SWIMMING - Christensen wins double gold as North shines at nationals

Kadince Christensen from Whangarei was the standout performer for the highly successful Northland swim team at the New Zealand Age Group Championships in Wellington.
In what may be a first for Northland, the Whangarei Swimming Club competitor struck gold twice with victories in the 50m and 100m butterfly events in the 13-year age group.
He was fourth in the 50m freestyle and the 200m individual medley and made the top 10, in each of his other five events.
In doing so, he broke three Northland records, one dating from 1996.
The team's other standout performer was Bay of Islands Swim Club's Carla Marsh, who scooped three bronze medals - in the 14-year 100m and 200m breaststroke and the 200m freestyle.
Like Christensen, she came close to more medals, with three fourth placings as well as making another three finals.
Carla also broke Northland records in the 100m breaststroke and 200m freestyle.
Northland's other medal winner was Bream Bay Swim Club's Haylee Jensen, who won bronze in the 13 years' 50m fly.
Other Northlanders to make finals were Ashlee Crane (two), Holly Duckmanton, Jordan Pene, Aaron Millar and Cameron Wild.
Brooke Eastwood, Hannah Leaming, Michael Cate and Bradley Kemp completed the team and all swam well, recording many personal bests.
Manager Mandy Marsh was particularly pleased with the team's performance which, like the Northland Junior team, was achieved against all odds - and with far less resources to work with.
"To bring home five medals with a team of 12 swimmers is a massive achievement and they should all be very proud of their performances - it must be one of the most successful Northland teams for a long time."
The Swimming Northland Junior Team also completed a successful weekend at the recent New Zealand Junior Swimming Championships in Auckland.
A team of 13 boys and five girls had pre-qualified for the 12-years-and-under champs, many for the first time, and brought home five national medals, many regional placings and a host of personal best times.
The medals were won by Northwave's Melita Raravula and Whangarei Swim Club's Maddison Eastwood, who followed on from their success in the New Zealand Juniors last year, where they also won national medals.
Raravula won a rare national gold for Northland in the 12-years' 100m breaststroke final.
She also won two national silvers, in the 50m breaststroke and 50m fly.
Maddison repeated her feat from last year with national silvers in the 100m and 200m breaststroke finals, this time in the 11-years' age group.
In doing so, the girls each broke long-standing Northland age group records - Melita in the 50m and 100m breaststroke (from 2004) and Maddison in the 100m and 200m breaststroke (from 2003 and 2001 respectively).
The other standout Northland swimmer was Freyah Ruri (Manaia Swim Club), who placed in the top 10 in all nine events she contested in the 10 year age group during the weekend, gaining fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh national placings.
She also broke a long-standing Northland age group record in the 50m backstroke set in 2000.
The team achieved personal bests in 56 per cent of events, with many qualifying for next year's New Zealand Junior Champs.
The rest of the team included Katie Nilson and Chloe Neil (Kamo), Thomas Barlow (Dargaville), Darcy Chapman and Jackson Aiono-Fatu (Nga Papahu), Brett Gentil, Snapper Gulick, Patrick McKenzie and Joshua Young (Northwave), Bailey Maihi (Bay of Islands) and Josh Jensen, Matthew Jensen, Sam McNamara, David Platt and Chad Walker (Bream Bay).