Sprinter Harman hoping to turn black sand into Glasgow gold
New Zealand surf lifesaving championships, March 9, 2014: Kodi Harman's fleet feet took him scorching across the black sands of Ohope Beach today but it's the track of Glasgow’s famous Hampden Park occupying his immediate future.
A day after winning his first open men's beach flags title at the New Zealand surf lifesaving championships, the Papamoa sprinter became just the sixth man to do the double today by winning the beach sprint today.
He joined a list of beach sprinting legends - Boris Sokratov, Anthony Dorreen, Callum Taylor, Morgan Foster and Paul Cracroft-Wilson - but the 19-year-old immediately turned his focus towards qualifying for this year's Commonwealth Games at the end of the month.
Papamoa's Kodi Harman (right) heads to victory in the men's beach sprint at the New Zealand surf lifesaving championships at Ohope Beach, Whakatane. Photo by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services
"I'm a little way away in the 100m and a bit closer in the 200m but my big goal is to help qualify a 4x100m team for the Games," Harman said. "The key is going to be managing some niggling injuries and just continuing to work hard at training."
Harman is in the national 4x100m relay squad, with Joseph Millar, Isaac Tatoa, Matthew Wyatt and James Mortimer likely partners for the Glasgow attempt, which will need a 39.50sec time to qualify. He's got a personal best of 10.42, with 10.17 the A qualifying mark in the individual 100m.
Another track sprinting prodigy, Taranaki 17-year-old Zoe Hobbs (Fitzroy), stumbled in her bid to win a consecutive open women's beach sprint title, meanwhile.
A year after becoming the youngest-ever winner of the title, she tripped just short of the line, looking up to see not only her crown but also her record disappear.
Fellow Taranaki sprinter Olivia Eaton, who competes for the Mount Maunganui club, was level-pegging Hobbs at the time and went on to win the open title just a month after turning 16. Showcasing her youthful talent, she also backed up soon afterwards to win the under-16 title.
There was further drama in the men's double ski, where the open men's final had to be re-raced after a false start.
National kayaking representative Marty McDowell defended his title, this time combining with Todd Grace, by out-sprinting Liam O’Loughlin and Frederick Teear (Taylors Mistake) off the same wave.
Another kayaking star, Piha's Teneale Hatton, paired with Brita Camplin to win the women's double ski.
Midway won their 10th open men's surf teams race and their eighth in the last 11 years, with Shaun Pahina, Cory Taylor, Jack Gavin and Matthew Scott easing home over teams from Mount Maunganui and St Clair.
Mount Maunganui had partial revenge in the men's board rescue, where George Haynes and Sam Shergold headed home Taylor and Scott, with Red Beach's Chris Moors and Matt Thetford third.
Camplin claimed her second gold of the day, pairing with Kirsty Wannan to win the women's board rescue.
There was also a notable double from the Papamoa board relay team of Scott Cowdrey, Ben Johnston and Danny Hart, who combined to win both the under-19 and open men's titles.
Cowdrey and Mason Bryant, meanwhile, ended the six-year winning streak of clubmates Johnston and Hart by winning the under-19 board rescue, an event the latter pair have dominated since the under-12 agegroup.
Surf lifesaving
Results from the second day of the New Zealand surf lifesaving championships at Ohope Beach, Whakatane today:
Open Men. Mt Maunganui B (George Haynes/Sam Shergold) 1, Midway A (Cory Taylor/Matthew Scott) 2, Red Beach 1 (Matthew Thetford/Chris Moors) 3.
Open Women. Piha Black (Brita Camplin/Kirsty Wannan) 1, Mairangi Bay B (Danielle McKenzie) 2, Mt Maunganui C (Emmanuelle Bescheron/Flora Manciet) 3.
U19 Men. Papamoa B (Mason Bryant/Scott Cowdrey) 1, Papamoa A (Daniel Hart/Ben Johnston) 2, Mt Maunganui (Perry Farrell/Cooper Halligan) 3.
U19 Women. Papamoa (Maia Bryant/Natalie Peat) 1, Mt Maunganui A (Emily Campbell/Jessica Miller) 2, Wainui A (Aberdeen Falwasser-Logan/Georgia Harris) 3.
U16 Men. Orewa Blue (Taine Johnston/James Scott) 1, Omanu A (Morgan Brockelsby/Samuel Pasley) 2, Mt Maunganui A (Hamish Miller/Kane Sefton) 3.
U16 Women. Red Beach (Rebecca Pearce/Hannah Williams) 1, Midway B (Danielle Scott/Jessica Blakeman) 2, Papamoa (Malia Josephson/Kaylie Hansen) 3.
Open Men. Papamoa (Scott Cowdrey/Daniel Hart/Ben Johnston) 1, Red Beach 1 (Daniel Cairns/Matthew Thetford/Chris Moors) 2, Mt Maunganui A (George Haynes/Andrew Newton/Sam Shergold) 3.
Open Women. Mt Maunganui A (Flora Manciet/Brooklyn Reardin-Nikora/Katrina Madill) 1, Piha Black (Brita Camplin/Teneale Hatton/Kirsty Wannan) 2, Papamoa (Maia Bryant/Natalie Peat/Kathryn Stewart) 3.
U19 Men. Papamoa (Scott Cowdrey/Daniel Hart/Ben Johnston) 1, Mt Maunganui B (Cameron Hayes/Daniel McMahon/Haydn Reardon) 2, Mairangi Bay A (George Hunter/Toby Hurley/Ben McKenzie) 3.
U19 Women. Wainui A (Aberdeen Falwasser-Logan/Georgia Harris/Jasmine Smith) 1, Lyall Bay A (Hayley Cox/Karly Maxwell/Tori Watt) 2, Papamoa (Maia Bryant/Natalie Peat/Kathryn Stewart) 3.
U16 Men. Mt Maunganui A (Matthew Kriel/Todd Reardon/Kane Sefton) 1, Red Beach (Levon Hutchinson/Jake Morgan-Kemp/Izaak Schieb) 3.
U16 Women. Mt Maunganui A (Libby Bradley/Erin Conway/Alicia Wilson) 1, Red Beach (Rebecca Pearce/Hannah Williams/Brie Downey) 2, Paekakariki Black (McKenzie Radovanovich/Matisse Uluilelata/Katie Trott) 3.
Open Women. Piha Black (Brita Camplin/Teneale Hatton) 1, Mairangi Bay A (Rachael Dodwell/Danielle McKenzie) 2, Red Beach 1 (Rachel Clarke/Caitlin Ryan) 3.
Open Men. Titahi Bay (Todd Grace/Martyn McDowell) 1, Taylors Mistake (Liam O’Loughlin/Frederick Teear) 2, Orewa (Zachary Franich/Jack Wilson) 3.
U19 Men. Waikanae A (Jarrod Fitzgerald/Quaid Thompson) 1, Papamoa (Jackson Edwards/Taris Harker) 2, Mt Maunganui A (Sam Roy/Brad Wiley) 3.
U19 Women. Fitzroy Sharks (Rebecca Cole/Sarah Wilson) 1, Papamoa (Natalie Peat/Kathryn Stewart) 2, Omanu Beach A (Ashley Cochrane/Jessica Gadsbey) 3.
Beach sprint:
Open men: Open. Kodi Harman (Papamoa) 1, Murdoch Finch (Riversdale) 2, Scott Murfitt (Fitzroy) 3.
Open women: Olivia Eaton (Mt Maunganui) 1, Casie Fyall (Waikanae) 2, Hilary Harper (New Brighton) 3.
U19 men: Scott Murfitt (Fitzroy) 1, Jake Hurley (Mairangi Bay) 2, Daniel Rippon (Piha) 3.
U19 women: Casie Fyall (Waikanae) 1, Hilary Harper (New Brighton) 2, Savannah Fuller (Mt Mauganui) 3.
U16 men: Javon McCallum (Fitzroy) 1, Ryan Gilmour (Piha) 2, Angus Hermansson (Titahi Bay) 3.
U16 women: Olivia Eaton (Mt Maunganui) 1, Sinead Malley (East End) 2, Annelise Lockie (Orewa ) 3.
Surf Teams
Open Men. Midway A (Shaun Pahina/Cory Taylor/Jack Gavin/Matthew Scott) 1, Mt Maunganui A (George Haynes/Julien Lalanne/Andrew Newton/Cameron Witney) 2, St Clair White (Andrew Trembath/Jamie Mowat/Adam Simpson/Andrew McMillan) 3.
Open Women. Mt Maunganui A (Emmanuelle Bescheron/Flora Manciet/Johanna O’Connor/Jessica Miller) 1, St Clair White (Carina Doyle/Jordy Fogarty/Stephanie Laughton/Jessie Schneiders) 2, Piha Black (Nicole Rosewarne/Olivia Tairua-Doyle/Brita Camplin/Kirsty Wannan) 3.
U19 Men. Mt Maunganui A (Perry Farrell/Hamish Treanor/Cooper Halligan/Cameron Hayes) 1, Papamoa B (Mitchell Griffiths/Jacob Hales/Seth Merrett/Mason Pickering) 2, Papamoa A (Mason Bryant/Michael Bryant/Daniel Hart/Ben Johnston) 3.
U19 Women. Mt Maunganui A (Katie Wilson/Amy Barron/Grace Eglinton/Jessica Miller) 1, Papamoa (Maia Bryant/Michelle Dykes/Ariana Moffatt/Natalie Peat) 2, Red Beach (Hannah Williams/Lauren Bailey/Kelsi Boocock/Courtney Spencer) 3.
U16 Men. Mt Maunganui A (Daniel Barron/Isaac Marshall/Hamish Miller/Kane Sefton) 1, Lyall Bay A (Lewis Clareburt/Ben Manners/Tom Oolders/Nico van der Wilt) 2, Wainui A (Jacques Klavs/Jonty Low/Joseph Puddick/Jack Virtue) 3.
U16 Women. Papamoa (Michelle Dykes/Malia Josephson/Megan McCarty/Kaylie Hansen) 1, Mt Maunganui A (Molly Alton/Libby Bradley/Jardine Chapman/Islah Kerr-Aim) 2, Lyall Bay A (Kate Nota/Saskia van der Wilt/Tori Watt/Zaniah Bettany) 3.