Student World Champion!

Two weeks ago, I could celebrate the biggest success of my career. At the World University Champs in Switzerland, I won the gold medal in the Sprint Relay together with my teammates Deborah Stadler, Timo Suter and Eline Gemperle! Ahead of the event, we were already considered medal candidates, but we were able to deal with the pressure, showed four clean runs and left all the teams behind us, including the very strong Swedish team. To be able to celebrate this moment in front of our home crowd, with friends and family, made the day perfect.

I am also very happy with my performance in the individual Sprint race. On a physical course through the streets of Biel and not my best legs, I would not have expected an 8th place. The two forest races went less to my liking. In the Long distance, I accumulated too many small time losses and was therefore quite disappointed at the finish, although the 12th place didn't look so bad on paper. Unfortunately, I didn't run well in the relay either, messed up a golden starting position from my teammates and only finished sixth.

Considering that this competition week took place in the middle of my exams, I can be satisfied for sure. The preparation was certainly not perfect.

Now the season is coming to an end, and I am looking forward to the last selection races this weekend. Of course, I will try everything to qualify for the last World Cup round of the year, which will take place in Davos and will definitely be a highlight.

Tino Polsini, 5 September 2022

Busy summer in sight

Last weekend's races in the Zurich area were the basis for selecting the team for both the European Championships in Estonia and the Student World Championships in Switzerland. With a solid long distance race I could somewhat conceal my poor performance in the middle distance and secure myself a spot for the European Championships (long distance only) and the Student World Championships (sprint, long, sprint relay, relay).

The European Championships will take place in the first week of August (3.-7.8.), the Student World Championships then in the third (17.-21.8.). Because this is not enough, I get to write some exams at ETH between the two events and after the Student World Championships. But, I have chosen this myself... ;)

I am really looking forward to another chance to run in the World Cup and afterwards at the Student World Champs with a home crowd. More precisely, the competitions will take place around Biel and Langenthal. So far, my orienteering season is going as I had hoped and I am curious to see what I can show the coming weeks.

Link to the European Champs website: https://eoc2022.ee/

Link to the Student World Champs website: https://wucorienteering2022.ch/

Tino Polsini, 13 July 2022

My first World Cup points

At the beginning of the week, I happily returned from Borås, Sweden. As a newcomer in the experienced Swiss World Cup team, I was really looking forward to this adventure. It was difficult to estimate what I would be able to achieve in the races in this densely packed field full of world-class athletes. The fact that I reached the top 40 in both the individual and knockout sprint and thus even score some World Cup points was a great success for me. Especially because the terrain and the type of sprint orienteering was not exactly suited for us Swiss. I am particularly happy about the knockout qualification, where I came in 6th, only 16 seconds behind, and was able to secure a spot in the quarterfinal. In the end, however, I was beaten in this quarterfinal. In the final sprint relay, I was a substitute runner for Switzerland, and since they didn't need me, I was able to run in a mixed team with Sweden and finish in 16th place.

I learnt a lot this week and took away many positive experiences. My debut in the World Cup was very solid and I will continue to work hard to be a bit further up the result list next time.

Next weekend's sprint championships will be the end of my sprint focus and from then on, I will focus forest orienteering again. Ideally, the European Championships in Estonia and the Student World Championships in Switzerland in August will be the next international competitions on my schedule. Together with the exams at ETH, that will make for a busy summer.

Tino Polsini, 3 June 2022

10Mila and my first World Cup

At the end of April, the first test races of the year took place. These were the base for selecting the team for the first World Cup round in Sweden at the end of May. I knew that my shape is quite good and that I would have chances for a qualification with good technical performances. I have got this confidence from the good results at the Swiss Night Champs and the first national events. At the end of the camp in Denmark, I unfortunately caught a cold and therefore was not able to participate at the first part of the test races. I focused on my recovery and knew that I had to perform very well at the remaining sprint races two days later.

Thanks to placing 3rd and 8th in these races I was given the opportunity to race at a World Cup for the first time ever. The article from Swiss Orienteering can be found here:

https://www.swiss-orienteering.ch/de/news/ol/2331-selektionen-weltcup-schweden.html

Before we leave for the World Cup on 20th May, I was already up there in the North to run the 10Mila relay with my new Swedish club. We had a strong team and all 10 runners performed very well, so I could cross the finish line on 5th spot after nearly 10 hours. That was a super cool experience, and I am already looking forward to running the Jukola in June and many more relays after that with this team.

In the next two weeks, I will focus on Sprint 100% again, so that I can show my full potential at my World Cup debut.

Tino Polsini, 8 May 2022

Bumpy start into 2022

The winter training has been going on for 3 months now, I have a lot of training hours behind me and the new competition season is slowly approaching. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned and an Achilles tendonitis in December and January reduced my running kilometres to a minimum. Instead, I did more training on cross-country skis, on the bike or in the water. In addition, I suffered from a covid infection and was stuck in isolation on Gran Canaria for a few days. 

But now I am "back on track" and started the training camp in Turkey with the Swiss team. Especially since I've never been here before, I'm sure I'll be able to learn and benefit a lot from this new terrain. So the preparation is in full swing, but until the season really starts, I still have 2 months of hard work ahead of me, in order to be in my best shape for the start of the season. 

I'm looking forward to my 3rd season at elite level and my eyes are on the World Cup and the World University Championships, my main goals this year. So now let’s get back to work so that I can soon be photographed suffering in the SUISSE kit again like in the picture on the left. ;)

Tino Polsini, 20 February 2022

Season finale on tarmac

It has already been 3 weeks since I had my successful debut on international elite level. At the Euromeeting in Bettmeralp, I was able to exceed my expectations in both the middle and long distance and finished in the top 10 twice (9th and 5th). This makes me look to the future with confidence and I am already looking forward to the 2022 season. 

The last two weeks of my training are dominated by hard ground. Right now, I'm spending a week Denmark, the host country of next year's World Championships, running lots of sprint-specific trainings and two World Ranking events on the weekend. Apart from the continuous rain, this training camp has been a great success so far. 

On 31 October, I will end the long season with my half marathon debut. In Lucerne, I'll be running the 21.1km for the first time, I'm curious to see what time I'll have in my legs.

After that I'm looking forward to the training break with a few calmer weeks. The winter will be long enough, so it's important to slow down a bit beforehand, in order to get back into training with full motivation afterwards. 

Tino Polsini, 21 October 2021

Ending of the army in the north

We travelled a lot during the Spitzensport-RS. A lot within Switzerland, but also to the Czech Republic and Sweden, for example. We spent the last 2.5 of the 18 weeks in Scandinavia. Some training sessions in Sälen and some in Idre Fjäll, where I was “only” a fan at the World Cup later in the week. However, I was able to show very good performances in the spectator races that took place at the same time. The many trainings in the north definitely helped me to achieve these results.

In the last week, our road trip really got going and we moved a few latitudes further north. We drove from Idre Fjäll (SWE) to Rovaniemi (FIN) at the Arctic Circle within two days. There I prepared for the Jukola relay with the OLV Baselland.

I was running the last leg and thanks to a very good race, I was able to finish the relay on the 30th place. All in all, everyone performed well and we can certainly be satisfied with the result.

With the end of this longer stay in Scandinavia, the army time is already history. It was a great experience for me to live like a professional athlete for 18 weeks and only concentrate on training. I really appreciate that the Swiss Army supports the sport so much.

Now I'm looking forward to the rest of the season with some competitions in Switzerland and the last chance to be selected for a World Cup (ITA); the shape is good.

Tino Polsini, 25 August 2021

Successful start into the army

The first 5 weeks of the sports army in Magglingen are already over, and with it the basic military training. From now on, we will not be seen in Magglingen very often, as we will be travelling to many training camps to get the most out of this time in the army. Within Switzerland, we will travel to St. Moritz, Andermatt, Arosa and Ticino, but also to the Czech Republic and Sweden for a few weeks.

The infrastructure in Magglingen is perfect, of course. For example, I could already make use of the physiotherapy to work on my weaknesses, and I was able to have a check in the medical centre to make sure that my Covid infection has not left any damage. The infection is also why the last few weeks I was not quite able to perform as well as I had hoped. In particular, I unfortunately did not make the selection for the European Championships. However, I was aware that I had a certain training deficit due to the break caused by the infection, and that this goal was very ambitious anyway.

There will be many more opportunities in the future and now I will concentrate on making as much progress as possible during these 18 weeks and, above all, to benefit from it in the long run.

Tino Polsini, 23 May 2021

The crucial phase

After a winter marked by my shin problems and a bit more alternative training than I had hoped for, I was back in normal training and looking forward to the first training camp of the year at the end of February. Having just written my last exam on the first day of the training camp, I travelled straight to France where beautiful spring weather awaited me. The intensive week in the stones of Fontainebleau was abruptly cut short by positive covid tests, despite a strict protection concept. So one day before the planned end, we started our journey home. 10 days of quarantine followed. When I also had myself tested because of symptoms after the training camp, I was also positive. My symptoms remained harmless, but nevertheless I was set back quite a bit in my training.

Now I am back in full training and do intensive sessions again. The test races for the European Championships in Neuchâtel are only about a month away, so the crucial phase has definitely begun. I am confident that I can still get in shape in time and I don't lack motivation. Another training camp is scheduled for the beginning of April in the Czech Republic. The week of the test races is also the start of my military education in Magglingen. Together with two teammates, I will train with perfect conditions for 18 weeks, which is a great opportunity for me and my career.

Tino Polsini, 20 March 2021

Full gas into 2021

A week ago, I started the winter training. Today, I was again selected for the national team. A great winter is ahead of me.

I’m looking back on a pretty unspectacular season 2020. In February and March, I spent time in training camps in Spain and Portugal, preparing for the races ahead and I was looking forward to them. But as you know, things turned out differently. Lockdown No. 1 arrived and spring was literally over. Instead of racing the first competitions in April, I was training more than ever. In June, I spent 3 weeks in St. Moritz with some friends in a high-altitude training camp. It was fun to train in smaller groups again and especially in a different place, and not always from my own front door. In summer, we actually had two competition weekends, but exclusively for the elite, and a training camp with the squad in Gstaad.

The anticipation of a more competitive autumn was big. At the only test races of the year I got qualified for the only international event of the year, the Euromeeting in Czech Republic. But the Swiss Championships in the sprint, middle and long distance remained the highest of the feelings. Lockdown No. 2 unfortunately ended the season early.

Nevertheless, my first season in the elite class was a success. I was able to increase the amount of training considerably, deliver some solid results and trying to blend in the team.

Tino Polsini, 17 November 2020

My first Elite Swiss Champs

After an unspectacular spring and summer, a handful of national races took place this autumn. As expected, I was not at the top of the ranking at my first individual Swiss Champs in the elite class. But I can still be satisfied with the 14th and 16th place in the sprint and long distance respectively. With these races, I also qualified for the only international event this year that isn’t cancelled yet, the Euromeeting in Czech Republic in the end of October.

At the Sprint Relay Champs, I won the silver medal with the OLV Baselland. After a long lead we came second in the end. It is great fun to run with such a strong team.

Tino Polsini, 11 October 2020

Preperation for an autumn full of competitions

I finally managed to edit a review video of the altitude training camp in Engadine. It gives you a little insight into the daily training during three weeks in June. Some numbers: 44h of training, 350km / 11'000m of running, 260km / 2'600m of cycling, thousands of calories burned and countless beautiful views enjoyed.

In July, I trained at home most of the time and tried to avoid the hottest hours. The training alone is a lot of fun, but I'm really looking forward to the autumn season to begin. Now there are 2,5 weeks left until the test races for the Euromeeting in Czech Republic. Next week, I will work on my orienteering technique with the swiss team in the region of Gstaad. Afterwards, I will concentrate on recovery to get the maximum out of myself at the test races.

Tino Polsini, 7 August 2020

The first competitions, finally!

Two of the three weeks of the altitude training camp in St. Moritz are already over. As a preparation for the very short competition season 2020, I'm training with the Swiss Team here at 1750m.a.s.l. The air is thin, the nature is beautiful and the weather is not great. In terms of training, it offers everything an athlete's heart desires, from the trails around St. Moritz to the winding Engadine villages, the alpine forests, the 400m track, the mountain pass roads to the Bernina and Julier, and the indoor swimming pool.

This weekend, the first competitions are finally taking place in the Lower Engadine, more than three months late. On Saturday, a middle distance will be held in Susch and on Sunday two sprints (Quali and Final) in Sent and Ftan respectively. I am looking forward to feel the tension before the start and the competition feeling again. Furthermore, I can compare myself with others in the serious fight and I am curious where I stand and what still has to be done. These competitions are not yet of the greatest importance, but a good first test regarding the test races at the end of August.

Tino Polsini, 19 June 2020

More training, new website!

After good basic training in winter and two intensive training camps in Spain and Portugal, I was ready for the start of the season in March. Now, as of today, the first important competitions of this year will take place in August instead of April.

Fortunately, the training during the lockdown as an orienteer, was not very limited. During this time, I was literally an "individual athlete" and trained alone from home every day. From time to time, my training motivation decreased a little bit. The lack of competitions makes it difficult to remind yourself why you train at all.

But after all, I do not only have goals for this season, but also long-term goals. That's why I saw this situation as an opportunity to develop a better basis with good, constant training, and to reduce the gap to the best in the national team.

In April, I set a new personal record with 473km and 12'200hm running training. It seems that I was pushing myself to the limit and I had to fight with known shin problems. But by reacting quickly and doing a little less running but more cycling training, I got rid of it quite fast.

The lockdown also gave me enough time to set up a new website. Here I will upload news regularly, as soon as there is a little more to tell. ;)

Tino Polsini, 22 May 2020