2 minute read
EUROPEAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2022 European Youth Orienteering Championships were held from the 2nd to the 4th of July in Salgótarján, Hungary. The competition consisted of 401 athletes from 34 countries, in the age classes of W16, M16, W18, and M18. Australia had a team of 5 competing at the Championships including Milla Key, Erika Enderby, Sam Woolford, Toby Cazzolato, and Mikayla Enderby. With no major international competition for our Australian Juniors since Oceania 2019 and the disappointment of the Oceania and Australian Championships being cancelled twice, it was great finally see some Australian juniors being able to compete at an international event. EYOC was the first European event for most of the Australian team. The races included a Long Distance, Sprint and a Relay. The first race was the Long Distance and was tough for all of the team with temperatures reaching 38 degrees along with being their first orienteering race in the Hungarian terrain. It was very hilly with some very steep gullies, which were very difficult to get into and out of, but was relatively open and nice to run through. The Sprint was held in the afternoon the following day, again very hot with many stairs to climb. It was great to see Australia achieve top 30 results. The Relay was on the final day. Milla and Erika ran in an incomplete team in the W16 and Sam and Toby ran in an incomplete team in the M18. All races included a quarantine at the Start with a similar silent starting procedure to those at the World Championships, involving no GPS watches, no phones, no maps, etc. This was a great experience for Sam and Erika who were competing at JWOC shortly
after the competition and the rest of the team who hope to compete at this level in the future. One of the highlights of the competition was the opening ceremony held on the Saturday after the Long Distance event, followed by the disco. It was also fun staying at the team accommodation with New Zealand, Ireland and Slovakia. Overall it was an amazing experience for all the team, and a great introduction to junior elite orienteering in Europe.
Sam in the Long distance.
m18 long distance scale 1:10000 contours 5m
w16 sprint scale 1:4000 contours 2.5m
RESULTS
Long Distance: W16 – Erika Enderby 59th, Milla Key 65th; W18 – Mikayla Enderby 86th; M18 – Sam Woolford 60th, Toby Cazzolato 95th. Sprint: W16 – Milla Key 16th, Erika Enderby 27th; W18 – Mikayla Enderby 85th; M18 – Sam Woolford 22nd, Toby Cazzolato 67th.
Milla Key during the European Youth Championship Sprint. Mikayla in the Sprint. Toby Cazzolato.
