The first of the World Cup races at Oceania were held yesterday at Waikawa on the west coast of New Zealand's north island. The world's best orienteers had primed themselves for a stunning display of technical prowess and pure speed which delighted the spectators who lined the banks of the nearby estuary to watch the action.
For many of the international runners, this was their first trip to New Zealand but that didn't mean that the terrain came as a surprise. The Danes in particular felt at home in the technical sand dune areas mapped especially for these races, which are very similar to their own training areas in Denmark. Fabian Hertner of Switzerland held off Swedes Johan Runesson and Jerker Lysell to win the men's race, whilst champion Helena Jansson (Sweden) won the women's race with Ida Bobach (Denmark) and Tatyana Riabkina (Russia) hot on her heels.
Julian Dent, NSW, was the best of the Australians in 27th place in a race where the times were as tightly packed as those of a sprint race.
The next race for these international elites is the Sprint Qualification which takes place around Wellington on Monday with the Sprint finals on Tuesday.
