Zeke Buschl (7), of Outram, records his time at the final
control point before winning the under 10-year-old male
course during day three of the New Zealand orienteering
championships at Earnscleugh yesterday. Photo by Rosie
Manins.
It was business as usual for Ross Morrison (Hawke's Bay)
as he picked up his third national title in his third
championships over the 4.5km middle distance at Bannockburn in
Central Otago on Saturday.
Morrison made up for some earlier navigational mistakes and
held off a strong challenge from Darren Ashmore, of Rotorua,
to win in 32min 25sec.
Ashmore crossed the line 19sec later with Bryn Davies
(Manawatu) finishing third in 34min 44sec.
"I managed to get my act together and was really focused,"
Morrison said.
Morrison had to settle for second in the sprint event on Good
Friday, when former world champion Carsten Joergensen taking
the honours.
Penny Kane, of Wellington, picked up her seventh national
title in the women's elite grade.
With recent training including rock-hopping tramping trips,
Kane found that she had the strength to handle the uneven
ground with ease, and she sped around the course in complete
control, apart from a navigational hiccup in front of the
spectator control crowd.
Also illustrating the fine balance between speed and
navigational control was junior Angela Simpson, who returned
to top form with an emphatic win in the junior elite grade.
Junior world championships team-mate Scott McDonald was also
in winning form, heading Matt Ogden and Gene Beveridge by a
minute for a win in the junior elite men.
The race was staged in the Naseby forest with its intricate
sluicing detail and water races.
The championships continued at Earnscleugh yesterday, and
conclude with relays in and around Naseby today.
More than 450 people from throughout New Zealand, Australia,
the United Kingdom, and Europe registered for the annual
championships.
Otago last held the championships in 1998, when they were
centred on coastal and forested areas.
This year, courses are structured around landscapes with a
relationship to early gold mining.
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