European Trail-O Championships

[JK]

Here is the programme for this ETOC http://www.eoc2012.se/etoc/ in Falun (where we'll be joined by the Foot-O chaps later on in the week):

Thu

Model Event

Fri

TempO - speed TrailO: 4 Heats, top 15 of each qualify for Final

Sat

Day 1

Sun

Day 2 and Team competition

A reminder of the GB team:
Clive Allen,
Nick Barrable
Charles Bromley Gardner
John Crosby
Ian Ditchfield
Sarah-Jane Gaffney
John Kewley

[kedge]

No medals or podium places for the British TrailO team at Falun either, but that statement disguises some very fine performances.

Sarah-Jane Gaffney, on her debut, has performed unbelievably well, with only one error per day, to come 17th overall with 42 points out of a maximum 44, whilst fellow team first timer Charles Bromley-Gardner, after a slightly sticky time on Day 1, scored a maximum of 22/22 on Day 2.

Ian Ditchfield and John Kewley also scored well over the weekend with 41/44 overall.

This sort of scoring would have guaranteed at least a podium place in previous years, but the technical excellence of the top TrailO competitors is now such that all six podium placed athletes had pefect scores on both days with placings being decided on the speed of answering the timed controls.

The top performers are getting younger too. This year's Open Class winner, Marit Wixsell, is still a W20.

The level of competition in the Paralympic class was not as high.The numbers of competitors are currently reduced after the recent and controversial toughening of the Paralympic eligibilty classification by the IOF. This has led to many experienced internationals, including most of the former GBR team members, becoming ineligible to compete in the Paralympic class under the new rules, and there were many inexperienced competitors in the field for ETOC 2012.

As usual in recent years, the Paralympic winner was the Swede Ola Jansson, the only Para competitor with a perfect score.


Full results can be found on the European Championships website http://www.eoc2012.se/etoc/etoc-results/

[AndyC]

results link didn't work but http://www.eoc2012.se/etoc/etoc-results/ only very slightly different might.

[kedge]

Thanks.

Original url duly edited so that it works.

[Oldman]

Thanks for these postings without which I and I suspect others would have been unaware of the results and performances. Congrats to Sarah-Jane, Charles, Ian and John.

[harry]

Well done to our awesome trail orienteers and good luck at the World Champs!

[JK]

Thanks harry

Highlights from ETOC:
* 2 qualified for TempO final
* SJG on her international Trail-O debut making only 1 mistake per day
* CBG on his international Trail-O debut getting a perfect score on day 2

Things to improve on:
* Having got to the final, neither of our team performed as well in it as in the Qualification.
* We were 1 step off the podium 6th place - we need to improve on this for WTOC

I'll post some info on WTOC next week

JK

[denzil53]

Great performances by everyone in Sweden. I have Fond memories of my TrailO debut two years ago. Regret that my move to Australia (now in Melbourne) has got in the way of my participation this year.

Good luck in the World Champs!

[JK]

You'll be in the AUS Trail-O team soon once they know your credentials and you get the right passport, but then you won't be eligible for BTOC any more

Re: WTOC - Bulletin 4 is out today so I have instructed the team to start "tapering" their training for the big event

JK

[denzil53]

Interestingly, there is a 4-page article on Trail-O in this month's Australian Orienteer magazine, so you never know!

[JK]

You should tell them that they have a reigning silver medal holder in their midst.

Of course since the Team rules have changed you'll be reigning Open Team silver medallist for many years to come

JK

[denzil53]

Can you remind me who is in the GB team for WTOC?

[kedge]

GBR TrailO Team for WTOC 2012

Open Class John Kewley, Ian Ditchfield , Clive Allen

Paralympic Class John Crosby

Unfortunately nobody else in the former paralympic group of competitors now qualifies under the new IOF regs. However most of us are involved this year as Officials

Hope its going well Down Under