World champ rower wins again

GOLD: Fiona Bourke triumphed at last night's Ngati Kahungunu Sports Awards.. PHOTO/GLENN TAYLOR

Hawke's Bay's world champion rower Fiona Bourke received an early birthday present with her winning of the Ngati Kahungunu Sportsperson of the Year award in Hastings last night.

It was the first time Ms Bourke, who turns 26 on Thursday, had won the award after being a finalist on two previous occasions. Earlier in the night she won the Senior Sportswoman award for the third consecutive year at the Hastings Sports Centre-hosted function attended by a crowd of 300. The ex-Takapau and Terrace School pupil won gold with Zoe Stevenson in the New Zealand women's double scull crew at this year's world championships in Amsterdam.

The pair turned in a splendid performance to put behind them the memory of finishing second the previous year with a withering surge over the last 500m. They were third at that point before easing past the Polish and Australian combinations.

She also won gold at the World Cup III regatta in Lucerne and her national championship medal haul included two golds and a bronze. These days she is Cambridge-based and pursuing an accounting degree after studying chemistry at Otago University where she took up rowing.

The daughter of Flemington School principal Phil Bourke and Takapau School teacher Jay Bourke told the function she was extremely grateful for the support from her parents. Her father was a shearer and that laid the foundation for her at an early stage. She said she ended up in rowing only because no other sport would have her.

She pipped last year's premier award winner and this year's Senior Sportsman award winner, All Black Sevens rep Gillies Kaka, Coach award winner, Junior Black Sox softball team head coach Thomas Makea jnr and Bay waka ama administrator Vanessa Wilson for the premier award.

Like Ms Bourke and Mr Kaka, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist, White Sox softballer Courtney Gettins, won her Junior Sportswoman award for the second consecutive year. Her national women's interclub title-winning Dodgers premier women's team collected the Senior Sports Team award, repeating their feat at the annual Hawke's Bay Sports Awards function back in May.

Last night's guest speaker, Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby centre Robbie Fruean, told the crowd how much he was enjoying Hawke's Bay.

Former All Black Taine Randell introduced the Magpie as a "Ranfurly Shield magnet". This is because the centre has been a shield holder at all three of his provinces - Wellington, Canterbury and now Hawke's Bay. "Come Ranfurly Shield time, we've got supernatural powers," the midfielder said.