Pre-European Championships interviews

The European Orienteering Championships (EOC) will take place in Belgium at the end of August.
There is a strong Irish team of eight athletes travelling.

Ahead of the championships, we caught up with two of the athletes. For Emer Perkins, from
Bishopstown Orienteering Club, it will be her first time to represent Ireland at senior level.
She will compete in the individual sprint and knock-out sprint. Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan from
Cork Orienteering Club is an experienced international orienteer who will compete in the
individual sprint, knock-out sprint and sprint relay. We asked them about their pathway into
orienteering, their training and their expectations for the European Championships (EOC).

When and how did you start orienteering?
EMER: I started orienteering as a child when my parents dragged both my sister and I to the
local Sunday Bishopstown events. The only way we could be convinced around the course
was to be bribed by sweets at each control, but gradually we grew to enjoy the sport
particularly when we found out that other children our age competed. I suppose I have been
on-off orienteering since this age, and am still a fan of bringing some jellies out on the
course. 
JOSH: For me it all started when I was just a few months old being carried around
Garretstown Woods by my Mum on the yellow course where I cried the whole way around! I
like to think that both my map reading skills and my ability to remain composed on the
course have improved since then. As I got older I would go to local Sunday events in Cork
with my Dad and then to Provincial Championships and Irish Championships. In 2008 I
joined the Irish Junior Squad and my journey in the competitive side of orienteering grew
from there.

Emer, as this is your first time competing for Ireland, what are your expectations of
the event?
EMER: I am excited to be competing at a higher level, and I know the standard will be rather
high but I am hoping it shall be a good starting point to properly get back into the
orienteering scene. I imagine it might be a bit overwhelming and definitely a lot more intense
than the usual local event, but I am looking forward to orienteering around the Belgium
streets. I expect there will be a lot of fast paced running and plenty of quick decisions and
hopefully a bit of sunshine to add to the mix!

Josh, as an experienced international competitor, how do you expect this event to be
compared to past events that you’ve competed in?
JOSH: The level of sprint orienteering has been on the rise over the past decade so I expect
EOC2025 to be the most competitive sprint championship yet where there is no margin for
error. I’ve spent quite a bit of time training/racing in Belgium over the recent years so I feel
quite prepared for the challenges ahead, that is not to say there can’t be some surprises. I
expect the course styles to be very similar to recent ASOM’s (an event held annually in
Belgium) and the Test Races earlier this month with the opening of private areas and the use
of barriers.

What are your goals for the event, and your longer-term goals?
EMER: As this is my first international event as a senior my main aim is to have a clean run
and feel happy with my performance. Running both the knockout and individual will allow me
to assess my level compared to other athletes, which will help set my longer-term goals,
highlighting the areas I need to work on. This year I would like to focus on getting in more
consistent orienteering training to increase my confidence when competing at larger events.

I would also like to add a few of the bigger competitions to my calendar so I can get used to
running under pressure, as this is something I have struggled with when running for Ireland
during my junior years. Overall though, orienteering is something I truly enjoy and a key long
term goal for me has always been to maintain the joy in the sport. 
JOSH: My goal, as always, is to deliver clean, stable, consistent performances in line with
how I have been performing over the last 12months. Qualifying for the final would be a really
big step forward but I’m aware this needs a perfect day from me and a little bit of luck to go
with it. The longer-term goals are focused on the World Cup rounds later this year
(Switzerland) and in the first half of 2026 (Switzerland and Sweden) building towards WOC
2026 in Italy and EOC 2027 in Switzerland.

Tell us about your training for the European Championships.
EMER: In terms of my training, there has been a definite focus on the fitness side this year.
Various injuries means that I have been doing a lot of cross training and sampling
different sports but although my running load has significantly decreased, I feel in a good
position fitness wise at the moment.  I have been trying to make sure I get in more
orienteering specific training in the last few weeks, as I often make mistakes by running
faster than my brain can make decisions. In the lead up to EOC, my aim is to keep my
running fitness at its current level but incorporate more map reading into the schedule. This
combined with a lot of studious preparation for the races should give me some confidence
for the competition and provide a solid base from which to tackle my first international senior
event!
JOSH: Training this year has been consistent with more of an emphasis on orienteering
specifics than previous years and an increased number of map trainings, >80 since January.
I’m running on average 130-140km a week with a minimum of 2 workouts. With a focus on
EOC2025 I have run >30 trainings/races in Belgium to prepare for this championship along
with plenty of relevant trainings here in Ireland.

We wish Emer, Josh and the Irish team all the best for their upcoming races in
Belgium. The full team is: Aoife McCavana, Niamh Corbett, Clodagh Moran, Emer
Perkins, Josh O’Sullivan-Hourihan, Kevin O’Boyle, Liam Cotter, and Niall McCarthy.
Race days are Wednesday August 27th (sprint relay), Thursday August 28 th (knock-out
sprint qualification), Friday August 29th (knock-out sprint finals) and Sunday August
31 st (individual sprint qualification and finals). The races can be followed at
https://eoc2025.be/ as well as the squad’s Facebook and Instagram socials
@IrishOrienteeringSquad.