Ross European master as gold medals mount

Kevin Ross, seen here with long-time playing partner Robyn Kinnear, added two more World Masters gold medals along with a bronze to his resume this month. PHOTO/ FILE

Once again, Wanganui District Council's chief executive Kevin Ross has become a world champion in Masters badminton as he returned from sunny Italy with a fistful of medals from the World Masters Games last week.

Held in the Italy's city of Turin (spelt Torino in Italian), 25,000 athletes of various abilities and nationalities descended to take part in a multitude of sports.

Ross said much of the Masters attendance was geographical as he has been to six World Masters, the chance to compete in Italy meant there would be more European opponents than he faced in Sydney four years ago.

"That was part of the attraction, that we would play different people."

As a former New Zealand international player, he competed in the Open Grade of the badminton in the Men's 55+ section.

He saw off opposition from Germany, Belgium, the US and Canada to win the gold.

Ross then teamed with his playing partner of 30 years, Robyn Kinnear, to take out the gold in the Mixed 55+ Pairs, after they had to settle for bronze in Sydney in 2009.

The pair had previously won gold in the 45+ section when the games were held in Melbourne.

Ross also teamed with a Russian partner for bronze in the Men's 55+ Pairs.

He said it was a shock to the system to play inside an ice hockey rink where they used mats on the concrete floor while sun streamed in the windows with temperatures rising to 40C.

But getting to spend time in the northern city of Turin proved a real highlight of the trip.

"It's a magical city, it wasn't a place that had been in my sights but it had more going for it than I thought. It's like Rome, but without the big ticket items like the Colosseum."

The experience will be invaluable as Ross has been appointed to the World Masters Games 2017 board, as the event is being held in Auckland.

Chaired by Sir John Wells, Ross is in high-powered company along with former Rugby World Cup 2011 CEO Martin Snedden, IOC representative Barry Maister, Netball Northern Region chairwoman Dianne McAteer and accountant Diana Puketapu.

His appointment is for two years and Ross expected the board to pick his brain on past World Masters events as they make their plans for Auckland.

Meanwhile, there was more success in Italy from the Aramoho Rowing Club members. A silver medal was won by the team of Richard Brock, Pat Spriggens, Jason Reid, Tony Upchurch and coxswain Sue O'Leary.

O'Leary, Upchurch, Reid, Garth Hammond and Murray Carey also took a bronze.