Juniors chasing lifesaving

TITLE CHASE: Nearly 60 under-14 surf athletes — along with coaches, families and other supporters — will be in Mount Maunganui tomorrow when the medal chase begins in the Oceans 19 New Zealand junior surf lifesaving championships. The standard was high at the recent Gisborne junior championships, (pictured here at the start of the u13 girls’ surf race), and the overall Gisborne medal haul should be significant. Pictures by Paul Rickard

Medal chances beckon for nearly 60 Gisborne junior surf athletes at Mount Maunganui, where Oceans 19 starts tomorrow.

The New Zealand junior surf lifesaving championships have attracted more than 850 athletes aged 10 to 14 years from across the country.

Dawson Building Midway will have 29 athletes competing, Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae 18 and Riversun Wainui 11.

The Mount Maunganui club will be hard to stop again for overall club honours after being clear winners in 2018.

Waikanae finished seventh last year, Midway 10th and Wainui 23rd.

The Gisborne clubs will be set to improve on those performances this year, given the quality of the athletes coming through.

That was apparent in the Eastern Regional Junior Championships at Whangamata, where athletes from all three clubs performed well.

Midway’s Sophie Petro in the under-13 girls’ division looms as one of her club’s likely medal chances in board, swim and diamond events.

Her clubmate Ella Sutton won three gold medals at the Eastern Regional Junior Champs in the u11 division, in board, swim and diamond races.

Sasha Fergus and Olivia Gaddum will give Midway real strength in team events such as the board rescue and board relay in the u14 division.

Harry Hayward could feature in the u11 boys’ races in the beach sprint and board.

Yahni Brown, Austin Fergus and Sam Gaddum could be a force in the u12 board and board relay, with Tyron Evans a contender in the u13 boys’ swim events.

“We are taking away our biggest team for eight to 10 years,” Midway junior surf coach Jared Phelps said.

“The group are all capable of awesome performances, and mixing it with the best from around the country.

“For us as a club, it is about the kids gaining more experience and getting a taste of what to expect when they hit the older age groups.?

Waikanae’s top contenders would be led by Chloe Kapene in the u12 girls’ events. She won the board, diamond and the run-swim-run at the junior eastern regionals.

She teamed up with Rubi Hart and Ruby Williams to win the u12 girls’ board relay.

Hart won the flags and her clubmate Oska Smith snapped up the u14 boys’ beach sprint and flags.

“We do not have a big group going over, but we try to go with quality not quantity,” Waikanae head coach Cory Hutchings said.

“The kids are really pumped up and ready go. They’re all very excited and looking forward to it.”

Hutchings said their aim this year was for a top-10 finish overall.

“That would be a great result for us.”

Wainui’s Charlie Keepa would be one of that club’s main medal hopes. She won the u11 girls’ run-swim-run and also featured in the surf race at the junior eastern regionals.

Imogen Amor-Bendall and Ella Arthur could also feature at nationals in the swim and board events respectively.

“I am really proud of the progress our kids have made over the summer,” head coach Dion Williams said.

“They are really developing their skills in the Wainui-style big waves.

“Fingers crossed they get to show off those skills at the champs.”