AFTER battling heat, thorny terrain and a disastrous first day of competition, Abingdon’s ‘human sat nav’ Fiona Bunn fought back to scoop gold for England in the World Schools Orienteering Championships.

The 14-year-old has been competing in the sport from a young age, but the Championships, in Monte Gordo, Portugal, last week were her first international competition.

The St Helen and St Katharine School pupil explained: “I had a disastrous run in the middle distance race on the Wednesday, when I made a 10-minute error and finished 36th out of 50.

“I think the nerves got to me and that made me panic, trying to run too fast without checking my map enough.”

She added: “The middle distance area was mainly forested sand dunes, and one control (checkpoint) was even on a cactus which was unusual – I am still finding thorns in my legs.

“The long distance event was 4.5km long and hilly, with a 260m climb. But I felt calmer, and after making one small mistake, which I corrected, it was a huge surprise to win by three minutes 22 seconds.”

Fiona’s proud parents Alison and Nigel, both 48, spent the competition nervously checking the score board.

Mrs Bunn said: “The event is for children only so we had to follow via the website.When we realised she’d won, we were over the moon.”

Fiona is a member of Thames Valley Orienteering Club, which has about 200 members. Orienteering involves navigating between points (controls) on a map to complete a course.

She said: “I had a great time meeting all the other orienteers, learning other languages, tasting food and exchanging kit with them. It was amazing.

“The British Championships are in May, so that’s the next goal. And when I am 18 I want to be in the GB squad for the junior world championships.”