AOTEAROA’S FINEST

1ST, 2ND AND 3RD: Gisborne waka ama clubs completed a clean sweep of the junior 16 men's W1 500m final. Mareikura club member Hunter Hewson (middle) won in a time of 2 minutes 15.64 seconds, with Horouta's Mairangi Campbell (right) second in 2.17.44 and Mareikura's Jarrod Hill third (left) in 2.18.60. All pictures by Garrick Cameron

HOROUTA and Mareikura have improved their medal tallies further at the waka ama national sprint championships at Lake Karapiro.

This morning, a combined crew from the two clubs, Te Uranga o te Ra, claimed silver in the senior master women’s W12 500-metres final, finishing behind Ruamata crew Aloha Moana.

Yesterday was a day devoted almost exclusively to heats and semifinals for paddlers in the junior 19 and senior categories, as well as corporate races.

However, Self Storage Gisborne Horouta Waka Hoe senior master men’s crew Ko Wai To Papa picked up a bronze medal in the W12 500m final.

Horouta Waka Hoe are well ahead on the medal tally and, as of yesterday, fellow Gisborne club Mareikura were fourth.