Here's my list:.....but hopefully it'll change by the end of the week!
1. Yvette Hague (Baker) - World Champion 1999 and multi international medallist.
2. Jamie Stevenson - World Champion sprint 2003, + World champion relay bronze
3. Heather Munro - World Champion bronze medallist sprint 2005
4. Steve Hale - World Champion relay silver medallist + multi international medalist
5. Steve Palmer - World Champion relay silver medallist
6= Jon Musgrave - World Champion relay silver medallist
6= Bilbo Bagness - World Champion relay silver medallist
8. Jon Duncan - World Champion Relay bronze medallist + many classy individual/relay runs
9. Dan Marston - World Champion Relay bronze medalist
10. Alison O'neil - Junior World Champ medallist 2004
Great Britains - Top 10 all time best orienteers
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Depends what you mean by greatest: you look to have used very narrow criteria. You've got to look at the context, and look at the history. Off the top of my heard, I would certainly include:
Geoff Peck: a Brit well before his time, with a remarkable WOC 11th place in 1972 (?) in Czechoslovakia, a Classic/Long position only bettered last year by Jamie.
Carol McNeill: the first Brit to ever achieve top 10 at World level, with a fantastic 7th in 1979 (?) WOC in Finland, and multiple gold medallist in the World Vets Championships (if you're including someone based on a single JWOC bronze medal, then this has to count for something!)
Sue Parkin: the first Brit (I think) to win an international race, relay runner par excellent (I still remember her coming back 1st in the World Champs in Switzerland on first leg).
Geoff Peck: a Brit well before his time, with a remarkable WOC 11th place in 1972 (?) in Czechoslovakia, a Classic/Long position only bettered last year by Jamie.
Carol McNeill: the first Brit to ever achieve top 10 at World level, with a fantastic 7th in 1979 (?) WOC in Finland, and multiple gold medallist in the World Vets Championships (if you're including someone based on a single JWOC bronze medal, then this has to count for something!)
Sue Parkin: the first Brit (I think) to win an international race, relay runner par excellent (I still remember her coming back 1st in the World Champs in Switzerland on first leg).
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awk - god
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I agree that Carol should definitely be up there, at least at number 5. She was a true pioneer. As well as those contenders awk has pointed out, I remember top 20 positions and great relay runs from the likes of Chris Hirst, Colin MacIntyre and Jean Ramsden. Perhaps someone who was actually there (as opposed to reading about it in their parents' copy of Compass Sport) can give more details.
And before all you youngsters start going on about how much easier things were then without all the new Eastern European countries, bear in mind that there was also far less opportunity to get a result. There was just one WOC individual race plus relay every two years. No sprint or middle race, no annual WOC, no World Cup.
At the top end of the list, I'd move Stan up to number 2. His 1993 relay leg was the equivalent of an individual gold medal and possibly the greatest run ever by a GB orienteer.
Patrick
And before all you youngsters start going on about how much easier things were then without all the new Eastern European countries, bear in mind that there was also far less opportunity to get a result. There was just one WOC individual race plus relay every two years. No sprint or middle race, no annual WOC, no World Cup.
At the top end of the list, I'd move Stan up to number 2. His 1993 relay leg was the equivalent of an individual gold medal and possibly the greatest run ever by a GB orienteer.
Patrick
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Patrick wrote:possibly the greatest run ever by a GB orienteer.
Definitely. He was, I think, several minutes quicker than anyone else, going from 5th to 2nd. As Stan's split times came back there was an atmosphere of disbelief: contrast e.g. to the excitement when Yvette and her pack came past on home ground WOC99 and she'd finally got a gold medal, but not the classic one she'd wanted and deserved for years.
Only comparable run I can recall was Yvette winning the Nordics in about 1992(?): beating the Scandinavian on their own ground, in the biggest race of the (non-WOC) year with twice as many athletes from the top nations as in the WOC final.
Heather is undoubtedly one of the top-5, medal notwithstanding, she was yesterday too. And while Bilbo is undoubtedly one of our greatest athletes, its not because of the WOC relay run where he was ten minutes off the pace.
WOC2024 Edinburgh
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
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graeme - god
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WOC 1993 in America
1st day. Stan Hale 4th in the Short, one second off bronze. Best GB result ever.
2nd day. Yvette 3rd in the Classic. Best GB result ever.
3rd day. Men 2nd in the Relay, 15 seconds off gold. Best GB...you get the idea!
What Graeme says about Stan's relay run is exactly right, he was minutes ahead of anyone else, it was amazing.
It was a good week!
1st day. Stan Hale 4th in the Short, one second off bronze. Best GB result ever.
2nd day. Yvette 3rd in the Classic. Best GB result ever.
3rd day. Men 2nd in the Relay, 15 seconds off gold. Best GB...you get the idea!
What Graeme says about Stan's relay run is exactly right, he was minutes ahead of anyone else, it was amazing.
It was a good week!
Why did I do that...
- Jon X
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And Don't overlook
If you are drilling down to individual runs, don't overlook Heather's WOC relay run in Scotland 1999. Perhaps overshadowed by Yvette's medal but Heather started 2nd leg about 6th - I think - and brought the women in first on her leg. She caught the commentators out flat but yours truly saw her coming.
There were four legs and the team subsequently faded, but that was a sensational run.
Of course I'm biased . . .
Heather's Dad
- a1don
That run by Stan Hale was simply amazing - we've got an old Compass Sport from Nov 93 with Stan on the front, practically foaming at the mouth he's run so hard, and Stephen Palmer and Musgrave in the background (not forgetting Bilbo but he's not in it!). Brilliant picture I think, track it down sometime and read the issue - awesomely inspirational stuff.
- RhysFR
Yeah i don't think you can put Alison in there yet because even though she has pushed the boundaries by getting a medal at jwoc, jwoc doesn't compare to woc and there have been other great people missed off like geoff peck and even the likes of claire bolland and Dickie Jones for his Tio Mila wins amongst other things. if you are going to include jwoc you should also include wmoc and of course people like carol mcneill.
i would put carol in ahead of alison but that doesn't mean i don't think alison can be up there in the future..
next to heather's woc bronze you could put winning superelite at oringen (amazing) and also being 3rd overall in the world cup series. maybe you can also put in some more medals later in the week!
i would put carol in ahead of alison but that doesn't mean i don't think alison can be up there in the future..
next to heather's woc bronze you could put winning superelite at oringen (amazing) and also being 3rd overall in the world cup series. maybe you can also put in some more medals later in the week!
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harry - addict
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yeah Rollins is a legend. so much energy and team spirit too and to achieve all that coming into the sport at age 19 and combined with medical career, she is superwoman! but i'm sure her best is yet to come... maybe tomorrow and/or on Sunday!
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harry - addict
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In the World Masters I believe Anne Donnell won gold a few years back. She may well have done similar to todays crop given the opportunity, and also what about Elizabeth Brown. You can't really make an orienteer an all time great just on WOC. However if I had to vote for one it would be Carol Mc'Neill cos not only for her superb World Masters Record but alspo for what she's put back into the sport through her coaching of youngsters. She's a true legend
Hocolite
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I'd vote for Elizabeth Brown, maybe not the best orienteer in terms of results but definatlly the greatest. And she's still going espcially after her accident a few years back!!
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Ernie_Wise - yellow
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Anonymous wrote: You can't really make an orienteer an all time great just on WOC.
Why not? In a given year it is the ultimate test.
The field always contains the vast majority of the world's best, something that is far from true at the Masters, good though success at that event is.
she's put back into the sport through her coaching of youngsters.
Admirable and invaluable as Carol's coaching contribution is, in a debate about GB's "best orienteer" its surely irrelevant. Judgement has to be based on race performances at the highest level. Something that Carol isn't short of either and given the background against which they were achieved, places her well up there in any list.
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