Waka ama trifecta at Australian sprint championships

Picture supplied

THE smiles said it all after Akayshia Williams and twin sisters Cory and Kody Campbell (pictured) completed a stunning waka ama trifecta at the va’a world sprint championships in Australia.

Williams won the V1 500 metres final in the junior 19 women’s class, with Cory second and Kodi third.

This is, at the least, a rare performance for athletes from the same city at any world champs in any sport.

Williams’ time at the Lake Kawana course on Australia’s Sunshine Coast was a world record 2 minutes 33.78 seconds — one of two world best time set by Gisborne paddlers in the V1 races.

The J19 trio were among the stars of the New Zealand’s 555-strong contingent who brought home a medal table-topping 79 medals, 30 of them gold, from the elite and club races.

As if that wasn’t enough, Gisborne paddlers were also first (Tia Akurangi in world recod time), third (Gaibreill Wainohu) and fourth (Rangi-Riana Williams) in the J16 women’s V1 final.

Such results underline the quality of athletes being produced on our rivers.

Va’a, or waka ama, is not an Olympic or Commonwealth Games sport, but if efforts to push its case for inclusion are successful, a potentially golden future awaits our young paddlers.

The Herald will feature several stories about our paddlers’ success, starting tomorrow with comments from elite women’s coach and paddler Kiwi Campbell.