Niggli and Hubmann winners “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″

December 8, 2009 by Niels-Peter Foppen

Simone Niggli and Daniel Hubmann have been awarded with “The Orienteering Achievement of 2009″ titles in the womens and mens class, respectively! Among the women, Simone Niggli got an impressive 48% of the votes – winning ahead of Ida Bobach with 20% of the votes. In the mens class Daniel Hubmann was a clear winner for the second year in a row – with 48% of the votes ahead of Thierry Guerogiou with 18% of the votes.

The vote has been decided by the big international readership of World of O and Ultimate Orienteering – more than 3200 unique votes from 58 different countries have been delivered, making these results very representative for the worldwide orienteering community. Thanks again to Trimtex Sport, the main sponsor of The Orienteering Achievement 2009 election for giving the two winners the brand new Trimtex Softshell Air jacket.

Women

Men

Live Chat with Simone and Daniel

This evening at 20:15 CET we will give you the possibility to ask your questions to Simone Niggli and Daniel Hubmann. Instead of the regular interview we let you ask the questions to the two greatest orienteers of this season. You may ask your question already now – Simone and Daniel will pick the questions to be answered along with the editors of World of O and Ultimate Orienteering. Visit the live chat on the frontpage of worldofo.com.

Simone Niggli: Orienteering Achievement of 2009 – Women

Q – What was the greatest moment of this year for you? (in sports)
A -The greatest moment for me in sports this year was the moment when I saw the second last control on the long distance in Hungary. I could hear the voice of the speaker Per Forsberg, announcing me as the new world champion… that was fantastic!

Q – Was it a surprise for you that you managed to get back to the very top level this year?
A – I really hoped it but I wasn’t secure about it , especially after my injury in the spring. And you never know how you can handle the sport-family balance and if your body would be ready for top performance again. I’m really happy about my performances, especially in the second half of the year.

Daniel Hubmann: Orienteering Achievement of 2009 – Men

Q – What was the greatest moment of this year for you?
A – There where many great moments this year. But of course the greatest one was to defend the WOC title in the long distance. But also the World Games, Tiomila and Jukola have been memorable events for me this year.

Q – Was it a surprise for you that you managed to be so dominant this season?
A -Of course I did not expect so many good races even though my shape was good the whole season. But it looks like I managed to make another step to a higher level in 2009. It was a great year for me, hopefully I can still improve my skills for next season!

Come back for more questions and answers with Simone Niggli and Daniel Hubmann in the live chat.