IN FORM: Mount Maunganui's Libby Bradley won seven gold medals at the Eastern Region Pool Championships. PHOTO/FILE
IN FORM: Mount Maunganui's Libby Bradley won seven gold medals at the Eastern Region Pool Championships. PHOTO/FILE
Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service successfully defended their Eastern Region Pool Championships title in Hamilton over the weekend.
The Bay of Plenty club finished on 241 points, well clear of Papamoa in second place with 177 points followed by Red Beach in third (132 points).
Orewa (78) and Omanu (59) roundedout the top five after the two-day competition at Waterworld in Te Rapa, Hamilton.
Around 200 competitors from 12 clubs took part in the champs that featured events ranging from manikin carries and obstacles to line throw and rescue medleys.
All the events are based around rescue capability and are specific to saving people's lives - what surf life saving is all about.
Surf Life Saving Eastern Region Sport Manager Mark Inglis saidit was a great event to begin the regional sport season.
Some of the stand out performances came from eight different athletes who won all of the individual events in their age category.
Libby Bradley (Mt Maunganui) won seven golds in the Under 19 Girls events, Ben Johnston (Papamoa) seven gold in the Open Men's, Daniel Barron (Mt Maunganui) seven gold in the Under 19 Boys and Levi Ata (Orewa) six gold in the Under 16 as well as a silver in the Under 19.
Daniel Shanahan (Mt Maunganui) took four golds in the Under 14 Boys, Cameron Gilmore (Mairangi Bay) won four gold in the Under 12 Boys, Jasper Cornish (Red Beach) four gold in the Under 11 Boys and Millie Middleton (Red Beach) four in the Under 11 Girls.
Inglis said it was a great weekend of racing and he would like to thank all the clubs and athletes for not only attending but for the wonderful level of cooperation and behaviour which enabled the event to run so smoothly.
"A special thanks also to the volunteer officials and water crew who did an outstanding job and, who without, we could not run these events," he said.
