Latest News
Welcome Dormay Laufiso
We are thrilled to welcome Dormay Laufiso, an exceptional young athlete, to the Tātai Whetū Waitaha programme. Dormay, a standout in rugby league, has a remarkable track record and a bright future ahead.
Dormay, who is currently the Head Girl at Te Aratai College, has already achieved impressive feats in her sporting career. "I was the Captain of the Canterbury U18 girls 9s that won the National District 9s tournament and also the South Island tournament," she shares. "I was named MVP for both the South Island and national 9s tournaments. Early this year I represented Samoa at the PYC Cup, which we won."
Her hard work and dedication have earned her a spot in the U18s Canterbury representative team for the 13-a-side league, where she will play against Southland and Otago next month. She is one of the athletes selected by Canterbury Rugby League (CRL) to join the Tātai Whetū Waitaha programme. "I want to be part of it because I want to develop my talent to the best it can be," says Dormay. "I feel that working with Tātai Whetū would help me so much and help me get to the next level."
Dormay's passion for rugby league is matched by her desire for proper training and development. "The biggest challenge I face is not knowing the proper training that fits me," she explains. "I believe Tātai Whetū can help me to become more self-aware, resilient, and capable by getting me to work with the right people and getting me the help that I need."
As an athlete, Dormay is driven not only by personal success but also by the impact she can have on her whānau, friends, and community. "The impact that I would like to have as an athlete on my whānau, friends, and community is the spirit of not giving up, resilience, and hard work," she says. "I believe that in order for this to happen, I would have to start with myself."
Dormay's advice to others is heartfelt and wise: "Follow your heart and surround yourself with the right people. As we navigate life, we come across different people. Some are positive, and some are negative. If we choose to listen to those who are negative, it can affect our self-belief and decisions. But if we listen to ourselves and the people we believe are meant to be on our boat, we can get to our destination."
Looking ahead, Dormay is excited about the discipline and proper training that Tātai Whetū can offer. "I have been doing it on my own, but I think the discipline is not there," she admits. "I think if Tātai Whetū offer that, it will make a huge difference not only physically, but also mentally."
Dormay also aspires to give back to her community by volunteering to coach young kids. "I would encourage young wahine to play footy and inspire our tamariki by being a role model. For example, choose the right thing and lead by example."
We are excited to support Dormay Laufiso on her journey and look forward to seeing her grow and inspire others through her involvement with Tātai Whetū Waitaha. Welcome to the programme, Dormay!
Charlotte McKenzie - Shooting
Charlotte McKenzie, one of our Mid-Canterbury athletes has just come back from competing at the Oceania Shooting Federation Championships in Australia, where she competed in the Individual Open 50m Rifle Prone event. Under tough conditions Charlotte placed 13th in the open category (a huge achievement for an 18 year-old) and has upped her ranking to fifth New Zealand woman in the country. Her journey from starting out in indoor shooting in Mid Canterbury to making it to the big league is a classic story of grit and determination.
Before she left for the Oceania Championships, Charlotte featured in the Ashburton Courier, and we have more of her story to share below.
It’s a locally born and bred story through and through. Charlotte’s mum, Nina, played a role in introducing her to the world of indoor shooting. Over time, she joined the Canterbury Outdoor Target Shooting Club, where she met Bryan Hunter, an old hand at shooting. “I’ve seen her grow from a kid with a keen interest to the dedicated shooter she is today,” Bryan shares with a hint of pride.
But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Shooting demands not just physical prowess but also a whole lot of mental stamina. "Imagine staying completely focused for a 60-shot match. It drains you physically and mentally," Nina says. And yet, Charlotte took to it with a passion and commitment that's rare. A key part of her prep? Repetition. She emphasises, “You’ve got to practice the same movements, the same focus, again and again. It’s about staying calm.”
A point that Nina echoes, mentioning how shooting is a “cold, calculated” sport, more about managing nerves than anything else. "You won't see shooters getting all hyped up before a match. It's a different ball game," she adds.
This isn’t Charlotte’s first time representing New Zealand. But it is her maiden voyage travelling overseas with the team, and that comes with its own set of challenges, from paperwork to managing weapons overseas.
She's put in the hours, she's faced the challenges, and now she's all set to represent us on the global stage. And while the competition will be tough, with veterans like Janet Hunt and Denva Wren in the fray, Charlotte’s determination remains unwavering. “I just wanted to go, really. Just be there,” she says.
Charlotte’s story remind us of the power of dreams, dedication, and community support for sports that may not always get the headlines. We’re proud to be a part of her journey and are grateful to our incredible sponsors for making the pathway that little bit easier for the Tātai Whetū whānau.
Athlete achievements
We take immense pride in celebrating the success of our athletes and the last month has seen some outstanding achievements:
Noah Harmer Campbell: Selected for the NZ Secondary Schools team, contributing to their victory at NZSS, St Thomas of Canterbury.
Bishop Neal: Earned a spot in the NZRL Aotearoa Whaanui U16s team, playing a crucial role in their triumph at NZSS, St Thomas of Canterbury, and also clinching victory at the National Youth Tournament with South Island Scorpions U16s.
Te Kaio Cranwell: Secured a spot in the NZ Residents Clubs U18s team.
Kayshana Rapana-Phillips and Olive Connolly: Impressive selections for the NZRL Aotearoa Whaanui U16s Girls team.
Emma McIntyre: Shone at the world weightlifting championships, claiming 19th place in the 64kg category with a total lift of 194kg, including an 87kg snatch and a 107kg clean and jerk—a personal best!
Lucy Johnstone: Offered a coveted spot at the prestigious Sugar Bowl Academy in the States, renowned for its top-tier ski training and academic excellence.
Sarah McClure: Triumphed at the world triathlon age group (20-24) aqua bike championships in Pontevedra.
Sponsorship from the heart
[Published 15 October 2023]
A new year has meant new partnerships. This year we are excited to welcome Heartland bank into our Kaupapa of sponsors and supporters. As a proud Waitaha company they have a long history in the region and are proud to support our community. Their support will make a tremendous difference; our athletes and our team thank you for your generosity and welcome you to the whānau.
Tayla Bruce
[Published 6 September 2023]
Article originally published on Stuff, September 3 2023 - Tayla Bruce has kicked off an already successful campaign at the World Bowls Championships on the Gold coast. Bowling her way to the gold medal in the women’s singles in a hard fought final. Tayla is at the pinnacle of her sport and is just the third female in New Zealand to win the coveted title.
Over the past few years Tayla has been working away tirelessly to pursue her dreams to be the worlds best. Tayla has even had to recently give up her job as a primary school teacher in order to pursue her dreams without any financial support.
We are immensely proud of Tayla and her continuously shown resilience. We look forward to continuing to watch her perform in the women’s triples this week. Go Tayla!
Lauren Whittaker - winning on and off the court
[Published 6 September 2023]
Article originally published in The Press, August 18 2023. We are immensely excited for basketballer Lauren Whittaker who is following her dreams on and off the basketball court. Having grown up practically court side, Lauren’s fire and passion for basketball was stoked in good natured sibling rivalry. Dreaming of travelling to the USA on a basketball scholarship since she was 5, years of hard work and perseverance have now paid o% as Lauren has been awarded a scholarship to Gonzaga University, a division 1 University located in Washington state, USA. Lauren plans to study sports psychology whilst there.
The past few years have not been without challenges for Lauren, having lost her father five years ago from a heart attack and then su%ering an ACL rupture last year. Laurens resilience and her ability to bounce back from grief and loss has made her a force to be reckoned with on and o% the court.
We wish Lauren nothing but the best for her next adventure and look forward to cheering her on from New Zealand.
100% Mahi: A Year In Review - Annette Purvis (Chair)
[Published 8 December 2022]
Our recently held AGM gave the Trustees and Programme Leaders the opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months and the successes, both large and small, achieved across the programme.
Through our monthly communications, we have highlighted a number of outstanding results during the year, from medals at world events, to PB’s, through to selection in national and underage teams. One of the more significant achievements on reflection since our mahi began last year, is the number of athletes who have been given the opportunity to progress from our support programme to the next level in their careers.
You will be able to view the progression of these athletes in the summaries below, but as a snapshot; of the 52 athletes engaged with our Programme Leaders and Experts, 42 have progressed a step on their pathway, and of those 42, we have a number who have been identified for Regional Pathway programmes. This is a remarkable result, and I would like to thank everyone involved in supporting each athlete on their journey.
I would like to make special mention of the athletes and the effort and dedication they put in each week, month and year. You are all so committed, and on behalf of the Trust I would like to say it has been our privilege to be able to assist you this year. Also, a big thank you to your whānau, support people and coaches who are alongside you every step of the way.
Our planning is already underway for 2023, and we look forward to bringing you regular athlete and programme updates in the New Year.
Enjoy summer and have very Meri Kirihimete!
Ngā mihi nui
Annette Purvis, Chair
Tātai Whetū Waitaha In Action
[Published 1 November 2022]
Every athlete is different and the initial work we undertake is to establish how TWW can help via our expert provider group. Often athletes won’t know who the best person to approach is, or the best way to engage with someone for advice regarding their training, nutrition, mental skills, injury treatment or prevention, recovery, and even general training and competition planning.
So the first step is having that initial conversation with the athlete, and their support people including their coach and whānau. We then develop an individual plan and connect them with the right expert to move them along the TWW support pathway.
Our role is to stay alongside the athletes to ensure they get what they need in the most effective and efficient way. Alongside the support with direction, often the athletes are not provided with funding to support their development, so this is the most important consideration for TWW; to open-up this support for the athletes without the burden of having to seek funding from national or regional sports providers.
Athlete A: Medical Solution
We met with Athlete A and her whānau to see how TWW could assist in helping with her development. She is an athlete who had an injury with multiple diagnosis and her whānau were not sure how to proceed with the diagnosis.
We were able to create a wraparound medical service and treatment plan for Athlete A. Firstly, a medical assessment was completed by our medical experts. From the initial medical assessment, a specialist referral was made, and the follow-up treatment plan included physiotherapy support to treat the injury, assess the athlete’s overall body physiology and come up with a ‘return to training’ plan in consultation with her running coach and specialist.
Our strength and conditioning experts were also engaged to assist in the development and delivery of a ‘return to training’ plan. As part of the ‘return to training’ plan, an Ultra-G Treadmill was recommended. There is only one in the South Island, and we were able to facilitate access to this equipment as part of the recovery programme.
Athlete A has continued working with our strength and conditioning experts alongside her coach. The wrap around service provided by TTW medical team has provided athlete A with the most effective plan to ensure she returns to running and competing at the level she was pre-injury.
Athlete A is now back running and on track to compete at the nationals in the coming weeks.
Athlete B: Pathway Support
Athlete B is an athlete who is a high achiever across a number of team sports. When we met with Athlete B, she was originally playing basketball and touch rugby. We initially supported her with her mental skill development, but since the first meeting and her subsequent progress, our support has focused on her pathway and opening-up the opportunities to test her capability in other team sports. Athlete B has had success playing Rugby League and Seven’s this year and has earned selection in a number of underage and national sides.
A key consideration for any young athlete is ensuring that they are not overextended physically or mentally. This has been a key focus in the development of Athlete B’s individual plan.
Part of the support we offer young athletes is looking at the opportunities beyond sport. We are also supporting Athlete B with her plans for academic study and how this might link to her sports development pathway.
With the weekly workload for Athlete B, nutrition is very important to keep energy and weight at healthy levels, so a nutrition plan has also been developed by our nutrition experts.
Our strength and conditioning team are also part of the pathway plan for Athlete B as this is a critical aspect of development for young athletes to ensure they are training with the correct technique and loadings.
The wrap around support we have been able to provide Athlete B in conjunction with her whānau, is assisting for her development and will ensure she keeps progressing in her chosen sports.
Maddie Iro Named In NZ Under 17 Football Team
[Published Thursday 28 September 2022]
Cashmere Technical football player, Maddie Iro, has been named in the New Zealand Under 17 Football Team to contest the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup which will be played in India next month (October).
Taking place biennially, the World Cup sees 16 nations compete against each other to be crowned the best Under 17 team on the planet. With continental qualification pathways leading to an exciting finals event, the competition has seen five past champions over the past ten years; Korea DPR, Korea Republic, Japan, Spain, and France.
New Zealand will play Germany, Nigeria and Chile in their group, with their first game on Wednesday 12 October.
“I felt very excited and relieved when I found out I was going to India. I already thought that I had a pretty good chance of getting in as I had been to every camp of this current two-year under 17 cycle. It is still quite surreal; I can’t really believe how far I’ve come in only five years to get to where I am today” commented Iro.
Maddie started playing football when she was twelve years old, following a stint as a junior netballer. The same shaped ball, but a completely different sport in all ways. Maddie was hooked immediately on the beautiful game, which is going from strength to strength for females across New Zealand the World.
“My very first game of football I was put into goal, even though I wanted to be scoring goals. I played half goal, and then half outfield most games of my first season, and then I soon realised that I was better off saving goals than scoring them”
Maddie moved from her junior club, Ferrymead Bays, to her current club, Cashmere Technical in 2020.
“I moved there in 2020 to play as the reserve keeper for the women’s first 11 and starting for the reserve team. I made my debut for the first team when I was fourteen against our rivals Coastal Spirit. I got to play alongside Football Fern Annalie Longo and other football legends in Christchurch. We ended up losing the game, but it was a great experience for me that I’ll never forget”
Realising her talent, Maddie soon caught the eye of the local football selectors, and she was chosen for the Mainland Under 14 Girls team in 2019. She them progressed to the Pride Youth Development team the same year.
“From 2019 to 2021 I was playing for the Pride Youth Development team in the boys league, alongside Meg Simpson and Lottie Mortlock and coached by Alana Gunna and Annalie Longo, which was great fun and also helped with my skill development”
“Before making the NZ U17s, I was selected to go to the USA to play in the Girls U17 NZSSF Team in 2020. Unfortunately, due to Covid we never got to go, so this makes the World Cup in India even more exciting for me”
With the World Cup merely days away, Maddie is focused on bringing her best game to the competition.
“In our pool we have Chile, Nigeria and Germany. I am very excited to play against Germany mostly because they will be the toughest team in our pool. They won the U17 European Championship this year and most of their team are already playing and training in professional teams.
“That also goes for the other European teams as well. Especially with the likes of Vicky Lopez from Spain who made her debut for Barcelona Women’s team this year at only 16 years old”
“We are all quite envious of the European teams and we’re looking forward to playing some class football against some class players”
The New Zealand team have some quality match experience from playing in the National Women’s League, National Youth League and their regional women’s team, but the World Cup will be another level of competition.
“It will be a chance for us to show the rest of the world what we are made of, and to be given a huge platform to perform on will be a great step in our careers”
“The last U17 World Cup NZ team has given us a lot of confidence coming into the tournament when they got 3rd place in 2018. Especially now that some of the players from that 2018 team are now playing professionally abroad. It gives us a lot to look forward to and look up to”
Groups: Group A: India, United States, Morocco, Brazil, Group B: Germany, Nigeria, Chile, New Zealand, Group C: Spain, Columbia, Mexico, China & Group D: Japan, Tanzania, Canada, France
New Zealand Under 17 Pool Draw
Chile v New Zealand
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao
Wednesday October 12, 10am (NZT)
New Zealand v Nigeria
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao
Saturday October 15, 10am (NZT)
Germany v New Zealand
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao
Tuesday October 18, 10am (NZT)
Chris Elson - Swimming ace getting better with age!
[Published Wednesday 28 September 2022]
Chris Elson has not taken the typical pathway of an elite swimmer, but he has made up for any lost laps over the last six years.
“I grew up in Kaikoura and always enjoyed swimming, but once a week in the local school pool, and with the odd trip to Blenheim to swim, was probably limiting my potential”
“When I made the move to Christchurch when I was 19, my 100m time was one minute and two seconds, so the equivalent of a 13-year-old female swimmer. I guess at that moment, I could have given swimming away and joined the Airforce as planned, but I knew I had the potential, I just need to find the right coach”
Chris did find the right coach, and the right training plan and the progress was instant. Martin Harris took Chris into his coaching program, and within the first twelve months, Chris attended the New Zealand swimming nationals and through some sold results picked up a national ranking of 126th.
“My first nationals were a real eye-opener, with some really talented swimmers around me, I quickly worked out where I was at, and what I had to do to get to the next level”
Chris absorbed the experience of his first nationals and was making up for lost time. You could almost say, he was setting PB’s on learning how to train, to match the best from around New Zealand.
“My second year at the nationals was really helpful to gauge my progress, and reinforce my belief in my ability. I had made some decent gains in the practice pool, and following the nationals was raked 78th. Twelve months later and my ranking moving into the top 50 at 38th, so I could see year-on-year that all the hard work was paying off”
2022 arrived and with Chris still building and learning, he joined renowned coach, Roly Crichton, and moved to a NZ raking of 3rd for his swimming disciplines of 100m and 50m freestyle and butterfly.
“The NZ National were in May this year, and I swam some great heats and races to achieve PB’s and also pick-up a Canterbury record which was held by Cameron Simpson for ten years. I bet the record by 0.10 of a second, which I was thrilled with”
Chris’ National performances have caught the eye of Swimming NZ, and he was selected is a development group of 18 swimmers who travelled to Europe for the Mare Nostrum swim series.
“The Mare Nostrum swim series was such a great experience for me. I was lining up against some of the best swimmers in the World and it gave me the confidence to know that I’m competitive and can match it with these guys”
“As a team we attended a number of swimming events, and lining up against the likes of Nick Santos, who is a world record holder, it was unreal”.
Chris swam in Montecarlo, Barcelona, and Canet en Roussillon and was just outside his PB’s for all races.
“I managed to catch a bug leading into the events, and was not at my best, but was just outside my PB’s, so know that I have another level for these type of events”
Chris has his sights firmly set on the World Championship in Japan next year, and the Olympics in 2024 which will be held in France.
“I have already met the Fina-B qualification mark for the World Champs next year, which is really exciting, so that will give me real confidence as I strive to go to the Olympics in Paris the year after”
Johan Roberts finishes 5th in 2022 CrossFit Games
[Published Friday 12 August 2022]
Johan Roberts produced a powerful all-round performance to finish a remarkable 5th place in the Boys 16-17 age group at the 2022 NoBull CrossFit Games held at Alliant Energy Centre in Madison, Wisconsin, USA (3-7 August 2022).
Johan collected 430 points across eight events and attending the competition has added to his experience as he plans for his next event potentially in Australia on the 18th November.
“I was really pleased with my result overall and attending the event, and competing live, has giving me a really good understanding of what to expect when I travel and compete at these world events against the best” commented Roberts.
Roberts did not attempt to qualify in 2021 due to Covid travel restrictions, and although he qualified in the 14-15 division in 2020, CrossFit cancelled all age group and team divisions from the finals that year due to COVID. The past two years has meant Johan has only competed in online competitions, with the CrossFit Games being the only CrossFit competition he has ever done in-person as a 16-17 year old. Attending the CrossFit Games required a qualifying process involving three online qualifiers (open, quarterfinals and semi-finals) cumulating in the finals against the best in the world for his age group.
“Across the eight events I had a first, second and third place, and my lowest placing was ninth, so I have a great gauge on what it takes to be better at in each area, but also more consistent across the whole competition” He added.
CrossFill as a sport tests athletes in many strength and speed disciplines including gymnastics, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, running, swimming, rowing, and many more. Athletes might perform snatches, attempt deadlifts, climb ropes, scale obstacles or lift sandbags, so any movement is fair game if it tests skill, overall athleticism, and determination.
The great unknown going into any event is what each athlete will be tested on, and for the 2022 event Johan completed the Max Trio, Three Ways Down, Skills Chipper, Parallel Elizabeth, Mixed Mode Madness, Carrying Karen, Rinse ‘N’ Repeat and Final Sprint.
Johan Roberts (NZL) – 430 Points & 5th Place
Three ways down 7th (24:15:70), Max Trio 1st (587 pts), Skills Chipper: Place 2nd (05:42:57), Parallel Elizabeth: 8th (07:23.94), Mixed Mode Madness: 3rd (5:20.60), Carrying Karen: 6th (CAP + 17), Rinse ‘N’ Repeat: 9th (112 cal) & Final Sprint” 9th (4:57:93)
Gaby Smith and Lili-Fox Mason break PB’s at World Para Champs in Portugal
[Published Tuesday 2 August 2022]
Gaby Smith and Lili-Fox Mason break PB’s at World Para Champs in Portugal
Gaby Smith and Lili-Fox Mason delivered exceptional performances at the recently held World Para Swimming Championships held in Madeira, Portugal.
The team was led by Paralympic gold medalists Cameron Leslie and Nikita Howarth, who have over two decades of international experience between them. Gaby and Lili-Fox joined Joshua Willmer as debutantes, competing at their first World Para Swimming Championships.
Gaby competed in three events, Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10, Women’s 400m Freestyle S10 and Women’s 100m Breaststroke SB9. She achieved PB’s in all three events, and also broke the New Zealand national record in the Breaststroke and Freestyle.
Gaby commented that she was thrilled with her results overall, and the opportunity to compete at her first World Champs.
“I was very happy with my results and was super pleased that the hard work paid off. It wasn't what I expected and I'm so grateful that I had such an amazing team there with me, supporting me and helping me the whole way” She said.
“The competition was a crazy experience. The competitions in NZ are so small compared to Worlds and it was pretty overwhelming at first to see everyone. Everyone was so nice and really helpful when I didn't know where to go and all the competitors were so kind and wished everyone good luck before their races” added Smith.
Lili-Fox also achieved PB’s in the Women’s 400m Freestyle S10 (by 9.97 seconds) and also her second event the Women’s 100m Butterfly S10 (by 1.75 seconds).
Lili-Fox learning lot from the experience of her first World Para Championships and is looking to build on her outstanding performances over the coming months as she builds towards upcoming international meets in the years to come.
“The trip away was an amazing experience to learn and to be a part of the NZ team with experienced athletes, Cameron Leslie and Nikita Howarth, and it was incredible to see how they perform on the world stage” commented Mason.
“I was incredibly happy with my performances, especially my large PB's in both the 400m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly. I think the pressure of the competition helped my performance and I am super proud of myself and the team” She added.
Both Gaby and Lili-Fox are currently training for NZ Short Course Champs which is in August up in Auckland.
Claire Cooper Top 25 In Asian Fencing Championships- Best Result For A Kiwi In Nearly A Decade
[Published Monday 25 July 2022]
England bound, Claire Cooper, delivered a top 25 finish in the recently held Asian Fencing Championships, delivering the perfect build-up for her London Championship bid. Cooper achieved the highest result that any New Zealander (male or female in any weapon) has achieved for nearly a decade in Fencing. It is also the top result that any New Zealander has achieved at the Championship in recent years. The event, held in Seoul South Korea, featured many of the top Fencers from around Asia, and Claire’s result was even more remarkable due to her Coach passing away four weeks before the event.
“The lead up to South Korea wasn't the easiest. My fencing coach Mark Rance passed away about a month before the event. This was an event that we were working towards, and it was very hard to not have him there with me. I knew I had to keep going no matter what” commented Cooper.
Claire’s training was intense in the lead up to the Championships with sessions five to six days every week.
“I would do a combination of strength training, physical fitness and conditioning, fencing bouting practice along with fencing skills, such as footwork and bladework” She said.
“I also worked on my mental skills a lot in the lead up to this event including mindfulness and some meditation as I knew this is something I normally struggled with, but given the recent loss it would probably be much harder” added Cooper
Cooper delivered a number of excellent performances, winning two out of five matches, and losing a further two by the smallest of margins.
Coopers faced Wai Ling Chan from Hong Kong in a direct elimination round. This bout was extremely tight with neither fencer holding a lead during the match. Chan managed to pull ahead by three points in the last minute and won 15-12. Chan went on to win the bronze medal at this event, which reinforces the quality of the performance by Cooper.
“Overall, this event was amazing and it was a great start to fencing overseas again after not doing so since early 2019. I am currently into my lead-up for the Commonwealth Championships and I head off in about a week for this”
A performance of real resilience, which is further reinforced by all aspirational athletes and their drive and desire to reach the top.
In addition to her heavy training schedule, Claire would work during afternoon and nights to help fund travel to this event. In a twist of misfortune, two weeks before she was due to depart her car was stolen with all of her fencing equipment inside.
“It was a mad two weeks beforehand as I had no vehicle to get to trainings and I had no equipment to practice with, so I was trying everything I could to gather some gear for before I left”
Fortunately, three days before she left for South Korea her gear was returned by the police which was a huge relief for her.
Following the Commonwealth Championships, Claire heads to Europe from January to March to compete in a number of World Cup and Grand Prix events.
Klara Richter wins bronze at Canoe Polo World Games
[Published Friday 22 July 2022]
The New Zealand Women’s Canoe Polo team created history by winning the country’s first ever World Games Canoe Polo medal, beating Italy in the bronze medal playoff.
Athlete Klara Richter, who is part of the Tātai Whetū Waitaha Athlete Support Programme commented that after a rather intense three games against Canoe Polo heavy-weights Germany, France and the Netherlands, the New Zealand team finished pool play with the opportunity to win bronze in the 3rd and 4th place play off against Italy.
“After another very intense game against the Italians we managed to take the win! This was the first time any New Zealand team has ever medalled at the Canoe Polo World Games, and we were absolutely stoked to be playing the top 8 countries in the world and coming away with a bronze medal” Commented Richter
New Zealand’s captain Kate Bolton, who repelled wave after wave of attacks from the Italians said the team wanted to show confidence going into the game.
“It was part of our game-plan, to act like we deserved to be here, not that we were lucky, or we were given a wildcard or a free ride,” she said.
“We worked hard to get here, and we wanted to make it worth it. It’s been hard, but it’s definitely made it worth it.” Added Bolton.
Klara commented that the support from Tātai Whetū Waitaha has made a real difference to her preparation for the competition, and she is looking forward to further development over the coming week.
“I just wanted to personally thank everyone involved at Tātai Whetū Waitaha for the amazing support and help I have received these past couple of months. Conrad (Goodhew) has been amazing with my nutrition and travel advice, which has immensely changed my training load and routine”
“Lee (Mou) has also been awesome providing me with a training program and tailoring it to whatever my current needs are, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning so much from both!
“I have three weeks of preparation and rest before I compete at the Canoe Polo World Championship, and I just wanted to thank you all for your amazing support, and helping me make New Zealand canoe polo history”
The Canoe Polo World Championships will be held in Saint Omer, France, from 16 to 21 August 2022.
