The Australian Schools Orienteering Championships wrapped up today at Pine Island Reserve. For many, the relay is the best day of the carnival – and Pine Island delivered. The arena was awash in team colours, from hair spray and zinc cream to nail polish, alongside fast racing, changing leads and all the drama that makes relay day so special.
Following yesterday’s demanding Long Distance race at Mount Ainslie, Pine Island brought a complete change of pace and terrain. Competitors also shared the reserve with an extraordinary abundance of local wildlife. Kangaroos were a constant presence, while wombats and an echidna were also spotted during the day – along with a brown snake – adding a distinctly Australian backdrop to the final day of ASOC racing.
ACT and Tasmania shared the honours with 2 ASOC relay titles each.
| Class | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Girls | 🥇 Tasmania | 🥈 ACT | 🥉 Queensland |
| Senior Boys | 🥇 ACT | 🥈 NSW | 🥉 South Australia |
| Junior Girls | 🥇 ACT | 🥈 Tasmania | 🥉 South Australia |
| Junior Boys | 🥇 Tasmania | 🥈 NSW | 🥉 Western Australia |
In the Senior Boys, ACT’s Matty Maundrell, Hayden Dent and Elye Dent combined for a commanding victory, with Hayden and Elye producing the fastest second and third legs respectively.
The Senior Girls race saw a huge final-leg move from Tasmania’s Ella Clauson, whose fastest leg of the class lifted Tasmania from sixth after two legs to the leading Australian team.
ACT claimed another title in the Junior Girls, with Naomi Penton, Tessa Radajewski and Layla Dent steadily working their way through the field before Dent brought the team home on the anchor leg.
In the Junior Boys, Tasmania’s Angus Hewitt, Felix Ward and Henry Jordan took the win after Ward produced the fastest second leg to move the team into the lead.
The battle for the overall Australian Schools Orienteering Championships team title also reached its conclusion at Pine Island. ACT had taken a slight advantage over Tasmania into the relays, with NSW and Queensland also well placed after the Sprint and Long Distance races. Tasmania applied plenty of pressure with victories in both the Senior Girls and Junior Boys relays, while ACT responded by winning the Senior Boys and Junior Girls.
ACT ultimately secured the overall ASOC team title, ahead of Tasmania in 2nd and NSW in 3rd, with Queensland 4th, South Australia 5th, Victoria 6thand Western Australia 7th.
The Southern Cross Junior Challenge could hardly have finished any closer, with the 2 New Zealand teams Karahiwi and Harua sharing the title. Karahiwi entered the Pine Island relays holding a small advantage, but Harua outscored their compatriots across the four relay classes to draw level. A strong Australian campaign from ACT earned 3rd place.
Photos
You can view photos from the ASOC Relay via the link below. Please credit the photographer when sharing these photos!
Official photographers for the Carnival are Tom de Jongh (photosbytom) and Kelvin Meng (photosinsitu.com). Other Orienteering Australia certified photographers have also contributed to our albums for the Carnival. Check for the photographer’s name at the bottom left of each photo.
Results
Official results for the ASOC Relay Championship and Flight of the Bogong Day 3 on Eventor.
