Gold medal highlights

SPRINT FINISH: Midway’s Harry Hayward won the Oceans 19 under-11 boys’ board race in the run to the line. Keepa Digital pictures

Gold medals to Waikanae’s Chloe Kapene and Midway’s Harry Hayward and Ella Sutton were Gisborne’s highlights of the last two days of the Oceans 19 New Zealand junior surf lifesaving championships that ended yesterday at Mount Maunganui.

Waikanae and Midway competitors also added to their clubs’ silver and bronze medal tallies.

The Omanu club from the Bay of Plenty amassed the most points, 103. They were followed by Mount Maunganui, 68, Mairangi Bay, 25, and then Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae and Red Beach, who were fourth equal on 22.

Dawson Building Midway finished seventh overall, on 18, and Riversun Wainui were 20th, on five.

Chloe Kapene topped off a successful championships for her with the gold medal in the under-12 girls’ board final on Sunday, to go with her gold in the beach sprint, and silvers in the run-swim-run and diamond.

She was also part of Waikanae’s silver-medal-winning board relay team with Rubi Hart and Ruby Williams.

“Chloe was amazing in conditions that did not really suit her — small waves and flat water conditions,” Waikanae head coach Cory Hutchings said.

“Overall I think as a team we were successful because of our team culture.

“It was one of the best group of kids I’ve been associated with.”

Hutchings said fourth-equal was an amazing result for the club, considering their small team, compared with the big junior clubs from the Bay of Plenty.

“But that’s Gisborne for you,” he said.

“We always punch above our weight.

“Overall it was a very successful championship event for us because we are in a rebuilding phase of the junior side of the club.”

Midway’s Hayward won gold in the u11 boys’ board final, and his clubmate Sutton won the u11 diamond final (board and swim combined), to go with the club’s u14 tube rescue gold won by Kyle Seabrook and Angus Blair.

Those wins helped lift Midway up the points table.

Their other medals over the weekend were silvers to Sophie Petro in the u13 girls’ surf race, Austin Fergus in the u12 boys’ board, and bronzes to Seabrook in the u13 boys’ surf race, and Tyron Evans in the u13 boys’ diamond.

“I think we improved on last season in terms of where we finished overall, so that tells us we are having some kids start to shine through at a national level,” Midway head coach Matt Sutton said.

“What’s better for our club is that we had a whole lot of kids make finals, which is another really positive sign.

“Overall it was a successful event for us.”

Sutton picked out one of his young charges for special mention.

“Harry Hayward is an awesome competitor. He was really impressive in winning the under-11 board final.”

Wainui head coach Dion Williams said he was “really, really happy” with how his team went.

“We had kids make a whole bunch of finals and perform in the top half of each of those finals.

“Considering the small swell, the performances were excellent and the attitude of the kids was outstanding,” Williams said.

“These kids are coming through and the small number of points we scored was not important, compared with the development they showed.”

Wainui’s highlights over the weekend included a fourth and a fifth for Charlie Keepa in the u11 girls’ surf race and board final respectively, and a sixth to Imogen Amor-Bendall in the u14 diamond.