The first event of the European Trail Orienteering Championships in Slovakia is now complete. Over two very different competitions, Antti Rusanen (FIN) reigned supreme, winning both Pre-O (Precision Orienteering) days with a faultless performance. Kreso Kerestes (SLO) only made mistakes in the Timed Controls, taking the Silver Medal with 4th on Day 1 and 10th on Day 2. Norway and Sweden shared the other podium places.

Of the British competitors, Tom Dobra (UBOC) produced clearly the best performance on Day 2, with only one Timed Control error, to draw well clear of the others; he was 35th (out of 100 competitors). Charles Bromley Gardner (BAOC), who can navigate, just not punch the right controls, dropped a bit to 51st, ahead of Ian Ditchfield (MV) 62nd and John Kewley (MDOC) 64th. Iain Phillips (LEI) improved significantly from his first event with only 3 mistakes, moving up to 78th, whilst Peter Huzan (SLOW) slipped to 82nd.

Wheelchair competitors took first and second place in the Paralympic competition: Pavel Shmatov (RUS) – a Timed Control error behind Tom – from Jana Kostova (CZE). Sweden, Denmark and Norway filled the podum. Peter Roberts (EBOR) finished the best British competitor in 31st with Dick Keighley (WIM) in 33rd (of 50).

The competitions were a complete contrast, testing different skills: the first day was on a compact area of ditches, gullies, re-entrants and spurs, with limited visibility of the dead ground and masses of control flags viewed from different directions. Only 4 competitors did not make a mistake. In contrast, Day 2 was in a steep-sided valley with plenty of rock features: most of the controls were 25m above our heads at the limit of visibility. However 24 competitors got all the controls correct, so this was a much easier day to be perfect.