Five Poverty Bay paddlers named in NZ squad

WELL PREPARED: Quaid Thompson will compete in the K1 1000m and 5000m at the world championships in Hungary. Picture supplied

KAYAKING

FIVE Poverty Bay kayak paddlers have been named in a New Zealand sprint squad.

Zac Ferkins, Quaid Thompson, Britney Ford and Alicia Hoskin are in a national team of 16 for world cup sprint events, alongside Olympic gold medallist Lisa Carrington.

Sam Ferkins will also wear the black singlet, representing New Zealand at under-18 level.

Hoskin and Zac Ferkins will be competing in their first world cup events.

Poverty Bay Kayak Club coach Alan Thompson said the competition would be a step up.

“It will be a true test of potential ability,” he said.

“The standard is high at that level. We’ll see how they all match up.”

Zac Ferkins, Ford and Hoskin will line up in the u23 world championships in Romania in August.

Quaid Thompson has been named in the u23 group but may instead compete in the open section of the world champs in Hungary later that month.

The New Zealand team are also preparing for world cup events in Poland, from May 23 to 26, and Germany, from May 31 to June 2.

Zac Ferkins, Quaid Thompson, Ford and Hoskin are part of the senior squad for the world cup meets.

Thompson said all the paddlers would aim to make A Finals. The selectors would want to see if they could push on to the open level.

The K4 would be the primary focus for Ford and Hoskin, he said.

Hoskin won the u23 200 metres, 500m and 5000m at the nationals at Lake Karapiro last month.

Thompson said Zac Ferkins would concentrate on the K4 500m.

Quaid Thompson stood out at the nationals in the men’s events.

He won the open 1000m and 5000m, as well as the u23 titles for those distances. He was second in the open and u23 500m.

Alan Thompson, his father, said Quaid was awaiting clarification from the selectors about whether he would stay at u23 level in the national set-up or step up to the men’s open.

Alan Thompson said Sam Ferkins had dominated junior events.

“Sam’s paddling and training well. He’s improved quite a lot.”

Hoskin, 19, was named Canoe Racing NZ Junior Kayaker of the Year in 2016.

She has a background in multisport, twice winning the AIMS Games multisport (kayaking, mountain biking and running) title and medalling at national cycling road champs.

She specialised in canoe sprint from the age of 15 and went on to be head prefect at Gisborne Girls’ High School.

Long term, she hopes to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“I would like to give it a good crack,” Hoskin said in a Canoe Racing NZ profile.

“As I train alongside girls who have performed successfully at the Olympic Games and on the world stage, it seems a realistic goal.”