The World Orienteering Championships takes place from Saturday 20 August – Sunday 28 August 2016 and Great Britain have a team of 13 athletes targeting top performances as they compete in the forests and around the harbour districts of Strömstad and Tanum in Sweden.

Fresh from his GOLD medal performance at the World Universities Orienteering Championships on 31 July, Kris Jones is an athlete to watch as he takes on the world in the Sprint event that takes place on the first day of the competition (Saturday 20 August 2016). He will be joined by World Orienteering Championships debutant, Peter Hodkinson, who also put in a superb performance at the World Universities Orienteering Championships with 9th place and Ralph Street who has spent much of the past year training on his speed in Australia.

Charlotte Ward will head the women’s trio in the Sprint after achieving 7th at the World Universities Orienteering Championships and will be joined by the in-form Alice Leake and World Orienteering Championships debutant, Jo Shepherd.

Three-quarters of the GOLD medal winning team from the World Universities Orienteering Championships will then take the stage on Day 2 with the aim of replicating their performances. The team will include Kris Jones, Peter Hodkinson and Charlotte Ward who competed at the World Universities Orienteering Championships with Cat Taylor completing the quartet.

Hollie Orr, who finished 6th in the Long Distance at the European Orienteering Championships at the end of May, will spearhead the women’s team in the forest events. Hollie, who has a wealth of experience in international competition, will ‘triple-up’ to run the Middle distance (Day 4 on Tuesday 23 August 2016), Long distance (Day 6 on Thursday 25 August 2016) and the Forest Relay (Day 8 on Saturday 27 August 2016). She will be joined by Jo Shepherd in the Middle distance and Long distance, by Cat Taylor in the Long distance and Forest Relay. Jessica Tullie will join her in the Middle distance and Forest Relay.

Graham Gristwood and Ralph Street were part of the 2015 Forest Relay team who just missed out on the bronze medal in the 2015 World Orienteering Championships. They will line up again, joined by Kris Jones, with the target of medal success in this 2016 World Orienteering Championship.

Graham and Ralph will also line up in the Middle distance race and will be joined by Hector Haines who will ‘double-up’ by running the Long distance. Hector will be looking to build on last year’s results where he finished 10th in the Middle distance and 17th in the Long distance. Alasdair McLeod, who finished 26th in the Long distance last year, and Alan Cherry, who is making his World Orienteering Championships debut, will also be lining up in the Long distance race.

The full British Orienteering team for the World Orienteering Championships in Sweden,
Saturday 20 – Sunday 28 August 2016:

Great Britain Team

Individual Sprint
(Qualifier Saturday 20 August, Final Saturday 20 August 2016)

World Orienteering Championships

Great Britain Team

Mixed Sprint Relay (Sunday 21 August 2016)

World Orienteering Championships

Great Britain Team

Middle distance (Tuesday 23 August 2016)

World Orienteering Championships

Great Britain Team

Long distance (Thursday 25 August 2016)

World Orienteering Championships

Great Britain Team

Forest Relay (Saturday 27 August 2016)

The full programme of the event is available here.

British Orienteering wishes the Great Britain Team all the very best as they compete at the 2016 World Orienteering Championships.

Item posted by Jennie Taylor, Marketing Manager