Sports

Tom Saunders celebrated his return to the world stage with New Zealand’s second medal of the short international sailing season, claiming silver in his first major regatta since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.The 32-year-old Tauranga sailor won silver in the ILCA 7 (formerly Laser) at the French Olympic Week in Hyères overnight, climbing to second overall with an impressive third-place finish in the double-points medal race.It was his first international competition since finishing seventh in his Olympic debut in Marseille last August, having taken a break from racing.Saunders enjoyed a consistent week, handling various conditions - from very light breezes to the famed Mistral, which blew at over 25 knots across the Bay of Hyères.He finished inside the top 10 in six of the nine qualifying ra...

Michael Jacques is far too busy to think about popping champagne to mark a significant birthday for one of the region’s most popular multisport events. When first run in 2006, Porirua Grand Traverse (PGT) had 240 participants testing themselves over, in and around Porirua’s hills, forests, coastlines and waterways. By 2020 the numbers had swelled to more than 1000. Twenty years after its first iteration, PGT has gone from being a major challenge for serious multisporters to a true festival of fitness and a major community occasion, says current event manager Michael Jacques. "Porirua Grand Traverse was founded by a group of people who thought the city’s awesome outdoor resources would be a perfect way to showcase the region and encourage locals to explore their back yard," he says. "Wi...

Plenty of hard work and a touch of Olympic inspiration has propelled one of New Zealand's most promising double-handed crews to success at the country's premier domestic sailing event. Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush have now joined an impressive list of sailors to have won the 49er title at Oceanbridge Sail Auckland, with the young duo delivering a masterclass in consistency over three days at Torbay. The regatta concluded on a thrilling note, with titles in several classes only decided in the final race but while some sailors faced last-minute battles for victory, Menzies and Rush had all but secured their title before pushing off Waiake Beach on Sunday. The pair, who won the 49erFX junior world championships in 2022, claimed four race wins and finished outside the top three only once...

It had been a long period of acclimatization in the UAE leading up to the race, and Hayden Wilde was able to banish mixed memories of WTCS Abu Dhabi to take a scintillating sprint finish over Australia’s Matt Hauser. Wilde had to claw back 30 seconds out of the water and he did so in style, reeling in the leaders and then even skewering the field late on in a three-man breakaway that didn’t quite stick. The legs were still very much there to shake off first Vasco Vilaça then Hauser to take the gold. 'I just went out there and had a bit of fun, you know,' said a delighted WIlde. 'I feel like this is my second home, I've been here for about three or four weeks and, you know, they just welcomed me in with open arms and I've just been loving it here. I got a breakaway with my breakaway mate ...

It was a tough outing at Whangamata this weekend for the second three events on the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge with the forecasted swell getting pushed out, leaving New Zealand’s top junior talent battling it out in small 0.5m waves.The conditions might not have cooperated but the participants made the best of the waves with Mount Maunganui surfer Tao Mouldey snatching victory from Australian based Macka Hazard to claim his second win of the season while Raglan’s Maya Mateja went back-to-back in the Under 18 Girls Division showing her class despite the small conditions.By way of Mateja’s win along with Alani Morse and Luca Thompson in the Under 16s plus Jimmy Wernham in the Under 14 Boys, Point Boardriders of Raglan claimed the overall top club for the event.Mouldey was...

A new adventure racing charitable trust led by high-profile sportsperson Richie McCaw announces the return of One NZ GODZONE, the world’s largest expedition race. New Zealand's preeminent expedition adventure race, One NZ GODZONE, is back on the sporting calendar after a two-year hiatus with the formation of the Pure Adventure Charitable Trust to host the iconic eight-day event in the next 12 months. A group of high-profile sportspeople and past One NZ GODZONE competitors have instigated PACT which will be a registered charitable entity. This includes former All Black champion Richie McCaw, current New Zealand Rugby Players Association CEO Rob Nichol, world champion adventure racer Sophie Hart, One NZ GODZONE race director Adam Fairmaid, triathlete Michele Frey, AWS Legal lawyer and repr...

It couldn’t have been closer in the FEI World Cup (NZ League) Series final but finally – after a heart-stopping countback – Julie Davey can claim the nation’s top international crown. The Hastings showjumper led coming into the Archibald & Shorter North Shore World Cup Final at the Show Jumping Waitemata hosted show, but it was tight and turned into a three horse race between Julie, Luke Dee (Havelock North) and Sophie Scott (Palmerston North). Five came back for the second round where only Sophie aboard Benrose Stellar were clear. Behind her Julie, Luke with Gangster WW and Sophie with her second mount Waitangi Skynet all carried four faults. In the second, a double clear from Sophie and Stellar claimed the final for the second time, while Julie cemented the series going clear aboa...

Christchurch’s Mike Phillips was the top Kiwi at Saturday’s VinFast IRONMAN World Championship men’s race in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i, crossing the line in 17th position. Phillips completed the 3.8km swim, 180km ride and 42.2km run in 8:01:11, with Germany’s Patrick Lange claiming his third world title. Phillips was 31st out of the water, working his way up to 26th position by the end of the run. Once on the marathon Phillips got to work, chipping away to eventually finish 17th. Fellow Kiwi Ben Hamilton was 25th on his IRONMAN World Championship debut, finishing in 8:09:35. “It was pretty tough, but it was pretty awesome, I learnt a lot,” said Hamilton. “The swim was ok, I had to ride pretty hard and think I did equal best power on the bike in challenging conditions. First half of the run ...

An impressive team performance has seen the BNZ Breakers seal a thrilling 93-89 win over Sydney Kings in Round 6 on Sunday.With Max Darling, Mojave King and co-captain Mitch McCarron all out again through injury, the Breakers dug deep for an important result on the road.Leading the charge, Parker Jackson-Cartwright delivered an outstanding 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds, setting the tempo on both ends of the court.Karim Lopez added huge value with his first career double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, providing the Breakers with critical second-chance opportunities.Matt Mooney also had the hot hand, topping the scoresheet with 24 points, five assists and three steals.Sydney’s physical presence in the paint was felt with 28 points scored inside, but the visitors’ defence w...

Securing their first win in Australia since 2019 helped the Silver Ferns claim the 2024 Constellation Cup with a defining 61-43 win over the Diamonds in the third test of the series in Perth on Sunday.The Silver Ferns had to withstand a torrid first half challenge from the world champions, digging deep through their growing resilience and absorbing everything Australia could throw at them before unleashing with an impressive second half response during which they restricted their opponents to single-digit returns during the third and fourth quarters.The 18-goal winning margin followed hot on the heels of 14 and 11-goal margins in the opening two tests in New Zealand, the first time they have won three Constellation Cup matches in a row in the same year and just the third time the Silver Fe...