Students stake claim for LA selection

GUN RUNNERS: The group of crossfit athletes who competed in the second leg of the Road to USA challenge series in Hawke's Bay last weekend.

A group of Kaitaia College athletes cemented a number of top spots in the national rankings at the second leg of the Road to USA CrossFit challenge series in Hawke's Bay earlier this month.

Among the standout performances by the 10-strong Kotahufit team representing Infinite Scope Gym at Hastings during at the second leg of the series on Saturday, February 7, were Ani Ginty, taking the No1 standing on the New Zealand scaled female division standings, with Mineva Tamaofa occupying the No2 spot, while Christian Linder and Kyla Smith went top of the ladder in the junior varsity male and female divisions respectively.

There were also strong efforts from the Lum siblings, Kelly and Dakota Li, finishing No2 and No4 on the varsity male and novice female standings respectively. It was a particularly remarkable effort in the case of Kelly, who dislocated his finger the day before the competition playing basketball. Dakota, meanwhile, showed her strength in the weightlifting disciplines, eventually finishing only six reps behind the reigning national champion and current world No1, Trynatee Lolohea from Gisborne (and who, apparently, has been unbeaten for the past three years in New Zealand CrossFit competition).

Also ranking were Kaesha Tarawa earning No3 in New Zealand in the novice female category, and Savannah Wassink, Megan McMahon and Holly Ryan securing the 2nd, 4th and 5th spots respectively on the junior varsity female division.

The students' results were also recorded on the international CrossFit rankings, with several appearing in the top 10.

Conspicuous by her absence was former international representative Brooke Ah Sam who has chosen to instead focus on study this year.

The event was the second of three challenges (the third is being held in April) designed to select a New Zealand team to travel to LA this year to compete in the second annual Teen Gauntlet. Kotahufit coach Hine Lum noted the group left together on the Thursday before the event and came home the following day Sunday. While the Kaitaia team could have competed at a similar event in Auckland, Hine said Hawke's Bay offered a higher degee of competition, and also provided an opportunity to perform under the eye of a national team selector.

Lum noted all behaved in exemplary fashion representing their school, gym and town with distinction. In addition, having 10 athletes among a nationwide field of 45 made the Kaitaia gym team the biggest in the country, evidence the sport was really taking off in the Far North. She concluded by thanking all the local businesses and various individuals for supporting the gymnasts.