Pegasus Post: February 26, 2019

PEGASUS POST Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday February 26 2019 15
Arawa crowned NZ’s
top canoe club
SPORTS
after big medal haul
• By Gordon Findlater
ARAWA CANOE Club have
been crowned the top club in the
country after capturing 22 gold
medals at the NZ and Oceania
canoe sprint championships on
Lake Karapiro.
The Kerrs Reach club collected
65 medals in total, including 22
gold, 25 silver and 18 bronze.
They finished ahead of North
Shore on 17 golds and Poverty
Bay with 14 golds.
“I just think we’ve got a really
good group who feed off each
other at the moment and are
constantly pushing each other.
They’re starting to get some
results now,” said Arawa coach
Paul Fidow.
The club’s dominance was on
show in the under-18 women’s
division. In the under-18 K1 200
A final, Arawa athletes made up
seven of the nine starters.
“To have that many from one
club in an A final is pretty fantastic,”
said Fidow.
The biggest haul was made
by Olivia Brett, who won five
gold medals in the under-18 K1
200, under-18 K1 500, under-18
K2 200, under-18 K2 500 and
under-18 K4 500. Brett also won
a bronze medal in the K1 200
under-23 Oceania championship
category.
She is now all but sure to
represent New Zealand at the
ICF junior and under-23 canoe
sprint world championships in
Romania in August.
“I think she’ll have a really
good crack at the world junior
title this year,” said Fidow.
Brett has some good genes
– her father Steve won the 55 and
over masters’ 1000m event. Her
brother Stephen Brett also played
39 games for the Crusaders in
the late 2000s.
There was also family success
for sisters Ngariti and Isla
Mackenzie. Ngariti won gold in
the under-14 K1 200, under-14
K2 200 and under-14 K4 200.
Meanwhile, Isla won gold in the
tyros division K1 100, K1 200
and K1 500.
While Arawa have been the
nation’s dominant club in recent
years, Fidow says they’re always
looking at how to become
stronger as they build up to
defending their club title in 12
months.
TEAM WORK: Arawa’s under-18 K4 women’s teams won both
the K4 200 and 500.
DUO: Tilly Pritchard and Jessica Nisbett
(above) teamed up to win silver in both
the under-18 K2 200 and 500.
DOMINANT: Pieta Luthi, Olivia Brett
and Tilly Pritchard (right) completed
the podium for Arawa in the women’s
under-18 K1 200 and K1 500.