Australians competing at the European Youth Orienteering Championships (EYOC)

ORIENTEERING AUSTRALIA NEWS BY MIKE DOWLING

The European Youth Orienteering Championships commenced in Velingrad, Bulgaria with the sprint distance. Australia was represented by Erika Enderby, Nea Shingler and Milla Key in the W18 class, and by Cooper Horley and Owen Radajewski in the M18 class. Nea had a great race to finish in seventh position with Erika 29th and Milla 66th in a field of 97 starters. Cooper just missed out on a top ten, finishing in 11th place, with Owen 75th in a field of 107 starters.

Australia, Finland and Norway were the only countries, out of 32, with entrants in MW18 but not in MW16. Overall, medals were shared by 12 European countries, with Switzerland gaining the top team score, followed by Finland and Czechia, Australia placed 24th, NZ 25th.

There was also a large contingent of Australians competing as part of the EYOC Tour. They included the Australian JWOC 2023 athletes in the MW20 category, keen to experience the terrain similar to that awaiting them in the neighbouring JWOC-hosting Romania. Officials and parents of our juniors also got to sample orienteering in the Rhodope Mountains.

In the sprint, M20 was dominated by Australians, with Callum White first, followed by David Stocks, Leith Soden, Toby Lang and Toby Cazzolato. Justine Hobson won W20, ahead of Natalie Miller. Heather O’Donnell was second in W45, and Jenny Enderby won W55. In the middle distance, David won M20, followed by Leith, Callum, Toby Cazzolato and Toby Lang. Natalie was second and Justine third in W20, Heather seventh in W45, and Jennifer won W55 again. In the mass start (middle) David, Leith, Callum, Janson Key and Toby Lang were the top five and only finishers in M20. Justine and Natalie raced just each other in W20. Serena Doyle came fourth in W21E, and Jenny Enderby third in W55.

Next year’s EYOC will be in Szczecin, north-western Poland, where the tallest hills are less than 150 m high.

Hania Lada

In the long distance Cooper placed 73rd in 1:22:37, and Owen 79th in 1:25:27. Nea was 43rd in 1:12:45, just 1 s ahead of Katherine Babington from NZ. Milla placed 52nd in 1:15:51, and Erika 57th in 1:17:02. The medallists in M16, W16, M18 and W18 were from Finland (two wins), Czechia (one win), France (one win), Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany and Hungary, so a substantial mix of countries.

In the W18 relay Milla, Erika and Nea were 15th out of 27 teams, and New Zealand placed 13th. Finland won, followed by Czechia and Hungary who had been 17th after the first leg. In M18 the first, second and third teams were Norway, Switzerland and Sweden respectively, in W16 –Finland, Switzerland and Poland, and in M16 – Czechia, Switzerland and Poland.