At the end of July, I travelled to Portugal to compete at the World University Orienteering Championships (WUOC), representing Great Britain and Durham University, with the support of the Jack Bloor Fund.
The competition was based around an hour inland from Porto, in the town of Vila Real, and consisted of three races: the Knockout Sprint, Individual Sprint and Forest Middle.
Having been injured for the first half of the year, I was very pleased to be selected and used the competition as an important part of my journey back from injury. As it was also my final year at Durham University, this was the last opportunity I would have to compete at WUOC, making the experience particularly special.
The sprint-focused nature of the competition suited me well, as sprint orienteering tends to be the discipline in which I perform best, compared to forest orienteering. Throughout the week, temperatures exceeded 30°C during the races, while the courses presented challenging navigation through the narrow and twisty streets of Vila Real, making the competition even more demanding.
I learnt a great deal throughout the week, both from the competition itself and from racing alongside athletes from universities around the world. Most importantly, the championships proved to be the perfect step in my return to full fitness following my injury, giving me valuable racing experience and confidence as I continued to build back towards my previous level.
The Jack Bloor Fund has kindly supported a number of my orienteering competitions over the past few years and has been instrumental in my development as an athlete. I am exceptionally grateful for the Fund’s continued support, which enabled me to take part in WUOC and represent both Great Britain and Durham University on the international stage.
Jack Bloor Race & Fund 