Gold medal winners New Zealand Under-19 at the 2024 CMAS sixth Underwater Hockey Age Group World Championships opening ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. Ezra Apiti is back row, fourth from right. Emma Speight is back row, right.
Gold medal winners New Zealand Under-19 at the 2024 CMAS sixth Underwater Hockey Age Group World Championships opening ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. Ezra Apiti is back row, fourth from right. Emma Speight is back row, right.
Taupō teenager Ezra Apiti claimed a gold medal as part of a strong New Zealand cohort at the 2024 Cmas sixth Underwater Hockey Age Group World Championships in Kuala Lumpur last month.
The 16-year-old Tauhara College student was part of the title-winning Under-19 men’s side, joining the Under-24 women (gold), Under-24 men (gold) and Under-19 women (bronze) on the podium.
The Under-24 women’s team scored 119 goals in the Malaysian capital, conceding just three and beating France in the grand finale.
“He was quite a bit younger than the other players, so he was blown away he made it into the New Zealand team,” Sarah said.
“He was really pleased because he put so much work in. He sacrificed everything else because he plays volleyball and basketball as well. It meant he had to tone those sports down a bit.”
Ezra was one of the New Zealand representatives in the opening ceremony, one of his many trip highlights.
Ezra Apiti and Eloise Sharpe represented New Zealand in the 2024 CMAS sixth Underwater Hockey Age Group World Championships opening ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
“He was the baby of the squad and was chuffed to be chosen for the opening ceremony.”
Sarah wanted to thank Taupō Taniwha club members Phil Somers and Max Hargreaves for sharing their knowledge and experience with Ezra.
“The [Under-19] team manager Emma Speight was amazing, too. She had her finger on the pulse and had every potential contingency plan covered.
“Warwick King the coach and Barry Gates the co-coach both did an amazing job of getting the best out of the boys and building up Ezra’s confidence. They developed his gameplay.”
Ezra is now preparing to venture to Thailand on Friday with the Aotearoa Māori Poirewa Under-18 Volleyball team.
“Tauhara College has been amazing and supportive, allowing him to get away and compete while supporting him to catch up on his studies,” Sarah said.
“The Taupō Half Marathon Sports Fund has given Ezra $1000 for each trip, which was awesome. They’ve been really generous.”
Full New Zealand squad at the Opening Ceremony for the Cmas 6th Underwater Hockey Age Group World Championships.
Under-19 men’s team manager Speight said it was an amazing experience to beat France Under-19 2-1 and win the gold medal.
The team’s other matches were against Great Britain, Türkiye, South Africa, Australia, USA and Columbia.
“The boys spent 18 months to two years, trying to get selected and then training their hearts out. To win the gold medal was the most incredible experience,” Speight said.
“It’s played 2 metres underwater, and the players wear fins, a mask and a snorkel. You can’t yell at your teammates, so teamwork is critical to be successful.
“Before the final game, they played the two finalist’s anthems. Then the anthem is played again when you get the gold medal. We ended up singing the New Zealand national anthem six times. It was amazing.”
As a self-funded sport, the players worked hard to raise the money for the trip.
Tea towels with drawings from each New Zealand underwater hockey squad member.
Part of the fundraising involved selling t-shirts to supporters and quirky tea towels covered in drawings from each team member.
“We really want to thank all the parents, all of the supporters and all of the underwater hockey communities around New Zealand who proved so much support for our teams online throughout and prior to the tournament,” Speight said.
“They helped the teams to be as good as they could be, that was fantastic.”
