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Ski Orienteering World Cup: Welcome back, Helene!
Last year Helene Söderlund (22) was the only athlete to get a medal in every distance at the World Championships in ski orienteering. But now she is only 23rd overall in this year’s World Cup.
– Welcome back, said the Norwegian Marte Reenaas to Helene Söderlund today, when they met each other at the model event ahead of the World Cup races and Junior World Championships in Miercurea Ciuc in Romania this week. Helena hasn't raced since the start of the World Cup in Russia at the beginning of January. First she had problems with her stomach in Russia and went home before the last race, then she suffered muscular strains when she fell whilst skiing.
– I had my dog on a lead linked to my waist. When we met my mother, she changed the dog’s position without me realising, and I fell down, she says.
She suffered a lot of pain and has been able to do only limited training for some weeks. – But I have trained in other ways and now the pain has almost gone. I can race, the Swede says.
She will not talk about medals before the World Cup races in Romania which are also the European Championships. – I hope to have good races, she smiles.
Before the coming races she is number 23 in the total World Cup standings. The Russian Natalia Tomilova leads, ahead of Olga Novikova from Kazakhstan and Marte Reenaas.
Photo: Erik Borg
Helene Söderlund is back on track; the Swede is someone to look out for in the coming days. Another is Marte Reenaas, seen here behind Helene. The Norwegian is third overall in the World Cup.
