2011 Archive

It was a day of solid performances for the Australian men in today’s long distance event at the Junior World Orienteering Championships. Lachlan Dow led the way with 50th, followed by yesterday’s best Australian performer, Max Neve, who was 66th. The other four team members all finished in close proximity near the middle of the field.

The women had a somewhat disappointing day, with Belinda Lawford unable to repeat her sprint performance and the others all finishing in the bottom half of the field, Krystal Neumann’s 82nd being the best of the results. It was again a Danish 1-2, with Ida Bobach taking her tally of gold medals to six and Emma Klingenberg again runner-up.

The next competition is the middle distance qualification on Wednesday.

Men

1. Yngve Skogstad (NOR)       68.49

2. Robert Merl (AUT)       70.23

3. Lucas Basset (FRA)       70.36

50. Lachlan Dow       81.22

66. Max Neve           85.23

81. Josh Blatchford      88.24

83. Oliver Poland        89.17

86. Oscar McNulty      90.51

87. Ian Lawford          91.09

Women

1. Ida Bobach (DEN)     55.23

2. Emma Klingenberg (DEN)   56.51

3. Tove Alexandersson (SWE)   57.37

82. Krystal Neumann          78.24

88. Belinda Lawford            79.50

96. Georgia Parsons           84.23

115. Claire Butler              97.27

116. Jacqui Doyle             97.54

Lilian Burrill                    DNF

Three Australians reached the top ten at today’s World Masters sprint final, led by Susanne Casanova’s 5th in W35. She fell only five seconds short of a medal in her WMOC debut, squeezed out of the places by former JWOC medallist Annika Bjork and long-standing Romanian international Veronica Minoiu.

Hermann Wehner added another to his long list of single-digit placings with a 6th place in M85, whilst Ann Ingwersen reached the top ten for the first time when she came 9th in W65.

Other Australians to finish in the top 20 were Jenny Casanova (12th, W35), Jim Russell (13th, M50) and Blair Trewin (17th, M40). Jim was on course for a medal when he missed a control late in the course and had to return.

Competition continues with the first long qualifier on Tuesday.

Men: Max Neve 29th, Lachlan Dow 33rd, Ian Lawford 35th, Oscar McNulty 62nd, Josh Blatchford 75th, Oliver Poland 103rd.

Women: Belinda Lawford 42nd, Lilian Burrill 94th, Claire Butler 95th, Georgia Parsons 110th, Krystal Neumann 112th, Jacqui Doyle 126th.

22 Australians have reached the sprint finals, to be held tomorrow, at the World Masters Orienteering Championships in Hungary.

The Australian highlight of qualification day, held in the old town of Pecs, was Jim Russell’s win in heat 1 of M50. He will have a good medal chance tomorrow, as will Hermann Wehner, who qualified second in M85.

Other Australians who look to be in with a good chance of a final result in the top ten, or perhaps better, include Susanne and Jenny Casanova (4th and 6th in W35), Ann Ingwersen (third in W65-2), Debbie Davey (5th in W50-1) and Grant McDonald (fifth in M50-2).

The Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) and World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC) will both be getting under way in Europe this weekend.

JWOC is taking place in Poland with a full Australian team of six men and six women. The first race is the sprint, on Sunday afternoon. Australia will go into the sprint with high hopes, particularly in the men’s event where several team members have performed well at senior domestic level this year. The remaining events are the long distance on Monday, the middle distance on Wednesday (qualification) and Thursday (final), and the relay on Friday.

48 Australians will take the field at the World Masters at Pecs in southern Hungary, which starts with the sprint this weekend (qualification on Saturday, final on Sunday). Previous Australian WMOC medallists in the field are Hermann Wehner (M85) and Jim Russell (M50); others who have good chances for high placings include Susanne Casanova (W35), Grant McDonald (M50) and Ted van Geldermalsen (M55). Australia also has one of the oldest competitors in the event, Paul Adrian, who is one of six entrants in M90 (there is also one M95). Remaining events are the two long distance qualification events (Tuesday and Wednesday) and the long final (Friday).

The 2012 SILVA National Orienteering League program has been confirmed. 2012 will be the 20th season of the NOL, and it will be the largest program yet held with 20 races. Races have previously been held in all states and the ACT, but for the first time the Northern Territory will host a round. To be held in August, it will include the Northern Territory Championships and should draw a strong crowd of elite and age-class competitors as a mid-winter escape to warmer climates.

The Eureka Challenge will again be the season opener, including the famous Massed Start Hagaby race in complex gold mining terrain. The 2012 Easter 3-days in Queensland will be followed by a weekend of racing in Brisbane. The WOC trials will be held in Newcastle, NSW in May before the national team heads to WOC in Switzerland.

The final round will be in Tasmania, including the Middle, Sprint, Long and Relay Australian Championships.

Round 1- March 10-11- Ballarat, Victoria

Round 2- April  6-9- 2012 Easter 3 Days in Queensland.

Round 2b- April  14-15- weekend following Easter in Brisbane

Round 3- May 12-13- WOC trials in Newcastle, NSW

Round 4- August 10-12- Northern Territory

Round 5a- Sept 22-23- Tasmania- Australian Middle Distance and Tasmanian Long Distance Championships

Round 5b- Sept 28-30- Tasmania- Australian Sprint, Long and Relay Championships.

Further information will be posted on the Orienteering Australia website in coming months.

Melanie Simpson, one of our Australian team members competed well in the middle distance World Cup event placing 19th, just 10 minutes behind the winner, Marika Hara from Finland. In the long distance event she had some difficulties, placing 38th, with another Finn rider in Susanna Laurila sprinting to a 2 second win over Russia’s Ksenia Chernyh. With a mass start, this long distance event evidently resembled a xc mt bike race, with riders jostling for positions in the main pack.
Victories in the men went to Jussi Laurila (Finland) – middle and Erik Skovgaard Knudsen (Denmark) – long.
Finland domination continued in the mixed relay with Hara, Laurila and Juho Saarinen having a narrow win over Switzerland, with Denmark third.

Australia had 3 representatives in the Masters World Championships. In the 40+ Newcastle’s Damian Welbourne did exceedingly well in placing 20th in the long event, and was 37th in the sprint and 38th in the middle. Johan Salfors, who has just moved back to Sweden after 2 years residing in Victoria, placed 27th, 29th and 31st in the same category.
Albury-Wodonga stalwart Leigh Privett, competing in 60+ also had his best result of 16th in the long, with 21st in the sprint and 18th in the middle.

National Round 2 and Queensland Middle and Long Championships – July 30-31 
Yarraman, Queensland.
Why not escape the winter and chase the sunshine and MTBO controls in Queensland.
Race Australian Jwoc star Chris Firman and give him some good competition just days before he heads overseas to the Worlds.
Entry and more details:  http://www.qld-mtbo-champs.com.au/

Last weekend near Auckland the New Zealand Pinestars retained the Key/Aspin Trophy, defeating the Australian Bushrangers. The test match points are at ANZ_TestMatch_QB_2011

The test matches were part of the NZ QBIII Three Days and the best Australian performer in the Three Days was Belinda Lawford  who finished second in W21E behind the Pinestars’ Kate Morrison. Bushrangers Rachael Effeney and Aislinn Prendergast finished 7^th and 8^th.

In M21E there was a clean sweep of the placings to Kiwis Toby Scott, Gene Beveridge and Karl Dravitzi. The best of the Australians were Simon Uppill in 4^th place and Rob Preston 10^th.

The Australian Bushrangers’ competition continued in New Zealand today, with the team finding the going tougher than yesterday, particularly in the men’s event where the locals, led by Karl Dravtizki, filled the first four places.

Belinda Lawford was again the best Australian performer, taking third behind Amber and Kate Morrison. Aislinn Prendergast recovered from a poor first day to fill fourth place. Simon Uppill (fifth) was again the best of the men, with Rob Preston (tenth) the only other one in the top ten. Amongst the women Rachel Effeney was eighth and Mace Neve ninth.

Competition concludes on Monday.

Splits

Simon Uppill and Belinda Lawford got the Australian Bushrangers tour off to a good start with second placings in the first race of the weekend in New Zealand on Saturday morning, each only being bettered by a member of the Morrison clan. Uppill was three minutes down on Ross Morrison, while – in probably her best result at senior level – Lawford led a close bunch behind runaway winner Kate Morrison.

Other Australian top-ten finishers were Evan Barr (5th), Lachlan Dow (8th), Anna Sheldon (5th), Rachel Effeney (6th) and Mace Neve (10th).

Competition continues with a sprint this afternoon before two more races tomorrow.