Two waka medals each for Whanganui schools

Competitors waiting on shore at the Te Wananga o Aotearoa National Secondary Schools Waka Ama Championships at Tikitapu (Blue Lake).

The Under 19 crew of Whanganui Girls College had a strong showing at last week's Te Wānanga o Aotearoa National Secondary School Waka Ama Championships in Rotorua.

Competition was held over four days at Tikitapu - Blue Lake, with Whanganui Girls Under 19 crew picking up gold in the 500m women's 6 and silver in the 250m.

Meanwhile, the City College U19 crew took the bronze in that same 250m final, while City's mixed waka 12 crew claimed silver in their Under 16 final.

Whanganui Girls U19 team of Anika Robinson, Jordan Webb, Myah Cromie, Shaniqka Wall, Tahlia Butler and Toni-Anne Robinson won the W6 gold by about a boat length in 2m 46.25s, followed just under 4s later by runnersup Wellington Girls, and then Napier Girls in third in the eight boat final.

"They'd only been training for about seven weeks - to achieve this these results is amazing, at that level," said Whanganui Girls sports co-ordinator Rochelle Howard.

The team had a new coach would took them for training every evening in the lead-up to Rotorua.

"The turns did it. In the 500m they had to do a turn around a cone, and they had practiced that for three hours one night," said Howard.

The crew with one exception are all Under 16 competitors, but with an older member they had to compete in the higher age group.

Less than an hour later, the crew had to line up again for the eight boat 250m final, with Billie Flight replacing Webb in the waka.

The gold was won comfortably enough by Tai Wananga in 1m 7.75s, with Whanganui Girls second in 1m 9.54s, just narrowly ahead of City College (1m 9.96s).

The City College crew was Camila Candida Da Silva, Hinemoana Hall, Rachele Povelato, Shaniqua Hamilton-Hopa, Shaylee Winterburn and Toni-Marie Puketohe.

Earlier in the event, City College claimed the first medal of the local schools by earning silver in the Under 16 Mixed final for W12 crews.

City College crossed the line in 1m 1.34s, behind a Napier Boys High combined crew (59.86s), and ahead of bronze medal recipients AGGS Kowhai/Tauranga Boys (1m 2.12s).

The team was Brayden Tyson, Cindy Ngaira, Epic Tuirirangi-Rapana, Harmony Rerekura-Challis, Jahnae Rerekura-Challis, Kane Hinga, Krystal Rapana-Hawira, Kyla Joseph, Mathew Rapana-Tuirirangi, Paito Kawana, Trent Beamsley-Wiari, Victoria von Weichs.

The double podium placings meant Whanganui Girls finished ninth of 19 schools who received medals, while City College finished 16th on the tally.

Howard said a couple of members of the successful Under 19 crew have now decided to set aside other sports to concentrate on preparing for the World Championships in Taihiti next year.