Taking on the challenge ahead of Vette's Olympic Games campaign

Saffi Vette, who will be going for gold in surfing at Tahiti’s famous Teahupo’o break, is the one wearing the suit (believed to be an Emoji) and being guided by Mayor Rehette Stoltz. Pictures by Liam Clayton

You won’t see this event at the 2024 Olympics, but you will see one of the participants from the Team Challenge at the Poverty Bay A&P Show on Saturday afternoon in Games action — albeit a long way from Paris.

Four four-person teams, representing various causes, were required to negotiate an obstacle course involving such challenges as consuming pizza and beer; a combined wheelbarrow and sack race; rolling a wool bale; throwing rugby balls into the back of a utility vehicle while under fire from water bomb-throwing kids; and a miscellaneous leg in which team members carried surfboards, fruit-picking bags and pine tree-planting bags in the dash to the finish.

Mayor Stoltz led her Mayor’s Army team to victory and the $1000 first prize, along with an extra $400, which were donated to Vette.

Other teams were the Fruit Loops (supporting Gisborne Terrier Race Against Time), Gully Runners (Cancer Society) and Evergreen  (#Hear4U).