Oceania’s best orienteers converge on Tasmania

ORIENTEERING Tasmania’s perseverance through Covid will reap dividends when the Oceania Orienteering Championships are held across the state’s north over the next week.

After the pandemic put paid to Tasmania’s chance to host the national championships in 2020, and again after it was initially pushed back to 2021, the event has attracted more than 500 competitors from 13 countries.

Competition opens with the Oceania Sprint Championships at Newnham’s UTAS campus on Saturday.

Launceston product and current Oceania sprint and long distance champion Brodie Nankervis will be tough to beat on home turf, as will Victoria’s 2019 junior world championships gold medallist Aston Key.

The women’s field features Hobart’s junior world championship and elite world championships competitor Mikayla Cooper, regarded as Tasmania’s top orienteer.

Promising Tasmanian juniors in Launceston’s Euan Best (male 16s) and Hobart’s Liana Stubbs are also expected to contend, while the international contingent features New Zealanders Toby Scott and Lizzie Ingham, American Evalin Brautigam, Italian Francesca Taufer and Brits Jim Bailey and Rachel Duckworth.

Event director Christine Brown said the event was a chance for the state to showcase the facilities it built through the pandemic which ultimately were not used.

“We were supposed to hold the Australian championships in 2020, which were postponed until 2021 and then canned,” Brown said.

“Because of the preparation for that carnival we had brand new courses and maps that had never been used.

“When the opportunity to host Oceania came along, Orienteering Tasmania put in a bid.

“The event is run every two years alternating between Australia and New Zealand.

“Brodie is the current sprint and long distance champion for Oceania, and he’s targeting going to the world championships at Switzerland in July.”

The sprint event is expected to be run and won in about 13 minutes, while the Long Distance Championships will take place at St Helens’ at Bosses Rocks on Sunday, and Bells Marsh Forest Reserve on Monday.

The middle distance and relay events will also be held at St Helens on Wednesday and Thursday.

Go to our website for the full schedule, times and locations.