JAMIE STEVENSON WINS GOLD FOR BRITAIN AT THE 20th WORLD
ORIENTERERING
CHAMPIONSHIPS
In seering heat in Rapperswill central Switzerland Jamie
Stevenson took the
first Gold Medal of the World Orienteering Championships in
the Sprint
Competition. Jamie’s performance to win by 19 seconds
over a 13 minute
course through the town was outstanding. Even over the relatively
short
distance many competitors found the heat too much at the end.
The orienteering sprint discipline is run against the clock
through towns
and parks to attract spectators. It was first introduced in
the World
Championships in 2001. Rapperswill and the Swiss Orienteering
Federation
prepared a splendid course through this historic town by lake
Zurichsee. The
town turned out in force to cheer on all the competitors and
were well
rewarded in the end, seeing their local heroine Simone Luder
win the womens
Sprint by 9 seconds from another Swiss, Marie-Luce Romanens
The British pair for the Sprint was Jamie and Nick Barrable
who finished in
a very creditable 21 place in his first championships. The
women’s pair was
led by Sarah Rollins with a suberb 8th and Helen Bridle17th,
again in her
first Championships.
Jamie put his win down to concentration particularly at the
start, making
the right route choices throughout and stamina to finish fast
at the end. He
is due to compete in the middle distance race on Friday and
the relay on
Saturday. Jamie comes from Edinburgh and lives and trains
in Sweden
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