Sarah Linton, right, gets in a kick during her final at IFMA national championships in Gisborne. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
CHRIS COGDALE
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MUAY THAI
Featherston’s SMAC Gym has a golden glow after three of their fighters came home from the IFMA Muay Thai New Zealand Championships in Gisborne last weekend with gold medals.
Jack Hancock won the Under 57kg for 16-17 years olds in one of the bouts of the tournament, taking a unanimous points decision over Tama Moeke. Hancock had earlier beaten the experienced Auckland fighter Trystan Nathan by decision.
Keona Parr took out the Girls Under 34kg Junior grade, with a split decision in her first round, followed by a unanimous points victory in the final.
Zair Hussain won the Under 71kg Senior Men unopposed. He took on 67kg champion Alejandro Penaranda in a specially arranged bout, losing on decision.
Sarah Linton overcame covid-19 to finish runner-up to Olivia Sorto in the Elite Female 51kg class. Linton started strongly but couldn’t keep up her usual fast pace and lost on a close split decision.
More than 80 combatants took to the ring to fight for the honour to represent New Zealand at the World Championships in Kuala Lumpur.
MOTORSPORT
Masterton’s Jackson Clendon finished an encouraging fifth in his class at the Rally of Otago.
Competing in Class Two for two-wheel-drive cars in his Toyota Vitz, Clendon’s overall time of 2hr 43min 16.2sec was 17min 30sec off the pace set by class winner Dylan Thomson in his Ford Fiesta.
Clendon didn’t expect to be competitive in the Toyota and was using the rally as a learning experience.
The 19-year-old is likely to be closer to the pace when he tackles the second round – the Rally of Whangarei – in his new Rally 4 Ford Fiesta in the middle of May.
Former WRC driver Hayden Paddon easily took overall honours in Otago, finishing more than five minutes ahead of Ben Hunt.
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ATHLETICS
Ben Twyman was first across the line in the final race of ACM Masterton Harriers Wairarapa Times-Age 5km series held at Colin Pugh Sports Bowl on Sunday.
Twyman completed the two laps of the riverbank course in 17min 27sec, just over a minute ahead of Whana Gordon in second, with Andrew Davenport third.
Brooke Miller was first woman home, and seventh overall, in 22min 01sec, with Jess Jones second, and Robyn Binnie third.
The Kosena family dominated the 2km race, with Bella first in 11min 42sec, six seconds ahead of siblings Jackson and Yasa.
The next race in the ACM running calendar is the first of the cross-country series on May 1 at the Sports Bowl.
MULTISPORT
Ryan Tait from Wellington toughed it out over nearly three hours of cycling and running to win the long course race at the Wairarapa Multisports Club’s Mountain Duathlon at Mt Holdsworth on Sunday.
Tait cut out the 45km cycle, 11km mountain run, and 21.3 km cycle in 2hrs 58min 07.4sec, finishing 3min 31sec ahead of Hayden Smith. Kyle Malone was third, a further 16 minutes behind.
Bex Hutchinson was first woman home in 3hrs 31min 05.3sec, while former national age group triathlon internationals Gavin Champion [cycle] and Sue Bankier [run] combined to win the team event in 3hrs 32min 25.5sec.
Destry Gourlay took line honours in the short course race [21.3km cycle, 5.2km run, 21.3km cycle] in 1hrs 50min 58.1sec, ahead of Gary Jarvis, and Georgia Cassidy, the first woman home in third place. Terry Blackburn and Spencer Pallister won the short course team event.
Charles Navarro won the 11km run only, in 1hr 14min 52.2sec, while Vicky Paine was first woman in 1hr 21min 35sec.
FOOTBALL
Carterton and Douglas Villa Skulls lead the way in Wairarapa Local League Division One after two rounds.
Carterton defeated Property Brokers Featherston 3-0, and Skulls came from behind to win a thriller with Douglas Villa Fall Protect 7-6, to record their second consecutive victories. Tremains Greytown had a 3-1 win over Masterton Ziggy’s Glass Presidents.
Masterton McAuley’s are the only team with a perfect record in Division Two after their comfortable 4-0 win over Masterton Lions.
Other winners in Division Two were Carterton Reapers, with an impressive 5-2 win over The Offering Greytown, Property Brokers Greytown, who edged past Douglas Villa Drake 3-2, Carterton, with a hard-fought 5-4 defeat of Evergreens, and Martinborough, who were too good for Douglas Villa Mitre 10 Megabeens, winning 5-2.
