Simone Niggli-Luder facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Simone Niggli-Luder

Simone Niggli-Luder in 2006.
Personal information
Nationality	Swiss
Born	(1978-01-09) 9 January 1978 (age 47) Burgdorf
Residence	Münsingen, Switzerland Ulricehamn, Sweden
Alma mater	University of Bern
Years active	1988 - 2013
Sport
Sport	Orienteering
Club	OLV Hindelbank
Medal record Women's orienteering Representing  Switzerland World Championships Gold 2001 Tampere Long Gold 2003 Rapperswil-Jona Sprint Gold 2003 Rapperswil-Jona Middle Gold 2003 Rapperswil-Jona Long Gold 2003 Rapperswil-Jona Relay Gold 2004 Västerås Sprint Gold 2005 Aichi Sprint Gold 2005 Aichi Middle Gold 2005 Aichi Long Gold 2005 Aichi Relay Gold 2006 Aarhus Middle Gold 2006 Aarhus Long Gold 2007 Kyiv Sprint Gold 2007 Kyiv Middle Gold 2009 Miskolc Long Gold 2010 Trondheim Sprint Gold 2010 Trondheim Long Gold 2012 Lausanne Sprint Gold 2012 Lausanne Long Gold 2012 Lausanne Relay Gold 2013 Vuokatti Sprint Gold 2013 Vuokatti Middle Gold 2013 Vuokatti Long Silver 2006 Aarhus Sprint Silver 2010 Trondheim Middle Bronze 2001 Tampere Sprint Bronze 2006 Aarhus Relay Bronze 2007 Kyiv Long Bronze 2009 Miskolc Middle Bronze 2009 Miskolc Sprint Bronze 2013 Vuokatti Relay World Games Gold 2005 Duisburg Middle Gold 2005 Duisburg Relay World Cup Gold 2002 WC Overall Gold 2004 WC Overall Gold 2005 WC Overall Gold 2006 WC Overall Gold 2007 WC Overall Gold 2009 WC Overall Gold 2010 WC Overall Gold 2012 WC Overall Gold 2013 WC Overall Silver 2000 WC Overall European Championships Gold 2002 Sümeg Classic Gold 2004 Roskilde Sprint Gold 2004 Roskilde Long Gold 2006 Otepää Sprint Gold 2006 Otepää Long Gold 2010 Primorsko Middle Gold 2010 Primorsko Long Gold 2012 Falun Sprint Gold 2012 Falun Middle Gold 2012 Falun Long Silver 2000 Truskavets Short Silver 2002 Sümeg Relay Silver 2006 Otepää Relay Silver 2010 Primorsko Sprint Bronze 2010 Primorsko Relay Nordic Championships Gold 2007 Bornholm Middle Gold 2007 Bornholm Long Silver 2001 Mikkeli Classic Silver 2005 Notodden Sprint Silver 2005 Notodden Middle Silver 2005 Notodden Long Silver 2007 Bornholm Relay Bronze 2005 Notodden Relay Junior World Championships Gold 1997 Leopoldsburg Classic Silver 1996 Govora Relay Bronze 1997 Leopoldsburg Relay Bronze 1998 Reims Relay

Simone Niggli-Luder, born on January 9, 1978, is a famous Swiss orienteering athlete. She is known for winning all four women's competitions at the World Championships not just once, but twice! Many people consider her one of the best orienteers ever.

About Simone Niggli-Luder

Simone Luder grew up in Burgdorf, a town in Switzerland. She studied biology at the University of Bern and finished her studies in 2003. In the same year, she married Matthias Niggli, who is also an orienteering athlete from Switzerland. Today, they live in Münsingen, near Bern, and also in Ulricehamn, Sweden.

Her Amazing Orienteering Career

Simone started orienteering at a young age. She joined the Swiss club OLV Hindelbank and took part in her first competition when she was only ten years old. Since then, she has achieved many incredible things.

She won a gold medal at the Junior World Championships in 1997. Simone has been the Swiss champion 20 times! She also won the Finnish championships once and the Swedish championships nine times. She won the World Cup five times and earned seven gold medals at the European Championships. Overall, she has an amazing 23 gold medals from the World Championships.

In 2003, Simone achieved something truly special. At the World Championships in Rapperswil, Switzerland, she won gold in all four women's events. These events included the sprint, middle distance, long distance, and the team relay. She repeated this amazing feat two years later at the World Championships in Aichi, Japan.

Simone Niggli-Luder and Marianne Andersen at World Orienteering Championships 2007

Simone Niggli-Luder and Frenchman Thierry Gueorgiou, middle distance gold medalists, World Orienteering Championships 2007

At the European Championships in 2006, held in Otepää, Estonia, she won gold medals in the sprint and long distance races. The Swiss team, with Simone, came in second place in the relay race. At the World Championships in 2007 in Kyiv, Ukraine, she won gold again in the middle and sprint distances. She also earned a bronze medal in the long distance race.

Simone took breaks from competing in 2008 and 2011 to have her children. She had her first child in 2008 and twins in 2011. She made a very successful return to the sport in 2009. At the World Orienteering Championships in Miskolc, Hungary, she won a gold medal in the long distance race. She also earned bronze medals in the middle and sprint distances.

At the 2013 World Championships in Vuokatti, Finland, Simone won all three individual races: sprint, middle, and long distance. She also helped her team win a bronze medal in the relay event.

In 2001, Simone spent a year in Finland and won the Finnish championship while running for the club Turun Suunnistajat. Later, from July 2003, she ran for the Swedish club Ulricehamns OK. In September 2013, Simone Niggli-Luder announced she would retire from elite orienteering at the end of that year. She finished her career after the last World Cup race in New Zealand. Simone holds over 60 victories in World Cup races.

Simone's World Championship Medals

Here is a table showing Simone Niggli-Luder's results at the World Orienteering Championships.