The Championships took place in Flims Laax, Switzerland in July 2023. Gardner is the current South African Orienteering Champion in the long-distance category. The World Championships drew teams from 44 countries around the world.
“The teams from specifically Scandinavia and host country Switzerland showed they were top professionals in a class of their own, in tackling the very tough and technical challenges of the difficult terrain of the Alps. “Our team came away having learnt many valuable lessons.
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“I was proud and privileged to be chosen to represent South Africa and it was the experience of a lifetime,” says Gardner. According to the South African Orienteering Federation, orienteering is a sport that combines both a physical and a mental element.
The basic idea in orienteering is to proceed from the course start to finish by visiting several control points in numerical order with the help of a map and compass. To choose the best possible route, orienteers look at the features of the terrain. The winner is the person who completes the course in the fastest time.