Grant Bluett was the driving force behind Australia’s golden decade of orienteering from 1997 through to 2007.
He represented Australia at Junior World Championships in 1991 and 1992, moving to Canberra in 1992 where the city’s natural surroundings lend itself to the sport. In Canberra he became a scholarship holder with the ACT Academy of Sport (1993 – 2005) and a central cog in the Territory’s domination of orienteering on the national stage for the next decade.
After reaching the pinnacle in Australia with an individual win in the National Orienteering League in 1996, Grant moved to Sweden the following year to challenge his international competitiveness. The move paid off as he excelled in all formats, finding his niche in the newly created Sprint format which requires quick, accurate decision making and fast acceleration.
Grant represented Australia at eight World Championships, his best results being 6th in the men’s relay in 2001 and 8th in the individual sprint in 2003. His finest international result came in Japan in 2001 at the World Games where he defeated the world’s 40 best orienteers to become the first non-European to secure a senior international medal.
His highest international ranking was ninth achieved in 2002.
Competing again at the World Championships in 2005, Grant returned to Australia that year, adding an Australian Long Distance Championship to his resume. Elite competition commitments decreased from 2005, Grant becoming involved in local and national coaching while also continuing to represent the Canberra Cockatoos through until his final elite race in October 2009.
Grant Bluett was inducted into the Orienteering Australia Hall of Fame (Athlete Division) in 2016.