Junior European Cup 2026 report
Earlier this year we made an award to support the GBR team attend the Junior European Cup in Switzerland. Here we bring you a report from the competition.
The Junior European Cup (JEC) is an annual international elite competition designed for top-tier junior orienteers across Europe, focusing on age classes M/W18 and M/W20 (competitors aged 20 or under). JEC was established in the 1980s to bridge the competitive gap between domestic racing and senior international championships, serving as a vital development stepping stone in the performance pathway. The competition is held over 3 days with a relay, individual sprint race and long-distance race.
The 2026 Junior European Cup was hosted by Switzerland with the relays at Willisau and the sprint and long at the alpine village of Sörenberg. There were 270 juniors from 18 nations competing. GBR were able to send a full team of 24 juniors, thanks to funding from British Orienteering reserves, the Orienteering Foundation and fundraising from the athletes themselves. They were supported by 5 volunteer coaches (Pauline Tryner, Judy Bell, Peter Molloy, Simon Hunter, Alison High).
Relays
The competition started with the relays in the (rather bramble-filled) forest of Willbrig in the outskirts of the town of Willisau in central Switzerland. The area had a dense path network through the green forest with steep sided valleys including a very steep climb to the final control before emerging into the pasture for the run in. The host nation took the victory in the men’s and women’s classes. The British team delivered strong performances with the men’s team (Finn Selmer-Duguid, Finlay McLuckie & James Hammond) placing 8th and the women’s team (Emily Atkinson, Freya Tryner & Jocie Hilton) placing 11th.
Sprint
The following day the action moved south into the foothills of the alps for the sprint in the alpine ski resort village of Sörenberg. The runnability varied greatly within the competition area and it was not your average sprint race with lots of uneven ground, steep slopes and green vegetation to negotiate alongside the normal buildings and streets. Although the housing was sparse in places – the organisers had secured access to many of the meadow areas surrounding the chalets providing interesting route choice options. The course also visited the rough terrain of the avalanche debris flow retention basin and dam area with its uneven stony surface, debris protection barriers and low bushes and undergrowth.
It was a fantastic day for the British team with some great results in all classes. Stand out result of the day was a gold medal for Finn Selmer-Duguid in M18. Finn said of his run:
I had a very solid run with no mistakes. Perhaps I didn’t always take the best routes but I think it was more about good execution and keeping up a good pace throughout. I am absolutely delighted with the result and it was a great way to end the season.
Emily Atkinson also ran brilliantly to take the 6th place podium spot in W18. She reported:
It was a really cool area to be orienteering in. It was quite tricky with all the scattered housing but I managed to keep map contact for most of it and managed a good speed.
Long
The final day of racing was the long on the alpine meadows above the town. Despite riding to the start on the plateau in the gondola, which offered amazing views of the surrounding areas, the courses all still had considerable climb, with long legs crossing the area. The courses were both physically and technically challenging and required navigation in intricate rock and contour detail as well as traversing imposingly steep slopes.
The stand out performance of the day for the GB team was again from Finn Selmer-Duguid who secured a silver medal. There were also top 20 finishes for Finlay McLuckie secured 18th place on M18, and James Hammond who finished in 15th in M20. For the women the top performance came from Scarlett Kelly who finished 22nd in W18.
Conclusion
Competing at JEC is highly valued as an end of season finale by our top juniors. Our juniors do not get many international opportunities so for our best athletes this was another chance to race against the world’s best and achieve world class results. For others it was very much a development opportunity providing them with their first experience of international competition and a springboard to inspire winter training. The athletes and coaches also benefited from making links with other nations and athletes. James Hammond said of his experience:
JEC was the final race of the season for me, and it was great to have a goal to focus on throughout the summer. It was a special and challenging event in Switzerland and a chance to race against a world class field. It’s given me a lot of motivation to train hard again this winter and hopefully attend some senior internationals in the years to come.
A huge thank you to everyone who supported the team, making it possible for them to compete and further develop their international racing skills. Particular thanks to the Orienteering Foundation, British Orienteering and the EUOC athletes who fundraised by organising a Knock Out Sprint earlier this year.
Report written by Pauline Tryner and Judy Bell