Horouta, with 72 paddlers, will probably have the biggest contingent from a single visiting club, president Walton Walker says.
The club has teams in races for the J16 girls and boys, J19 girls and boys, open men and women, master men and women, and senior master men and women.
“All teams will contest the W6 500 metres and 1000m — or 1500m for the open men and women — and all crews will be involved in W12 races as well,” Walker said.
“This year’s world club event will be a true club championship. We have been told that a world club champion will be declared on points accumulated from the finals of W6 and W12 (six-place and 12-place) events, but not W1. It will be similar to the New Zealand national sprint championships.
“We’ll be doing our best to make our mark.”
Horouta club members Kiwi Campbell and Sieda Tureia are national sprint coaches for elite women and development women (J19) respectively and their crews will take part in the elite world championships, which take place from July 19 to 23.
Gisborne paddlers feature in crews in both the junior and open elite divisions.
Tairawhiti paddlers are also among the individual competitors rated medal chances.
Sisters Akayshia Williams (open women) and Rangi-Riana Williams (J16 women), Grant Donaldson (master 40 men) and Darius Apanui-Nepe (J19 men) are all among the contenders in their age groups.
The club events take place at the same venue — the Taaone Bay race course off the host city of Pirae on the main island of Tahiti in French Polynesia.
Festivities start with the opening ceremony in Pirae on Sunday. Monday to Wednesday are training days, and on Thursday elite racing starts. Club racing starts two days later.
Walker said some Gisborne paddlers and supporters had already left for Tahiti, and others were leaving over the next few days. Many were still training.
The next two weeks would show the benefit of numerous training sessions on winter mornings and evenings.
