Horouta paddler Akayshia Williams is Aotearoa’s waka ama sprint queen after completing the 500-metre/250m double at Lake Karapiro this week.
She won the premier women’s W1 250-metre dash at the Waka Ama NZ sprint nationals on Thursday, a day after winning the 500m final.
Williams completed the 250m in 1 minute 10.52 seconds, 3.58s faster than runner-up Rose King, of Nga Hoe Horo Outrigger Canoe Club.
Te Rina Leubert, of Haeata Ocean Sports, was third in 1:14.98.
Horouta paddler Hine Brooking also completed the sprint double when she won the J19 women’s dash over 250m. Her time of 1:10.73 was 1.51s faster than that of runner-up Abigail Liufalani of Pineula.
Brooking’s clubmate Marnie Toloa was third in 1:13.19.
On Wednesday, Brooking had won the J19 women’s 500m, finishing 1.11s ahead of Liufalani.
Maia Campbell raced up a grade on Thursday, finishing fifth in the premier men’s 250m dash in 1:02.03, 1.86s behind the winner in a blanket finish for the top five places.
Jake Suitauloa (Manukau Outrigger Canoe Club, 1:00.17), Ash Roozendaal (Hei Matau Paddlers, 1:00.99) and Tupu King (Nga Hoe Horo, 1:01.23) were first, second and third respectively.
Te Tai Tokerau/Northland paddler Jason Reti, paddling for Horouta at this regatta, was 10th in 1:05.69.
In the J19 men’s 250m dash, Horouta paddlers Liam Nepe (1:04.57) and Kane Soto (1:06.75) were sixth and eighth respectively.
Three female “superteams” had an epic showdown in the premier women’s regional W12 500m.
The team representing Te Puku o Te Ika (Taranaki, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and the central North Island) won the race in 2:01.76, only 0.12 of a second ahead of Te Uranga o Te Ra (Opotiki, Tairawhiti and Hawke’s Bay) and 0.87s ahead of the Mareikura team from Tai Tokerau Polynesian Canoe Association in Northland.
Te Uranga o Te Ra were Akayshia Williams, Bess Halley, Cory Campbell, Gaibreill Wainohu, Hine Brooking, Kaiarahi Brooking-Haapu, Keri Ngatoro, Kodi Campbell, Marnie Toloa, Rachael Williams, Rangi-Riana Williams and Sieda Tureia.
Te Puku o Te Ika completed the double by winning the premier men’s regional W12 500m in 1:47.78, 0.27s ahead of runners-up A’arua, of Auckland Regional Outrigger Canoe Association, and 2.10s ahead of Tai Tokerau crew Whatukura.
Te Uranga o Te Ra were fourth in 1:55.10.
Horouta crew Papa Mana Hoe were second in the golden master (60-plus) men’s W12 500m final in 1:58.73, 0.75 of a second behind the winners and 0.71s ahead of the third-placed team. Another Horouta team, Papa Koroua, were fourth in 2:08.49.
A combined Horouta/Mareikura crew, Hinewaiariki Hine o Te Moana, representing Te Uranga o Te Ra, took second place in the golden master women’s W12 final.
Their time of 2:18.09 was 4.10s slower than that of the winners.
Horouta crew Hinewaiora/Waipunarangi were fifth in 2:37.93.
W12 club honours to Kaiarahi Toa after narrow loss in regional race
Horouta standard-bearers Kaiarahi Toa took care of business when they won the final of the premier women’s W12 500 metres in the Waka Ama NZ sprint nationals at Lake Karapiro on Friday.
It turned around a narrow runners-up finish on Thursday for Tairawhiti regional team Te Uranga o Te Ra, who were pipped by 0.12 of a second for first place in the premier women’s regional W12 500m.
Many of the regional crew were in the double-hull again on Friday, for duty with their Self Storage Gisborne Horouta Waka Hoe Club team.
Kaiarahi Toa (Aislinn Tahiwi, Akayshia Williams, Bess Halley, Cheidan Moetara, Gaibreill Wainohu, Hine Brooking, Kaiarahi Brooking-Haapu, Keri Ngatoro, Marnie Toloa, Rangi-Riana Williams, Sieda Tureia and Taylynn Morete) crossed the finish line in 2:01.29, 0.95 of a second ahead of runners-up Matiti o Tiare, of Nga Hoe Horo Outrigger Canoe Club, from Te Tai Tokerau/Northland.
In the master women’s W12 500m final, Horouta crew Nga Kopara Mai Tawhiti won a close finish against Nga Hoe Horo crew Wahine Pukaha.
The Horouta team of Angela Rasmussen, Debra Rasmussen, Elizabeth Hall, Jacqueline Kirikino, Kara Te Whata-Maynard, Kaye Ross, Kerry Johnston, Lillian Hodgson, Lisa Grace, Naomi Whitewood, Penny Scragg and Simmy Taitapanui recorded a time of 2:08.13, 1.12s ahead of the runners-up.
Horouta crew Tama Ki Te Rangi finished fourth in the J19 men’s W12 500m final, 2.38s behind the winners.
Clubmates Woolley Kumara Masters finished second in the master men’s W12 500m final but were disqualified for being over the line at the start.
A joint Horouta/Mareikura crew, Kiwi Manawaroa, representing Te Uranga o Te Ra, contested the senior master women’s W12 500m final but were disqualified for paddling out of their lane and finishing out of their lane.
