Kayaking: Seven national titles to Whanganui

Eventual winner Taris Harker (83), second-placed Andrew Mowlem (56) and bronze medallist Whanganui paddler Toby Brooke in fierce competition throughout the national open men's 10km championship.

Whanganui paddlers dominated the Canoe Racing New Zealand kayaking series winning an outstanding seven national titles and several minor medals.

After the completion of a series of 10km points races at various regional locations around the country, Canoe Racing NZ hosted the final race of the series at Blue Lake in Rotorua at the weekend.

Doubling as the National 10km Championships both the series championships title and the title of National Champion were up for grabs.

The series results were accumulated over a points system with the athletes best three results counting, however, to win the 10km Championship and to claim the national 10km title, the athlete had to win in Rotorua.

By the end of the race on Saturday the Whanganui Kayak group, a division of the Whanganui Multisport and Triathlon Club, managed to amass nine podium finishes out of 12 potential categories contested. And of those nine podium spots seven were national titles, one was silver and one bronze.

To add to the national championship titles the kayakers also won 10 series top three places, seven of which were national series titles with balance being second place spots.

"For most of the race the conditions were idyllic with Blue Lake remaining calm for all but two laps of the triangular course," club spokesman Brian Scott said.

"This seemed to suit the Whanganui group who haven't had exposure to the windy racing that sometimes prevails at the longer events, especially over the winter months."

Scott said particularly pleasing was the great results spread across the age groups with a nice mix of female and male paddlers.

"Zane Mills-Nossiter started the day well winning the U13 title and at the other end of the spectrum Erica Tanner won the open women's title with Toby Brooke taking the bronze medal in the Open Men's," Scott said.

Although both masters competitors Scott and his wife Robyn won both the female and male Open Multisport Division. In between these results were equally impressive performances with Sophie Brooke winning the female U16 title, Jack Clifton winning the U16 male title and Liam Lace the U18 male title.

The silver was won by Lucas Thompson in the U16 males. The other three team members Cameron Russell, George Pedley and Emily Caird all performed well, Scott said.

Now the series has finished the club has a couple of recovery days before returning to training and preparing for the first of the National Sprint Regattas.

"The sprint regattas are expected to be tough competition with the sport currently performing better internationally than ever before," Scott said.

"Recent Junior and U23 Championships saw the best results at that level, including a double world U23 title to Amie Fisher (Hawkes Bay) with the U23 men also making two A finals.

"To add to the excitement of the first regatta there will be a new style of racing where all single boat racing will be completed in divisions with a knockout competition to determine finalists.

"This gives newcomers to the sport the ability to race athletes of similar speed irrespective of age and then join into teams."

Canoe Racing NZ Series (Whanganui results):

Zane Mills-Nossiter 1st U13 male
George Pedley 2nd U14 male
Sophie Brooke 1st U16 female
Jack Clifton 1st U16 male
Lucas Thompson 2nd U16 male
Louise Clifton 2nd U18 female
Liam Lace 1st U18 male
Erica Tanner 1st open female
Toby Brooke 3rd open male
Robyn Scott 1st open multisport female
Brian Scott 1st open multisport male