Waikanae's Chloe Kapene and Lachie Falloon win gold at NZ U-14 surf life saving champs

STANDOUT PERFORMER: Waikanae’s Lachie Falloon started his summer of surf lifesaving with a win in the ironman at the Whangamata Classic carnival at the weekend in his first season in under-16 competition. File picture

SURF LIFESAVING

Chloe Kapene helped get Waikanae off to a good start by winning two gold medals at the New Zealand Under-14 Surf Life Saving Championships at Orewa Beach yesterday.

Kapene won the u11 girls’ run-swim-run and board race.

Clubmate Lachie Falloon won the u14 boys’ board race to put Waikanae fifth in the points race, on nine points, after the first day of competition.

The championships, dubbed Oceans 18, finish on Sunday.

About 850 junior surf sport athletes from 46 clubs are taking part.

The other Gisborne clubs also had medal success on Day 1.

Midway’s work on developing junior athletes paid off with Sophie Petro’s second placing in the u12 girls’ board race and fourth in the run-swim-run.

Also in the medals for Midway was Austin Fergus, who was third in the boys’ u11 board race.

Midway were equal 12th in the points table, with three.

For Wainui, Jack Keepa put together a strong race for silver in the u14 boys’ run-swim-run, then was fifth in the board race.

Many Gisborne athletes progressed into finals and placed in the top half of their age groups.

Relentless onshore winds, torrential downpours and king tides made conditions challenging to competitors and organisers.

However, Gisborne athletes had the bonus of a wind swell that added to the technical difficulty of the conditions, something to which they are accustomed.

Late in the afternoon, the board relay was called off due to the conditions. This was to be run today.

The surf race, Grand Cameron team relay and beach sprints were also scheduled for today.

Worse weather is expected, so organisers were looking to push through as much of the programme as possible.