North islanders dominate the TSB Bank Nationals

North islanders dominate the TSB Bank Nationals in Christchurch

Mt Maunganui Lifeguard Service have managed to take the overall win at Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s premier event, the 2017 TSB Bank National Surf Life Championships, held this weekend in Christchurch.

The team from the Bay of Plenty have led from the first day, even though many other teams from around New Zealand pushed hard to prevent them from taking the title for the fifth consecutive time.

Finishing in second was Mairangi Bay from Auckland, who managed to squeeze past the third placed getters during the final day. It was an emotional event for the team as they wore black bands and paid tribute to sporting great, the late Tania Dalton, who was a member of the club making their podium finish here truly special.

Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club from Gisborne managed to take third at the annual event, despite being a relatively small team, and finished only six points behind Mairangi Bay.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand sport manager, Mike Lord, said “Congratulations to Mt Maunganui for winning another Nationals title. They performed brilliantly all weekend and it’s great to see their athletes doing so well.

“In fact, all of the athletes did extremely well this weekend. A lot of the races were really close and that’s due to the talent of the lifeguards. They were also fair and supportive to each other which is always fantastic to see, in any sport,” continued Mr. Lord.

Rounding out the top five was Piha Surf Life Saving Club and Orewa Surf Life Saving Club in fourth and fifth respectively.

TSB Bank National Surf Life Saving Championship event manager, Prue Younger, said she’s delighted at how the four-day extravaganza went and paid tribute to all the people, sponsors and clubs for their support in making it such a great event.

“Overall it was an absolutely fantastic event. We really enjoyed being back in Christchurch and I think all of the teams did too. The hospitality from Christchurch and New Brighton locals has been second-to-none and we’re really grateful for their support.

“The support for the event from surf clubs and sponsors has also made this event special. So thank you to them especially TSB Bank, Countdown, Christchurch City Council, Hirepool, Ricoh, Paper Plus and New Brighton Club for their help,” continued Ms. Younger.

Both Mr. Lord and Ms. Younger also complemented the surf life saving officials and volunteers for their hard work and dedication throughout the four days, and said they made such a huge contribution to the smooth yet fun running of the event.

The New Zealand High Performance Squads are also set to be announced today after selectors saw the athletes in action this weekend, with this selection the first step in the pathway to the 2018 Lifesaving World Championships in Adelaide, Australia.

The next major event on the Surf Life Saving New Zealand sport calendar is the BP IRB Nationals, held at Waipu Cove on April 1-2.

Top 5 overall points:

Club Points
Mt Maunganui Lifeguard Service 156
Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club 96
Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club 87
Piha Surf Life Saving Club 54
Orewa Surf Life Saving Club 49

Noteable results:

Top Team
• Waimairi Open Women’s Canoe Team (Christchurch)
o 1st Long Course Canoe
o 1st Short Course Canoe
o Won every race

Top Female
• Danielle McKenzie – Mairangi Bay (Auckland)
o 1st Ironperson
o 1st Ski Race
o 1st Board Race
o 2nd Run Swim Run

Top Male
• Cory Taylor – Midway (Gisborne)
o 1st Ironperson
o 1st Ski Race
o 2nd Board Race
o 2nd Run Swim Run

Full results and points can be found here: http://liveresults.co.nz/sls

Ends

© Scoop Media