Runner presentation Helena Jansson

November 26, 2009 by Anatolijs Tarasovs

This summer, on August 20th, around half past ten in the morning Helena Jansson stormed into the finish of the World Championships sprint qualification winning her heat by massive 62 seconds. Later in the afternoon even the tricky zoo area didn’t slow her down. After last year’s silver in the sprint she could now celebrate an amazing 42 second victory. For the first time in her career she won the World Championships’ gold.

She started another successful season on the international level with 2 gold medals at the Nordic Championships in Finland. Running the last leg she brought the victory to Sweden in the relay, and two days later she won this year’s first World Cup race. A few weeks later she left Norway with the bronze in the third event of the World Cup. One month after that she did what no other elite runner has ever done before – won all 5 stages of O-Ringen. Now she was ready for the World Championships. The World Championships, where she soon won her first individual gold and relay silver. In autumn she brought another medal from Switzerland and the World Cup final, and finished it all with a bronze in the overall World Cup standings.

Nominated for
Her first World Championships’ gold medal at the sprint in Hungary after a great performance. Also: For doing something that no other elite runner has ever done before – winning all 5 days of O-Ringen. And winning the gold at the Nordic Championships and the opening stage of the World Cup.

Always in the top
Helena Jansson has always been among the best in her country, if you look at her results for the past 10 years in Sweden, out of 161 events she has taken part in, she has won 87. As a junior she won the Swedish championships incredible 12 times. Twice she won the Nordic championships, twice the Junior World Championships, with 2 silver and 2 bronze medals in addition to that. In her last year as a junior she missed an individual medal and the whole season was full of disappointments. However, in 2006, in her first senior year she took impressive 8th and 11th places at the European Championships in Estonia, and since that she has always been among the best women in the orienteering World.

Among the best sports women in Sweden
A medical student in Umeå, she is not only the best orienteer in Sweden, but is also one of the most successful sports women in the country. Just a week ago she was selected as one of the twelve candidates for „Jerringspriset” – a public prize for the best sportsman/sportswoman of the year. „Jerringspriset” is a prize awarded by Radiosportens (the sports section of Sveriges Radio) in the momery of legendary reporter Sven Jerring. The prize is also called „the prize of the people”, because it’s the radio audience that elects the winner. Only once in the history of the prize it was awarded to an orienteer – Annichen Kringstad, 6 times World Champion, in 1981.

Event sponsor: Nordvestgaloppen
Nordvestgaloppen is a popular event in Western Norway. The event is known for its mix of interesting orienteering in wonderful nature between fjords and mountains. Nordvestgaloppen 2010 is organized from July 14th until July 18th.

• Among the Lucky voters, 2 transferable starts for the complete Nordvestgaloppen 2010 will be drawn.
• Visit Nordvestgaloppen website for more information about the event