Ski Orienteering World Cup: Tomilova now aiming for World Championships gold

Natalya Tomilova likes it tricky, and is looking forward to next winter's World Championships and the chance for an individual gold. She has won the overall World Cup twice, but is still missing an individual World Championship title.

Today she did just as in 2003: she won the World Cup overall. Before the last race the Norwegian Marte Reenaas still had a chance for victory overall, but even if the athletes got double points in the last race, Natalya had just a big enough gap to take the title despite Marte winning the race.

–It was great to win the first time and it is great to do it again. This winter I have also been among the best the whole season, and I feel that winning the World Cup overall is almost like winning at World Championships, she says. The 32-year-old Russian has been in the ski orienteering business for quite a long time. She has been World Champion in relay twice.
–An individual gold is my goal for next winter's World Championships in Sweden, she says.

Likes it difficult

The overall winner of the World Cup has a lot of experience and has been among the very best for a long time. Now she really knows what she likes best of all.
–It's difficult races. That makes it more interesting. This winter there have been a lot of good races, she says. Good races have also shown up in her results. Natalya has won five of the twelve races in this winter's World Cup.

The last race in the World Cup was 28.5 kilometres in length, longer than ever before in the World Cup.
–In some parts of the race there was a lot of cross-country skiing, says Tomilova, who would have preferred a more technical course.

A party on the train

Just a few hours after the prize-giving ceremony, Natalya is going home to Russia by train and will be celebrating the end of a great winter.
–I will have some wine, cheese and chocolate on the train, smiles Natalya. Next week she will be competing again. She will take part in the ski orienteering race at the CISM Winter Mililtary World Games in Italy.