'Black tide' powers to gold

ON TOP OF THE WORLD: New Zealand elite junior women’s team coach Matahi Brightwell with three Gisborne members of the crew (from left) — Manea Swann, Pharyn Calles and Tia Akurangi. They combined with Marama Elkington, Koha-Aloha Vitolio, Jolie Mareko and Ariana Ransom to win both W6 500 and 1000 metres races in world record times at the Va’a world sprints on the Sunshine Coast. Akurangi went on to win the junior 16 women’s W1 title also in a world record time. Picture by Paul Rickard

RIVAL coaches called it “a black tide”. It came thousands of kilometres from where it first rose and when it receded, a golden double of heavily Gisborne-influenced proportion was left in the sand.

The New Zealand elite junior (under-19) women’s crew flew their country’s flag high and proud with a victory double at the IVF (International Va’a Federation) world sprint championships at Lake Kanawa on Australia’s Sunshine Coast.

The seven-member team of Tia Akurangi, Marama Elkington, Koha-Aloha Vitolio, Pharyn Calles, Jolie Mareko, Ariana Ransom and Manea Swann set the tone for a hugely successful world champs for Aotearoa premier and club crews.

Under the guidance of national and Mareikura club coach Matahi Brightwell, they won gold in both W6 elite junior women’s races in world record times.

Tahitians a distant secondThey won the W6 500 metres title in a time of 2 minutes 14.50 seconds — 7secs ahead of Tahiti — then left the field in their wake in the W6 1000, the Tahitians again second a distant 12secs adrift.

“It set the scene for an awesome New Zealand/Aotearoa performance,” said elite junior women’s coach Brightwell.

Brightwell said he was aware that the Tahitians, a dominant force at the IVF world sprints over its many years, had focused strongly on their elite junior women at what they planned to be another successful event medal-wise.

“I met with their coaches after my elite 19s won and they admitted to being defeated by ‘a black tide’.”

That was among the highlights of a memorable campaign for Brightwell, his charges and his family.

“One of the big highlights for our club and as coach were the W1 or single waka results, with Akayshia Williams winning gold in the J19 women’s (club) race and Tia Akurangi winning gold in the J16 women’s race.

Their times — 2.33.78 for Williams, 2.36.68 for Akurangi — were world records while Rangi-Riana Williams was a close fourth in the J16 final.

Thrilling premier women's finalMarama Elkington’s silver in a “thrilling” premier women’s final also had coach Brightwell smiling.

“Marama took the lead early on but the last push to the finish line went to multiple world champion Tahitian paddler Hinatea Bernardino.”

For Brightwell, the results justified the sacrifices made over the long build-up to the worlds.

“The (elite) position came with little funding and there was much work to do. I invited interested paddlers to come and live at our house in Gisborne for a month in December.

“This gave a me a chance to assess their fitness and skills, as well as their mental toughness. Most of all it gave me an opportunity to know the person behind the paddler. By doing that I was able to set a training regime that they could follow later wherever they lived.”

Selection was completed in January and training camps were kept to a minimum as the junior elite and club paddlers were familiar with a specifically developed training routine.

This included what Brightwell described as “my own innovations” — a mixture of paddling, boxing and exercise.

The proof of its success was worn proudly around the necks of his young paddlers, who would continue it into the club section of the worlds.

Reports on Gisborne club results to follow