Four days of battle among the world's fastest sled dog athletes
The IFFS World Championships for dryland sled dog sports were held 23.-27.10.2019 in Sweden. During the four-day competition, over 400 competitors with their dogs competed for the titles of the world's fastest sled dog athletes.
One of Finland’s representatives in women’s bikejoring was Tanja Ignatius with her dog Bambi. The team made a solid competition performance, which was enough for a great 21st place in the high-level World Championships. A week has now passed since the competition trip and the pair definitely hasn’t rested on their laurels! However, Tanja managed to gather her thoughts about the World Championship trip for us to read.
1. How did your trip/performance go?
The trip to the Nybro World Championships went well! Bambi handled the exciting ferry trip like a pro, and the travel life didn't stress him out otherwise. There was a lot of new and amazing things at the race venue, but we performed really strongly! In the competition, Bambi's pulling ability was really tested as the race route passed the pit area several times and there were many photographers on the route. Also, Bambi's first overtaking in competitions went exactly as it should! The dog was excellent on both days, even though the damp weather on the second day almost made him tired. The driver's performance was a bit too cautious, but still reached a performance at his own level.
2. The race was two days long. Was the track the same and did the conditions differ on the different days?
The track was exactly the same on both days. Conditions on the first day were dry and the temperature in the shade was nearly 15 degrees. On the second day the temperature dropped a bit but the humidity was really high, which affected Bambi's endurance more than the heat. However, on both days the track was in fast condition and pleasant to run.
3. Did the race go as you expected?
We gave a performance at our own level in the race. Nothing went particularly wrong, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. We went to gain experience and got really good experience. We are satisfied!
4. Did anything surprise you?
I was surprised by Bambi's calmness in the competition atmosphere. The girl showed a lot of maturity in the competition, even though she still has very little experience.
5. Are there any specific areas (both for yourself and Bambi) that you want to develop?
Bambi still needs to develop confidence to run in the competition even if there is a lot of audience or other distractions. It went well now, but the extra head turning should be eliminated and the focus should be fully forward. Basic fitness also needs a lot of development. The young dog seemed a bit tired on the second competition day when there were already more kilometers under her belt. My list is much longer. Braver cornering and harder training for uphill running! These are the most important, but there is a lot of fine-tuning to be done in the running.
6. The competitions had participants from all over the world, even from South America. Did you notice any different practices compared to what you are used to when competing in Finland?
The biggest difference was seen in dogs being off-leash. Competitors very boldly ran their dogs free in the competition area (even though this was forbidden).
7. What was the best part of the competition trip?
Competing! A couple of years had passed since the last major competitions and it felt really good to get back to the starting line. The atmosphere at the competitions was good and the arrangements worked, so we definitely spent four days at the competition site from morning until the last finishers. The good team spirit of the Finnish national team also felt great! Everyone was encouraged both on site and through the live broadcast from home in Finland!
8. How does your competition season continue?
Our competition season continues with the Latvia Open World Cup race. At the time of the interview, we are already in the middle of these races, the first day competed and the second ahead. After these races, we will take a break from pulling for a few weeks before starting training towards the winter season.
9. I suppose your intention is to be at the starting line again next year? Where will the World Championships be then?
The IFSS World Championships are held every other year, so next year the competition will be for European Championship medals. We are definitely aiming for the competition! Confirmation of the venue has not yet come, but rumors say the competition would be held in Latvia then.
Happy team at the finish! This is a great place to continue from!
If you missed Tanja's blog post about her World Championship preparations, you can find it here: Sled Dog Sports World Championships 2019, part 1.
You can continue to follow Tanja and the B-team's activities on Instagram accounts:@vedonvoimaa and @traildog.fi