JWOC 2026 Round-up

Sprint 

The championships opened with the Sprint race through the streets of Karlskrona. Competitors were faced with a very technically demanding course with lots of artificial barriers in hot, humid conditions. There was a fantastic atmosphere in the arena with lots of GB supporters cheering on our athletes. James Hammond led the British men's team with a 33rd-place finish, while Emily Atkinson was the highest-placed British woman in 59th.

Emily reflected on her race, "I was happy with my flow in and out of the controls and having a plan for the whole race. I felt in control of my nav the whole time, which was good. Unfortunately, I picked very few of the quickest route choices, which was frustrating. It seems the more wiggly routes were actually the shortest, and I was choosing simpler routes instead, which turned out to be a lot longer and slower."

Images below: Jocie Hilton and Ewen Wilkinson. Credit: Svensk Orienteering. 

Sprint Relay

On Day 2 of the competition, the teams assembled back in Trosso in central Karlskrona for the JWOC 2026 Sprint Relay race. Courses were less technical, but there were some decisive route choice legs and plenty of gaffling.

Racing was fast and furious from the start. GB1 (Emily Atkinson, Ewen Wilkinson, James Hammond and Jocie Hilton) finished 14th Nation. GB2 (Daisy Rennie, Finn Selmer Duguid, Oliver Duncan and Lyra Medlock) were 36th overall, and GB3 (Heather High, Tommy Rollins, Finlay McLuckie & Ruth Gooch) finished 44th. The performance of the day came from James Hammond, who finished 6th on his leg.

James said of his run, "The Mixed Sprint Relay is the most fun event at JWOC. I was really motivated to have a clean and fast run and do the best I could for the team. I was really pleased with how my run went."

Images below: James Hammond & Jocie Hilton (Credit: Tymofii Teremetskyi). Then Daisy Rennie, Emily Atkinson and Heather High (Credit: Johanna Wilhelmsson).

Long Distance

The Long Distance race provided the first forest challenge of the week in the demanding terrain around Augerum. Courses were very technically and physically challenging.

GB's best performances came from Ruth Gooch in 31st, Finn Selmer Duguid in 17th and James Hammond in 24th.

Ruth summed up her performance, "I was pleased with my run and was happy with the controls I approached cautiously, unfortunately there were a few that I felt were a bit scrappy".

Finn reflected, "It was a good run. I found the course quite challenging because it was so long, and the most technical parts came in the latter stages. I was very careful to stay in control throughout the race."

Image below: Finn Selmer Duguid (Credit: Bengt Strindhagen).

Middle Distance

Following the rest day, athletes headed to the forests of Bussevik for the Middle Distance. Oliver Duncan impressed with an outstanding run to finish 18th in his JWOC debut, showing excellent technical confidence throughout the course. He said about his race, “I'm very happy with my run. This is the terrain I have prepared the most for. I had the confidence to run fast whilst maintaining control, although some small mistakes were inevitable in such technical terrain.”

Emily Atkinson was once again the leading British woman, placing 24th after one of her strongest international performances to date. She reflected on her race, “I’m very happy with my run today! Nav was cleaner than I could have hoped for with only a few small control circle hesitations.”

Images below: Emily Atkinson (Credit: Tymofii Teremetskyi), Tommy Rollins (Credit: Bengt Strindhagen), and Lyra Medlock (Credit: Johanna Wilhelmsson).

Forest Relay

The championships concluded with the Forest Relay, returning once more to Bussevik. The forest was very technically demanding, with many teams making big mistakes.

Both the men's and women's races were incredibly exciting, with the lead changing several times over the course of the relay. Team GB produced determined performances against some of the world's strongest junior nations. The men's first team of Finn Selmer Duguid, Oliver Duncan and James Hammond finished 11th Nation, narrowly missing a top-10 finish after a competitive race. The women's team of Emily Atkinson, Ruth Gooch and Jocie Hilton placed 16th Nation in another technically demanding relay contest.

Images below: Oliver Duncan (Credit: Bengt Strindhagen).

Across the week, Team GB demonstrated encouraging depth, resilience and continued improvement.

Several athletes achieved career-best JWOC results, while other members of the squad gained invaluable experience that will support their future development at both junior and senior international level.

British Orienteering would like to congratulate every athlete on their performances and thank the coaches, support staff, families and volunteers whose commitment made the championships possible. We also extend our thanks to the organisers and volunteers in Sweden for delivering an excellent Junior World Orienteering Championships.