World Orienteering Champs 2025 |  Kuopio, Finland
A very successful WOC from the NZ team with a few NZ records in the history book from the men’s team. It was also exciting to see our junior step up into competing on the world stage. 

WOC Qualification rounds: Zefa the boss, Tim seals it, Rachel is smooth & steady!
Zefa certainly had beast mode on with a good lack of respect to usurp the domain of senior athletes finishing 6 seconds behind the heat 3 winner, Kasper Harlem Fosser. It was a course of two halves in Tahko with the speed close to doubling in the last 70% of the course. Tim had us all on the edge of our seats with a mistake on the first control, but gathered up his legs later to finely qualify in 15th place. Kaia faced a tough heat and narrowly missed out, as she unintentionally sneaked past the third control, which ultimately cost her a qualifying spot. Rachel delivered a confident run, proudly securing 12th place and advancing to the next round.
MEN’S
HEAT 1
25th Felix Hunt 32:47 +7:30
27th Joseph Lynch 33:54 +8:37
HEAT 2
15th Tim Robertson 30:05 +4:15
HEAT 3
3rd Zefa Fa’avae 25:45 +0:06
WOMEN’S
HEAT 1
12th Rachel Baker 30:40 +6:15
HEAT 2
19th Katherine Babington 34:45 +9:39
Heat 3
17th Kaia Joergensen 31:54 +7:43

WOC Middle PB for Tim & impressive debuts from young guns .
The middle distance race featured three distinct sections. It began with fast, easy visibility terrain, transitioning into a highly technical middle section, and ended with a physically demanding, rocky finish that made it difficult to find flow in the final stages.

Tim was pleased with his personal best for a middle distance result, reflecting his steady progress at the world level.
We’re especially proud of our young athletes, Rachel and Zefa, who made their World Orienteering Championships debut against seasoned professional athletes. Rachel described the forest as “very nice, but a bit tough physically to run through,” and praised the course for being both enjoyable and technically challenging. She had a clean run and was happy with her result. Zefa showed exceptional resilience, making a strong recovery after some extra distance in the technical section to finish an impressive 30th, just less than 2 minutes behind Tim. Both these two younger athletes demonstrated their talent and potential on the world stage, and we celebrate that they qualified to run in this spectacular Finnish terrain.
MEN
1st Eirik Langedal Breivik NOR 33:42
2nd Kasper Harlem Fosser NOR 34:16 +0:34
3rd Anton Johansson SWE 34:49 +1:07
24th Tim Robertson NZL 39:50 +6:08
30th Zefa Fa’avae NZL 41:39 +7:57
WOMEN
1st Tove Alexandersson SWE 33:17
2nd Sanna Fast SWE 34:19 +1:02
3rd Hanna Lundberg SWE 35:43 +2:26
38th Rachel Baker NZL 47:02 +13:45

3 in 30 for Men’s WOC Long event
A historic achievement for New Zealand, with three Kiwi men finishing inside the top 30 in the WOC Long Distance – a NZ best! Joseph Lynch led the way in 21st, with Zefa Fa’avae just 9 seconds behind in 22nd. Toby Scott completed the trio, finishing less than three minutes behind Zefa after a competitive sprint finish.
The course design prevented pack running, with an early map exchange preventing longer route planning. Silver medallist Martin Regborn (SWE) described it as “the toughest long distance I have run.” It became a true test of endurance, focus, and kiwi grit prevailed.
Athletes faced tricky route choices between detailed technical terrain and longer, rougher trails. Joseph battled cramps as “the terrain wasn’t super great to run in” but he “had a solid run, trying to be careful after some big mistakes in the middle qualification”
The women faced similar physical challenges. A tight finish duel between podium favourites Aebersold and Alexandersson revealed the extent of stamina required. Kiwi Lara Molloy said, “I had a good start, choosing careful track routes. I hit a bit of a wall physically and struggled… but eventually got back into the groove and felt really strong for the last five controls.”
MEN
1st Kasper Harlem Fosser (NOR) 1:37:50
2nd Martin Regborn (SWE) 1:40:47 +2:57
3rd Matthias Kyburz (SUI) 1:41:30 +3:40
21st Joseph Lynch (NZL) 1:59:41 +21:51
22nd Zefa Faa’vae (NZL) 1:59:50 +22:00
26th Toby Scott (NZL) 2:02:43 +24:53
WOMEN
1st Simona Aebersold (SUI) 1:34:51
2nd Tove Alexandersson (SWE) 1:35:00 +0:09
3rd Andrine Benjaminsen (NOR) 1:37:16 +2:25
47th Lara Molloy (NZL) 2:26:12 +51:21
MP Kaia Joergensen

Men’s relay 9th Place  –  a Kiwi WOC relay record
New Zealand has set another benchmark at the World Orienteering Championships with a best-ever 9th place in the men’s relay.
Zefa Fa’avae ran a strong first leg, handing over in 12th place, just one second behind Australian runner Henry McNulty, who finished 11th. Tim Robertson navigated smoothly through the second leg, pushing the team into 8th. The final leg featured a more complex course with thick undergrowth, making subtle contours harder to read, as noted by commentators Katherine Bett and Joan Metz. Joseph Lynch held on through navigational challenges to secure 9th and New Zealand’s best-ever WOC relay result.
The men’s race ended in drama as Sweden miss punched near the finish. Victory was to Norway, with Switzerland second and Finland third in front of a very ecstatic home crowd.
In the women’s relay, Rachel Baker brought the team in 18th after the first leg. Lara Molloy gained places to 15th before handing over to Kaia Jorgensen, but the team ended with a mispunch. Despite the setback, the Kiwi women showed their determination and teamwork on the world stage.
The women’s podium saw Sweden take gold, Norway silver, and Switzerland bronze, after a dramatic moment when Simona Aebersold dropped her map mid-race, only to recover quickly and secure third place.
MEN’S RESULTS:
1st Norway 1:41:38
2nd Switzerland 1:43:28 +1:50
3rd Finland 1:46:27 +4:49
9th New Zealand 1:56:00 +14:22
WOMEN’S RESULTS
1st Sweden 1:41:32
2nd Norway 1:44:00 +2:28
3rd Switzerland 1:45:32 +4:00
New Zealand MP