Latvian Rogainers Earn 14 Medals at European Championships in Czechia

The 21st European Rogaining Championships took place from June 27 to 28 in the Orlické Mountains of northern Czechia. A total of 243 teams from over 20 countries competed. The event was held under extremely hot conditions, with a national heat record set during the competition. Participants had 24 hours to navigate a terrain of approximately 350 square kilometers near the Czech-Polish border. An additional challenge was the lack of water, as organizers had not set up designated water points, expecting participants to use mountain streams, but many had dried up due to the prolonged heat.

Latvian rogainers achieved 14 medals across different categories. In the men's open and overall standings, Guntis Šmaukstelis and Kārlis Lauders (team "Šmauders") won silver with 293 points, finishing behind an Estonian team. In the junior men's category, Krišjānis Krēmers and Jēkabs Pētersons ("Kre&ab") became European champions, scoring 212 points and beating their opponents by two points. In the women's super veterans group, gold went to Ilze Lapiņa and Anita Liepiņa ("AT LAST TOGETHER") with 205 points, while bronze was won by Santa Blūma and Lāsma Šlosberga ("Latvietes") with 145 points.

Latvian teams also succeeded in other categories. In the mixed veterans group, Ildze Straume and Gunārs Ikaunieks ("100 km purvā") took bronze. In the women's open class, Aleksandra Fjodorova earned bronze as part of the Latvian/Estonian team "Alma". In the mixed super veterans group, Valters Kaminskis won bronze in the Latvian/Estonian team "Surprise". In the mixed ultra veterans category, Latvians swept the podium: gold for Silvija and Māris Penkuļi ("Durbe Bisons"), silver for Aivars Druvenieks and Gundega Jurāne ("Sēlijas mežs"), and bronze for Ārija and Juris Šinke ("Olaine"). In the women's ultra veterans group, gold went to Velga Buša and Skaidrīte Otaņķe ("Monas Taka"), while in the men's ultra veterans, silver was won by Varis Peisenieks and Juris Švirksts ("Turkuciems") and bronze by Rolands Laveiķis and Vairis Krauklis ("Privātbūve").

Unfortunately, several Latvian teams that were medal contenders had to withdraw early due to the harsh conditions.