’s JWOC, which could be considered as your « home JWOC » for having been held in Sweden, you reached an impressive achievment by obtaining 3 gold medals and one silver medal. Some weeks ago you still added two NOC medals on your belt… How does the 3 times titular World champion feels on the eve of the next JWOC?
Johan Runesson: As you said, last year’s JWOC was a big success for me and I know I had some advantage as it was in Sweden. But after JWOC I have had lots of problems with sickness and injury; so it feels very good right now that it went so good last year, because I have reached my goals for my junior time and don’t have to run with so much pressure anymore.

To Matthias Kyburz: 2008 was a brilliant year for you too: you were one of the very few non-Scandinavian to break through at JWOC in Sweden and take a medal – bronze – in long distance, as well as a 4th place in sprint. In the autumn of the same year you earned two medals, one of them gold, at EYOC in Switzerland. There must be for sure some big expectations for this year. How have your season been until now?
Matthias Kyburz: The season went really well until now. I could carry out my winter training as planned and win some self-confidence at the first National races in Switzerland. I managed to reach thus the same kind of results than last year. A long period of training in Denmark and Sweden followed then, where I finally injured myself at Tiomila and had to endure a forced break of 3 weeks. I could however get into shape again right on time for the testraces and qualify myself for JWOC and NOC. I am very satisfied of my NOC results and they are giving me a push with regard to JWOC.

To Johan: The JWOC 2009 are held in a terrain obviously differentiating itself from the ones a Swedish orienteer could be used to. You are additionnally going to run there at high altitudes. Did you prepare yourself in a particular way or have you changed aspects of your training for it?
Johan: I haven’t trained that much just for this terrain, but I have been in Italy two times since last year. Aditionnally I will be with the whole Swedish team at a training camp one week before JWOC. But one thing that I have felt I am good at, is that I don’t need so much training to understand the terrain – so I think I am prepared for the races. For what concerns the altitude, I really don’t know how I will respond. I have been running some times in high altitude, but only at a slow pace. We will see how it goes when I compete and if there is any difference.

To Matthias: At the opposite of last year’s JWOC, these ones will be held in a kind of terrain Swiss runners are very used to. The long distance testrace was even organized in a very similar alpin terrain of the South of Switzerland, near to Italy. How did you prepare for these « home » JWOC and were there aspects you focused particularly on?
Matthias: We were on training camp in Trentino last year in summer, but spent only one day in the JWOC region. Elsewise I have been training home and made sure that I was training in steep slopes enough. We spent the last week now in Primiero for the polishing and trained one week in relevant terrains for JWOC. The terrain is however familiar to me, as it is after all very similar to Ticino (South and Italian speaking part of Switzerland, redaction note).

To Johan: These JWOC will be the home ones of alpine countries, such as Switzerland, where the runners are very familiar to similar terrains. What do you consider are your main assets towards the international concurrence?
Johan: I am maybe not as good in this terrain, but I have to trust my experience of JWOC. It is my 3rd JWOC already and I remember that it was hard to be at 100% at my first JWOC, which is something they might have to face with. And of course there is also the fact that I have already won a distance, so I don’t have the pressure that I must win.

To Matthias: It is now about 4 years that your results on home ground often consist of a simple « 1 » and that you are collecting medals and diploms in international competitions. By your results in Scandinavia and all over Europe, you also showed an impressive faculty of acclimatation to any kind of terrain. But now, if focusing on the kind of terrain you know well and is waiting for you at JWOC, what do you think will be your strength toward the other concurrents?
Matthias: I think that I can get used to new terrains pretty quickly and am a complete runner. What I mean through it is that I can run as well on flat terrain than in slopes and I master the different techniques very well up to a certain level. In Switzerland we have lots of different kinds of terrains indeed, which requiers a flexibility we get used to. I don’t see any direct advantages that would be specific to JWOC, but for sure no disadventages either. The terrain suits me very well generally and I’m getting on well with it!

Did you put yourself some minimum goals you would imperatively want to reach?
Johan: I have put up two types of goals. The first is that I want the four races to be my best races of the year on each distance. And then I want to defend one individual gold as well.
Matthias: Of course there are minimum goals, but hopefully JWOC won’t be about them. They are only written down in case something would not work out at all at JWOC. But if talking generally, my big goal would be a diplom.

To Johan: While preparing myself for speakering there, I established a quick portrait of the JWOC Swedish team. I must say I was amazed to notice that from the 12 Swedish athletes, 11 of them have at least one medal from either NOC or JWOC… It looks like it is an incredibly strong Swedish team that will be represented at JWOC this year. How is the atmosphere in the team and what are your common goals?
Johan: As you said, we have a really good team right now in Sweden, both the girls and the boys are really good. The atmosphere is really good because everyone is putting JWOC as his highest goal. Everybody wants to do the best they can there. That helps everyone when we compare route choices and maps, or when we just talk about JWOC.

To Matthias: It has been many years now that Swiss juniors are talking about these Italian JWOC and building up big hopes for them. Is the atmosphere in the team very different from JWOC 2008, where you had to challenge the Nordic countries on their own home ground? How do you experience it?
Matthias: No, it is not particularly different. We are for sure very motivated and have a healthy self-confidence, because we feel more at home in this terrain than it was the case last year for example. The team atmosphere is very good, we are motivated and are looking forward to JWOC surely a bit more optimistically than last year!

To Johan: At last year’s JWOC you obtained gold on middle and long distance, as well as on the relay, and silver on the sprint. I don’t know if it is possible to find a better example of « regularity », but is there still a distance that suits you more?
Johan: I think the middle distance is my best distance right now. I have very high demands on my orienteering technique to be 100% secure in each race and particularly in middle – and this is the distance the other runners often do some mistakes at. But the distance I think I like the best is ultralong.

To Matthias: At first glance, one could have the feeling that long distance is the distance on which you earned the most medals, both internationally and nationally. Does this one suits you best?
Matthias: Yes, if looking at the results, then without any doubts ;-) And I think it comes also from my way of practising orienteering. This distance allows me just to run on for a while and then slow down at the right moment. Aditionnally, I’m getting on pretty well physically with 70 minutes long races… But in principle I feel myself able to run well on all disciplines. But you may as well say that long distance is my favourite one.

If you would pick up 3 words describing the upcoming JWOC, which ones would you choose?
Johan: I would say funny, learning and expectation.
Matthias: „Ambiente“, „steil“, „Herausforderung“ („ambiente“, steep, challenge).