Braithwaite completes podium set

SECOND OVERALL: Asia Braithwaite was runner-up in the under-14 girls’ division of the Billabong Grom Series surfing contest at Piha on Saturday. It clinched overall second place for her in the series. PhotoCPL pictures

SURFING

ASIA Braithwaite completed the full set of podium placings when she was under-14 girls’ runner-up in the Billabong Grom Series surfing competition at Piha on Saturday.

Two weeks ago she was third in the series event at Whangamata and a fortnight before that she had her first win at national level in the series opener at Mount Maunganui.

Saturday’s effort clinched overall second place for Braithwaite, behind series winner Anna Brock (Mount Maunganui), who had two wins and a second.

Former Gisborne surfer Kai Woolf had her second straight win of the series but finished third overall in the u18 girls’ division.

Woolf, now of Raglan, missed the first event of the series, so Piha surfer Gabrielle Paul clinched the overall title with a runner-up finish at Piha on Saturday to go with her second placing at the Mount last month and third at Whangamata two weeks ago.

Georgia Wederell (Mount)finished third on Saturday and second overall.

Raglan’s Navryn Malone, a surfer with strong Gisborne links (his father Chris grew up here and became the 1998 national champion while surfing out of Gisborne), was runner-up in the u14 boys’ division on Saturday and in the series overall.

Bill Byers of Piha clinched that division of the series with a win on Saturday.

Gisborne’s Finn Vette was third in the u16 boys’ final on Saturday, and Hannah King and Daizee Rawles were third and fourth respectively in their u16 girls’ semifinal heats.

Other series winners were Caleb Cutmore (Raglan) in the u18 boys’ division, Jayden Willoughby (Raglan) in the u16 boys’ and Ava Henderson (Christchurch) in the u16 girls’.