Gisborne siblings Jacqueline and Maxwell Kennedy collected five canoeing gold medals between them as New Zealand won the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup for the first time in seven years.
Paddlers competed in foggy morning and sunny daytime conditions at Lake Tikitapu, Rotorua, last weekend.
Christchurch paddler Dylan Monk (front) and Gisborne's Maxwell Kennedy on their way to victory in the men's Under-21 K2 500m in the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup regatta at Lake Tikitapu last weekend. Photo / Sally Cameron
Jacqueline won gold in theUnder-18 women’s K1 500 metres, K4 500m and the “mega mixed” K1 relay of six paddlers, each racing 200m. She also won silver in the U18 women’s K2 500m.
Maxwell won gold in the U21 men’s K2 500m and K4 500m, and bronze medals in the U21 K1 1000m and mixed K2 200m.
The New Zealand Under-18 K4 500m team (from the front) Stella Crossan (Christchurch), Alexis Toy (Whanganui) and Gisborne paddlers Jacqueline Kennedy and Taylor Newman on their way to victory in the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup regatta at Lake Tikitapu last weekend. This team will race at the International Canoe Federation junior world championships in Halifax, Canada, in July. Photo / Sally Cameron
Another Gisborne paddler, Taylor Newman, also won a gold medal as a crewmate of Jacqueline in the U18 women’s K4 500m, and two silver medals – one with Kennedy in the U18 women’s K2 500m and the other in the U18 mixed K2 200m.
New Zealand paddlers won 17 gold medals, nine silver and 14 bronze in age divisions ranging over U16, U18 and U21 grades.
They were up against paddlers from Australia, Japan and Singapore.
The regatta venue rotates among the competing countries. Next year the competition is to be held in Singapore.
