Noah zbinden

Orienteering is simply fun for me. The most beautiful feeling during a training or competition is when I run through the beautiful nature and the controls fly towards me.
 
I grew up in an orienteering-family and came into contact with this great sport at an early age. Finding the controls with only the help of a map has fascinated me from the beginning. The fact that I get to know so many new places in Switzerland and all of Europe makes it all the more exciting.

In orienteering there are three areas: technical (map reading), running, and mental. Generally speaking, I am particularly strong in terms of map reading. This means that I can orient myself well in difficult terrain (e.g. with few paths). I have a slight deficit in the runnery compared to my peers. Thanks to planned training, I have caught up a lot in the last few years and have now become much faster. My second strength is in the mental area. I can be ready on day X and call up my performance. I can also control my thoughts in situations with a lot of pressure and focus on the essentials. I can show my mental strength with the fact that I got selected for at least one international competition each year between 2012 and 2016.
 
When I became a part of regional junior team in Northwestern Switzerland at the age of 14, I started to train according to plan and was given the opportunity to improve my technique in various types of terrain with training camps.

In 2012, at the age of 15, I made my first selection for the European Youth Championships in France. To represent Switzerland and wear the nations shirt was a great feeling. This was followed by two further participations in 2013 and 2014.
At the age of 17 I joined the Swiss National Junior Team. This gave me the chance to train even more professionally. In addition, I became part of a motivated and great team that also encouraged me to put my foot on the accelerator.

In 2015 and 2016 I was selected to run at the Junior World Championships in Norway and Engadine - the 5th place at the Home World Championships is the highlight of my career so far.
At the age of 20, after an extremely successful last junior year, I made it into the Swiss National Elite Team. I am now on the same team as the current world champion, which is very instructive and fun!

The first elite year (2017) was quite successful and I could already celebrate some small successes. However, the year was marked by a knee injury that I suffered during a competition.

The past year was also positive: With the selection and the 14th place at the Student World Championships I have reached my season goal. In autumn I continued to perform well and even competed at the World Cup once.