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Junior surf lifesavers from Omaha Beach came away with a national title and a raft of good placings at the recent Junior Surf Life Saving Nationals at Mount Maunganui.
Fifteen Omaha Surf Life Saving Club members made the trip south for the four-day Oceans 23 championship, which was the first full-scale festival since 2020 – last year’s event was cancelled due to covid and the 2021 event had to be scaled back.
The Omaha Beach contingent, only two of whom had attended the event in the past, joined more than 600 other ten to 14-year-olds from all over New Zealand for the event, which took place on the town’s main beach from February 23 to 26.
Club spokesperson Stef Robertson all the kids had done incredibly well and had an amazing time, bringing back three individual medals and one in the new composite teams event, where clubs who couldn’t field a full team joined forces to compete together, allowing Omaha to enter a greater number of events.
Mahe Iversen won gold in the U12 Men’s Beach Flags and Silver in the U 12 Men’s Beach Sprints, while Kane Wright took Silver in the U13 Mixed Beach Relay (which also included three others from Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service).
Results: Mahe Iversen, U12 Men’s Beach Flags, 1; U12 Men’s Beach Sprints, 2. Kane Wright, U13 Mixed Beach Relay (composite), 2; U13 Men’s Board Race, 14. Alex Worth, U14 Men’s Board Race & Beach Sprints, 6; U14 Men’s Beach Flags, 10. Luke Matthews, U14 Men’s Beach Flags, 6. Joia Thomas, U14 Women’s Beach Flags, 7. Maia Iversen, U14 Women’s Beach Flags, 8. Zac Donaldson, U 13 Men’s Surf Race, 10; U 13 Mens Run Swim Run, 18. Luke, Alex, Joia, Maia , 2km Beach Relay, 9.
