South Yorkshire take British O Champs
Fast conditions meant for fast runs in the New Forest
Last weekend saw the kick off of the new orienteering season with the British Champs for juniors and seniors on Saturday followed by the British Relay Champs on Sunday down in the New Forest.
Over 30 titles were up for grabs on the individual day, but unlike the running norm the elite/senior champions will be crowned at a later date in the racing season when they are at full racing speed after winter training. The areas chosen were fast underfoot with minimal amounts of climb but lacked the technical navigational element that a normal British Championships has to offer.
The victorious SYO1 team
The relay area was similar to the previous day and again drew some fast times from the winning teams. The men’s open class was won by South Yorkshire Orienteers, followed by Sheffield University and Octavian Droobers (Coventry), who had World Relay Champion Graham Gristwood anchoring the team on last leg who pulled them up 4 places and took the fastest split of the day by 2 minutes over the 7km course. Fortunately for me my team gave me enough of a lead after the first 2 legs to keep ahead of him and earn a silver medal.
Big run from Gristwood
The women’s open class was dominated by Cleveland Orienteering Klub leading from the start with the British Army team in second place and South Yorkshire making the podium in the women’s event as well.
