The 2007 World Orienteering Championships got under way today with the qualification heats of the Sprint Distance in Kiev, Ukraine. With forecasted temperatures over 30 degrees, and a trip for the Australian teams involving two metros and a bus ride, the day was going to provide some interesting challenges.

The area “Golosiivo” provided a combination of park and forest including some built-up areas and was hoped to provide the ideal start to a successful championship for the Australian team, not least for our reigning world champion in this discipline, Hanny Allston.

In the men, Julian Dent qualified comfortably in Heat C which was won resoundingly by superstar Thierry Gueorgiou with a massive 23 seconds margin. The other crowd pleasing result of the day was local star Yurii Omelchenko winning his heat despite some ageing legs. Troy de Haas and Rob Walter both narrowly missed qualification. The last qualifier in Heat B (ahead of Rob) was Ross Morrison of New Zealand.

Hanny Allston showed she is not far from the class that brought her success last year, qualifying a very strong 3^rd place in heat B. The stand-out female in the qualifications was Ingunn Hultgreen Weltzien from Norway, winner of heat A with a massive margin of 35 seconds. Simone Niggli, perhaps Hanny’s main competition, won heat C. Grace Elson and Kathryn Ewels both qualified comfortably in their heats providing 3 Australian runners in the final for next Sunday. Anna Sheldon had difficulty at the end of the course and did not qualify.

Results

Men’s Heats – 2.9 km

Bracket equals time ahead (+) or behind (-) the last qualifier.

Women’s Heats – 2.3km

The top 15 in each heat qualify for the final being held over a week away, on Sunday 26^th.

For more personal appraisals of the day be sure to check out the Australian Team Blog.