The 2026 World Masters Orienteering Championships were in Rzeszow, Poland from 6th – 14th August.
Australia was represented by 20 athletes – part of the overall 2,624 athletes from 40 countries.
World Masters Championships is the highest level of competition in foot orienteering for masters athletes aged 35 and over.
Photo by Moonline Media
SPRINT DISTANCE
To qualify for the Sprint Distance Finals, competitors first had to progress through the qualification heats on Saturday in Przeworsk. Those to progress to the A finals were:
Bruce Arthur 1st in M50-1
Eoin Rothery 3rd in M70-2
Ted van Geldermalsen 3rd in M70-1
Ricky Thackray 4th in M45-2
Sue Hancock 10th in W60-2
Julie Prudhoe 19th in W70-2
Sue Key 13th in W70-2
James Lithgow 27th in M70-1
Paul Prudhoe 27th in M70-3
Kaate Lucas 36th in W65-1
Sunday’s Sprint distance final was in the town center of Rzeszow.
High speed and route choice were the key to a good result in the battle for the title of World Masters Champion.
Photo by Bruce Arthur
Top 20 results in A finals were achieved by:
Bruce Arthur 7th in M50
Eoin Rothery 8th in M70
Ted van Geldermalsen 12th in M70
Ricky Thackray 12th in M45
Sue Hancock 16th in W60
MIDDLE DISTANCE
The forest competitions commenced on Tuesday with the qualification race. Competitors needed to finish in the top portion of their heat to progress to the Middle-Distance A finals on Wednesday. Those to progress to the A finals were:
Bruce Arthur 5th in M50-1
Eoin Rothery 6th in M70-2
Tim Hatley 10th in M65-4
Ted van Geldermalsen 10th in M70-1
Sue Key 13th in W70-1
James Lithgow 14th in M70-4
Peter Shepherd 17th in M75-3
Sue Hancock 18th in W60-1
Julie Prudhoe 21st in W70-1
Ricky Thackray 25th in M45-2
Wednesday’s Middle-distance final was in a flat pine forest with numerous vegetation changes and low relief features. High speed and accurate compass skills were necessary to do well. Top 50 results in A finals were achieved by:
Eoin Rothery 10th (+6:32) in M70
Bruce Arthur 14th (+5:27) in M50
Ted van Geldermalsen 15th (+8:00) in M70
Sue Key 20th (+8:52) in W70
Sue Hancock 32nd (+10:04) in W60
Tim Hatley 41st (+10:19) in M65
Ricky Thackray 44th (+13:01) in M45
Photo by MoonLine Media
LONG DISTANCE
After 8 days in the streets and forests of Rzeszow, Poland, the 2026 World Masters Orienteering Championships concluded with the Long Distance competition. The steep and green terrain was physically demanding. Most courses included controls on vegetation features in green or head high green-stripe areas, which caused difficulty for many athletes.
The A finals start list was based on the results of the middle distance competition, along with the top 10% of the B finalists promoted and the bottom 10% of the A finalists demoted to the B final. Top 50 results in A finals were achieved by:
Bruce Arthur 15th in M50
Ted van Geldermalsen 18th in M70
Eoin Rothery 25th in M70
Sue Hancock 26th in W60
Ricky Thackray 29th in M45
Julia Prudhoe 29th in W70
The 2027 World Masters Orienteering Championships will be conducted in Japan in May next year.
Reports written by Bruce Arthur.
