Flying Fyall spearheads Waikanae challenge

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

WAIKANAE retained their No.2 status at the Eastern Region Championships at Mt Maunganui over the weekend.

The host Mount club were the overall winners, ending the two-and-a-half-day regatta comfortable victors on 153 points.

Waikanae were second on 81, followed by Omanu on 76.

Midway and Wainui were 15th-equal on 11 points.

Beach specialist Casie Fyall led the Waikanae performance, winning the open women’s beach flags and sprint titles, and leading the beach relay team to victory.

Briana Irving also had a successful carnival on the sand. Victory in the under-16 women’s beach sprint was a highlight.

Waikanae’s strong canoe and ski contingent also added to their points tally . . . Quaid Thompson and Zach Ferkins won the open men’s double ski.

Waikanae’s Lauren Pickett was second in the u19 ironwoman.

Wainui’s board trio of sisters Stella and Ava Smith and Bonnie Grealish won the open and u16 women’s board relay.

Midway’s Olivia Corrin won the u19 women’s surf race.

The champs featured over 850 athletes.

Bay of Plenty did the double at the New Zealand Representative Challenge, winning the open and youth (under-19) divisions in hot weather and challenging surf at Mt Maunganui yesterday.

Gisborne-Tairawhiti were third in the open competition and fourth in the youth division.

Bay of Plenty amassed 242.5 points to pip Northern Region (241), with Gisborne-Tairawhiti on 225, Taranaki 176, Capital Coast 143.5, Canterbury 136 and Hawke’s Bay 63.

In the youth competition, Bay of Plenty totalled 211, heading off Northern on 200.5, Taranaki 195.5, Gisborne-Tairawhiti 166, Hawke’s Bay 123.5, Capital Coast 115 and Canterbury 91.5.

The challenge featured 300 athletes going head to head against rivals from other regions around New Zealand.