Poverty Bay Kayak Club athletes rebound at nationals

FOLLOW THE LEADER: The Poverty Bay 14-and-under mixed K4 crew get into their work at the national sprint championships at Lake Karapiro last weekend. They are (from left) Isaac Pittaway, AJ Kinsella, Taylor Newman and Celia Willoughby. Canoe Racing New Zealand pictures

A summer of cyclone setbacks did not stop Poverty Bay Kayak Club athletes excelling at the New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships at Lake Karapiro.

Quaid Thompson reclaimed the open men’s K1 1000-metre title after missing last year’s nationals due to Covid, and Zach Ferkins claimed gold in the open men’s K1 200m. These results earned them places in the national team to compete in Europe this year.

The club was second — of 12 clubs taking part — in the overall medal table.

Particularly dominant were the junior team, under the tutelage of coaches Liz Thompson and Kendra Tate.

In the youngest age group, under-12 boys Gus Kinsella and Max Egan dominated the K1 and K2 events, then teamed up with Charlotte Willoughby and Annabelle Jecks to win the mixed K4 title.

Taylor Newman and Isaac Pittaway both won u14 K1 titles, and then teamed up with AJ Kinsella and Celia Willoughby to win both mixed K4 events.

In the u16 division Hannah Webb and Amelia Garbett joined Waitara friends Poppy Barnes and Mia Padrutt to win both K4 distances. Also paddling into a couple of K4 placings for Bay of Plenty was promising newcomer Jacqueline Kennedy. Jacqueline’s brother Maxwell paddled with Matt McKendry, Ollie Egan and Hawke’s Bay’s Oscar Jarvis to pick up two golds, two silvers and two bronzes in u16 team boats.

Lauren Pittaway, with four, was Poverty Bay’s most prolific masters’ medal winner, outscoring husband Nick 4-2 in the medal stakes.

After three years of hard training, Andy Kinsella won the K1 masters’ title for 45-to-55-year-old paddlers.

Other medallists included Matt Cairns, Kim Hedley, Alex Bermingham, Tim Pittaway, Genna Robertson and Emma Brownlie.

Following on from the nationals, Angus Baker, Hannah Webb, Maxwell Kennedy and Matt McKendry stayed on to race in the Asia Pacific Cup for New Zealand at Lake Karapiro.

Poverty Bay Kayak Club medallists at the canoe sprint championships —

Gold

Gus Kinsella: 12-and-under boys’ K1 100m, 12&u boys’ K1 500m.

G Kinsella, M Egan: 12&u boys’ K2 100m.

G Kinsella, M Egan, A Jecks, C Willoughby: 12&u mixed K4 200m.

Isaac Pittaway: 14&u boys’ K1 500m.

I Pittaway, AJ Kinsella, T Newman, C Willoughby: 14&u mixed K4 200m.

I Pittaway, AJ Kinsella, T Newman, C Willoughby: 14&u mixed K4 500m.

Taylor Newman: 14&u girls’ K1 500m.

O Egan, M McKendry, O Jarvis, M Kennedy: 16&u men’s K4 200m.

O Egan, M McKendry, O Jarvis, M Kennedy: 16&u men’s K4 500m.

H Webb, A Garbett, P Barnes, M Padrutt: 16&u women’s K4 200m.

H Webb, A Garbett, P Barnes, M Padrutt: 16&u women’s K4 500m.

H Webb, M McKendry: 16&u mixed K2 200m.

H Webb, M McKendry, M Kennedy, T Newman: junior relay 200m.

H Webb, M McKendry, M Kennedy, T Newman: club relay 200m.

Andy Kinsella: master men’s K1 200m.

A Kinsella, M Cairns: master men’s K2 200m.

Quaid Thompson: open men’s K1 1000m.

Zach Ferkins: open men’s K1 200m.

Silver

Gus Kinsella: 12&u boys’ K1 200m.

Max Egan: 12&u boys’ K1 500m.

I Pittaway, AJ Kinsella: 14&u boys’ K2 200m.

I Pittaway, AJ Kinsella: 14&u boys’ K2 500m.

Taylor Newman: 14&u girls’ K1 200m.

H Webb, M McKendry, M Kennedy, T Newman: junior mixed K4 200m.

Kim Hedley: masters’ K1 200m.

K Hedley, N Pittaway, M Cairns, A Kinsella: masters’ K4 200m.

K Hedley, N Pittaway, M Cairns, A Kinsella: masters’ K4 500m.

Lauren Pittaway: master women’s K1 200m, master women’s K1 500m.

L Pittaway, S Jecks: master women’s K2 200m, master women’s K2 500m.

G Robertson, A Bermingham, E Brownlie, J Padrutt: open K4 200m.

O Jarvis, M Kennedy: 16&u men’s K2 200m.

O Jarvis, M Kennedy: 16&u men’s K2 500m.

Bronze

Max Egan: 12&u boys’ K1 200m.

Isaac Pittaway: 14&u boys’ K1 200m.

T Newman, C Willoughby: 14&u boys’ K2 200m.

T Newman, C Willoughby: 14&u boys’ K2 500m.

Matt McKendry: 16&u men’s K1 500m.

J Kennedy, M Kennedy: mixed K2 200m.

O Egan, M McKendry: 16&u men’s K2 200m.

O Egan, M McKendry: 16&u men’s K2 500m.

Matt Cairns: master men’s K1 200m.

Andy Kinsella: master men’s K1 1000m.

M Cairns, A Kinsella: master men’s K1 1000m.