Collegiate's remarkable young rower Paparangi Hipango (left) has made the New Zealand junior women's team for the world championships.
The 15-year-old started rowing just a couple of years ago ?and has now been selected as bow seat in the New Zealand women's junior coxless four.
The other Wanganui interest in the squads named yesterday was the retention of former Wanganui High School powerhouse Tyler Sherman in the New Zealand men's junior eight ? the defending world champions.
The world champs are in Beijing on August 8-11. The crews assemble at Lake Karapiro in three weeks to train before travelling to Sydney on July 23, for two weeks preparation, before moving to Beijing on August 3.
Hipango's rise has been rapid. "She's certainly strong ? she had the strongest erg test at the trials. She did 703, and I think she was 5sec ahead of the nearest one," her collegiate coach Fiona Symes said.
Where does that come from?
"She's well built and she's got a real good focus. Papa's good at running and netball, and she definitely loves her rowing. That's her No 1 sport ? especially now!
"When she was rowing last year she was only 14, and she was reserve for the girls senior eight ? we had an injury and she went in, and stayed in," Symes said.
Ironically Porter was also a national triallist ? and has time to make it because she has another year at school.
But Hipango has another three years in the U19 grade, and two more years at school.
Other members of the crew are Nelson College's Sian Jones-White, and Rangi Ruru's Anna Dawson and Ali Burnside.
Sherman's selection tops a great New Zealand season. He was in the Hamilton Boys High four that won the Springbok Shield and the eight that won the Maadi Cup at the recent New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Regatta.
Add that to his world title of last year and the Trevor Coker Shield (sculling) he won as a 15-year-old at Wanganui High School when under the coaching eye of Ian Weenink, he is well on his way of attaining his goal of representing New Zealand at the London Olympics in 2012.
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