Solid from Scarlett
Forth Valley Orienteers youngster Scarlett Kelly was the latest local star to be involved in international action, and turned in a trio of solid races at the European Youth Championships in Czechia.
Although the event carries the 'European' banner, it's de-facto the world championship at under 16 and under 18 levels, with American, Asian and Oceanic athletes all involved in a field of more than 400 competitors.
Scarlett was asked to cut the grass in the Long race, as the first starter, and finished just outside the top half of the field, in 54th, on a brutally-tough area. The Moravian mountains were quickly into play on a course that featured more than a thousand feet of climb and was more about physical staying power than navigational ability.
The only real route-choice legs were the two long ones, and although Scarlett was faultless on both, her choices were sub-optimal. For the first, she determined to cut back into a nearby village, in order to take up a path route to #3, and this cost her more than seven minutes to the eventual leader, while on the second, she was again on a wider path-based choice, where the leaders were able to make time by gritting their teeth and going straight.
A finish time of 59.00 was only four minutes over the estimated winning time for the race, but this proved to be far too generous, in a race that was won in under 45 minutes by Switzerland's Lotta Marit Leuthi.
The following day saw the Sprint event, and Scarlett was 65th (16.37) in her less-favoured discipline. She was prominent in the early stages of the race, but an error in the mid-section cost her valuable seconds and she came home three minutes off the race lead. Israel's Ofri Yacobi became the first athlete from her country to win a championship medal, as she was five seconds clear of the field, and it's a significant step in class for someone who was 79th in the JWOC sprint earlier in the month.
Having been the 4th placed Brit in the Long race, Scarlett was left out of the GB relay team that posted its best-ever finish of 6th, but was still allowed a run, as she joined up with an Australian and a German athlete on a non-competititve team that was 16th home, with Scarlett 13th (40.25) on her leg.