SMITH CLAIMS GOLD

CHAMPION ON DAY ONE: Gisborne's Oska Smith took out the beach sprint in the youth competition of the Lifesaving World Championships in Italy. Pictures supplied

Waikanae's Oska Smith won the beach sprint in the youth competition of the Lifesaving World Championships in Italy to highlight an opening day of action for the New Zealand Black Fins open and junior teams.

In winning gold, Smith headed home runners from Australia and South Africa to score maximum points for the Kiwi juniors as they seek to retain their world team crown.

His teammate Summer Rolston, also from Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae club, won bronze in the ocean swim while Jack Keepa (Waikanae) and George Wenman (Orewa) won bronze in the board rescue.

The Black Fins juniors, including Smith, Keepa and team captain Lachie Falloon, were second in the beach relay behind Australia.

The Black Fins open team competed in the pool on the opening day.

The Gisborne highlight was a bronze medal to Olivia Corrin, of Dawson Building Midway, as part of the team who were second in the 4x50m obstacle relay — less than a second behind Australia.

Corrin was also third in the B final of the 200m obstacle swim.

New Zealand captain Steve Kent (Mairangi Bay) won silver in the men's 200m obstacle race in which Chris Dawson (Midway) was seventh.

Dawson was also in the four-man Kiwi team who were fifth in the obstacle relay won by Great Britain.

Madison Kidd (Whangamata) was second in the 100m manikin tow with fins.

It is the first time the biennial champs have been held in four years due to the Covid pandemic and the Black Fins open and junior teams were champing at the bit to get stuck into competition.

A dozen Gisborne-connected athletes and coaches are among the Kiwi squads.

The open team features Gisborne born-and-bred Cory Taylor (vice-captain), Olivia Corrin, Chris Dawson (all of the Midway club) and Briana Irving and Michael Hanna (Waikanae). Waikanae's Cory Hutchings and Arna Majstrovic are coaches.

Included in the junior team are Lachie Falloon (co-captain), Oska Smith, Jack Keepa and Summer Rolston (all members of Waikanae). They are among over 5000 competitors from around 50 countries competing over six days of racing in pool and beach events.

“Having an enforced break between events will have given some of the experienced athletes the chance to refresh and take stock of what happened at the last world championships,” Surf Lifesaving New Zealand's high performance manager Tanya Hamilton said before the competition kicked off overnight.

“And for the new members of the teams, it's an incredibly exciting chance to represent their country.

“These world champs are going to be incredibly hard fought. Whichever team comes away with the title is going to have worked for every point.”

Over the course of the championships, 21 pool rescue events and 21 ocean and beach events will be run.

The Black Fins were runners-up to Australia for overall honours in 2018 after winning the title in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

The Junior Black Fins, made up of athletes between 15 and 18 years old, are the reigning champions.

Both teams arrived in Riccione last week to give them the chance to acclimatise quickly. They spent time daily at the pool and beach fine-tuning their skills and getting used to the conditions.

Racing got under way last night (NZ time) with the Black Fins in the pool and the Junior Black Fins at the beach.