After two impressive finals performances young Mount Maunganui surfer Tao Mouldey was able to secure two titles at the weekend.
Mouldey surfed to wins in the Under 14 and Under 12 Divisions at the Ray White Duke Festival of Surfing at New Brighton Beach from March 15-17. He produced two dominating finals performances posting scores in higher than 13 points in each one.
Mouldey posted a 13.5 score in the Under 14 Boys final, ahead of second-placed Tyler Perry with an eight, and third-placed Jack McKenzie who scored 7.37. Then, in the U 12 Boys final, he scored 14.3. In second was Mount Maunganui's Indica Corcoran, who posted a score of 9.87, and Alexis Owen from Dunedin placed third with a score of 8.37.
Mouldey was one of two top Bay of Plenty performers at the event, which comprised of 20 divisions across longboard, stand up paddleboard and junior divisions.
The other was fellow Mount Maunganui surfer Anna Brock who was successful in the Under 14 Girls Division, claiming the title over Misha Peyroux and Chloe Groube.
Her win follows the 13-year-old's under-14 girls Billabong Grom Series title win in the final leg at Piha last month, having earlier won the Whangamata leg and placing second at the Mount Maunganui event.
The weekend's Ray White Duke Festival of Surfing is a three day event that celebrates the sport of surfing under the name of legendary Hawaiian waterman and Olympic swimmer Duke Kahanamoku with surfers from the length of the country heading to New Brighton to take part. Auckland-based couple Paul Culpan and Sasha Brownlie claimed the premier Men's and Women's Longboard Divisions at the event, together surging to the top of the national rankings.
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