Tasmania’s junior world champion (long distance) Hanny Allston placed 5^th in the Super Elite class at O-Ringen, the world’s biggest orienteering competition. Allston, who was competing against the world’s top orienteers in the senior ranks, achieved Australia’s best ever performance in the race although still being eligible to compete in the junior class.

O-Ringen was held in the Halsingland region of Sweden, which is renowned for having some of the rockiest and most technical orienteering terrain in the world. Allston handled the terrain with maturity beyond her years placing 4 ^th, 3^rd and 7^th on the 3 days of competition.

The race winner was Switzerland’s multiple world champion Simone Niggli, ahead of Russian Tatiana Ryabkina, and Swede Lena Eliasson. Behind Allston in the result list was the rest of the Swedish team to compete at the World Championships, and a who’s who of the world top runners.

The next competition for Allston is the World Championships to be held in Denmark, starting with the qualification races on the 29^th of July. Allston will spend her lead up to the World Championships training with Niggli in Denmark.

Results

O-Ringen at Bollnas, Sweden

Super Elite Women: Final Standings: S Niggli (SUI) 1h 30m 16s, T Ryabkina (RUS) 1h 33m 27s, L Eliasson (SWE) 1h 35m 46s, H Allston (AUS) 1h 36m 56s 5^th.

Super Elite Men: Final Standings: S Krepsta (LIT) 1h 56m 18s, D Renard (FRA) 1h 57m 29s, J Modig (SWE) 1h 58m 37s.