It’s raining gold

Wainui’s Brooke Williams after winning gold in the under-11 Diamond race at the Oceans championships, sensationally her fourth gold medal of the event and dad Dion had a huge smile to match his girl’s huge performance. She was unbeaten in all her heats, semis and finals. Picture by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media.

A “gold rush” by Gisborne youngsters at the Oceans 24 junior surf lifesaving nationals at Mt Maunganui gathered momentum yesterday.

They won six more gold medals to go with the two they won on the opening day.

Remarkably three of the golds won yesterday were won by one person, Wainui’s Brooke Williams, daughter of head club coach Dion Williams.

Surf conditions were described as challenging on Thursday, but improved considerably yesterday, with smaller-sized, cleaner surf.

The championships have drawn 700 competitors, aged 11 to 14, representing more than 40 surf lifesaving clubs across the country.

Riversun Wainui’s Brooke Williams started the rush on Thursday with gold in the under-11 girls’ surf race, and Dawson Building Midway’s Lilla Hain added another first-place finish that afternoon with a clear-cut victory in the under-14 girls’ beach sprint.

The gold medal run continued yesterday morning when Midway’s Blake Taylor snapped up the u12 boys’ run-swim-run title, and clubmate Sophia Castles won the u12 girls’ RSR event.

Then Williams added the u11 age-group RSR title to her surf race gold.

Wainui’s Rori Fukushima-Hall won the bronze medal in the u14 boys’ RSR.

The board heats, quarterfinals, semis and finals produced more excellent performances from the Gisborne athletes.

Wainui’s Xavier Booker set the board finals ball rolling with a bronze medal in the u11 boys’ final.

Then Brooke Williams scored her third gold of the championships with a fine win in the u11 girls’ board final.

She led all the way and finished a wave ahead of her nearest rival.

Shortly after that, Fukushima-Hall added to Wainui’s impressive medal haul with a silver in the u14 boys’ board final.

He was just pipped on the finish line for the gold.

Castles from Midway came through to take silver in the u12 girls’ board and Midway’s Sam Matthews got up for a bronze in the u13 boys’ board.

The finals of the diamond event — board and swim combined — produced more sensational results for the Gisborne clubs, highlighted remarkably by a fourth gold medal to Wainui’s Brooke Williams.

Wainui’s Xavier Booker was sixth in the boys’ u11 diamond final, and Midway’s Blake Taylor was fifth in the u12 boys’ final.

Midway’s Castles racked up another medal for her club with a bronze in the u12 girls diamond final.

Wainui’s Rori Fukushima-Hall then put the icing on the cake for his club and the district with a gold medal win the boys in u14 Diamond.

The u13 Diamond results were not available when the Herald went to print.

The championships continue today with tube and board rescue races, and board relays.