“A hard surf break on a bar about half way out to the cans made for challenging racing, but overall conditions produced fair and clean racing,” Mitchell said.
“Oliver and I were stoked to be named overall top team in the under-22s.
“We have been aiming for that title for the past couple of years.”
They received the Opunake Trophy.
“Ollie and I trained separately for the nationals because I work here (Gisborne) and he studies in Dunedin, so to do so well at the nationals was amazing.”
The other Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae men’s team in action in Dunedin — driver Cole Williams and crewman Sam Blackburne — also medalled.
They came home with silver medals in the u19 men’s mass rescue, again with their patients the Allan brothers and Hope, and in the u19 single rescue final.
They also won the bronze medal in the u19 men’s assembly race.
Both men’s crews combined to finish fourth in the open teams race.
“That was the first time Waikanae had made that open teams final,” Mitchell said.
Waikanae also had a team competing in the open women’s division.
“Britta Carroll and her crewperson Ana Naden raced well in some tough competition,” Mitchell said.
Their opponents included the current world champions from Sunset Beach at Port Waikato.
“They missed out on medals, but gained some really valuable experience in their first year in that tough open women’s division.”
Carroll and Naden made three semifinals and finished 10th out of 24 teams in the open women’s division at their first nationals.
Waikanae amassed 41 points across the two days of the championships, and finished in fifth place overall.
