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Orewa to Rio all to play for in one snappy sprint.
Beach Sprint nationals set the scene for worlds selection
In August, some of the athletes who descended on Orewa Beach, just north of Auckland, for the 2025 Rowing NZ Beach Sprint Championships, will be getting a callback.
This time it will be as trialists for a New Zealand team of around 10 to head to Rio de Janeiro for the World Rowing Beach Sprint Championships in October.
Last year, there was a mix of Open and Under-19 athletes in the team, and the formula will likely be the same for Brazil.
But this weekend’s event attracted a lot more athletes than those looking to go to the next level in the sport which is fast approaching its Olympics debut.
Nearly 200 athletes over 23 events competed in the two-day event.
Sunday morning’s semifinals started in perfect rowing conditions, the kind of conditions that make these east coast beaches just north of the big smoke major holiday attractions over the summer.
It made for exceptionally fair conditions as crews pushed for finals spots later in the afternoon.
In the semifinals of the Men’s Open Single, Finn Hamill smashed out his return leg rating near 50spm in pursuit of Australian frontrunner Blake Whyatt. Having gassed himself, Finn then took the extraordinarily gutsy call of bailing out of his boat early into waist-high water while Blake was still rowing.
Finn got there by the narrowest of margins to qualify for the final against his equally unorthodox training partner Matt Dunham.
As they lined up for the final, Finn and Matt started taking friendly air shots at each other as if they were about to step into the ring. There were no air shots on the water though, such was the technical prowess of these two coastal pros.
Matt was first to the turn and looked like he was going to take the title comfortably, going into Oli Zeidler quarter-stroke mode on the return run. Then Finn found a wave and went for it, closing in on his mate. Just when it looked like he might catch him, Finn’s bow side blade got caught, he ploughed sideways and it was Matt scooting up the beach first to hit the buzzer.
Hundreds of athletes flocked to Orewa Beach north of Auckland for the National Beach Sprint Championships, including this Women's Quad from Mt Albert Grammar. Photo: Picture Show Ltd
Coastal convert Emma Twigg put on a masterclass in the final of the Women’s Open Single, up against Waikato’s Jenna-Lee Markgraaff.
Emma Twigg had plenty of scary moments on the way to winning the Open Women's Single. Photo: Picture Show Ltd
Emma’s experience under pressure in flat water and coastal showed, calmly negotiating the swells on the run out to the turning buoy. Her return got complicated in the messy chop, one minute she was riding a couple of rollers not rowing, next she was sent sideways and close to capsizing. Jenna battled on, reeling Emma in so that they landed nearly simultaneously on the beach. But Emma’s navigation was the key - she was closer to the rounding peg in the run zone to win by just 1.14 seconds.
The win was one of the highlights for Rowing NZ’s GM Sport Development Jared Cummings.
“The result there with her coming in, in those pretty challenging conditions was pretty awesome,” says Jared. “She genuinely turned sideways three times on a wave."
The day having some random outcomes for Jane, who swears she’s not been in a boat since winning gold in the Coxed Four at the World Under 23s last August in Canada.
Emma and Joe Sullivan hit a boat-stopper early in the outgoing leg of the Open Mixed Double final. The wall of white water knocked Emma off her seat by which time Jackie Kiddle and partner Matt had found their rhythm.
When those two sense an opportunity they take it, their turn was textbook and they hammered it on the home stretch to win by 18 seconds.
In the Men’s Club Double, 1984 Olympic sculler Gary Reid teamed up with Brent Smart to take West End to the final. Gary plays a big part hosting many top coastal rowers at his place on the Wairoa River in Te Puna as well as with his affiliation with Bay of Plenty Coast’s athletes. He and Brent were well in it until they missed the buoy rounding, allowing the younger Waikato combo of Coby Goode and Jameson McConnochie to extend their lead and take out the title.
The Women’s U19 Single featured BOP Coast’s Emily Pengelly and Amy Akehurst from Wentworth College. Both raced at Maadi Regatta last week.
The choppy surf made for tough rowing out of the start and it was Amy who got momentum going quicker. She went wide of the turning buoy though, which gave Emily an opportunity on the run home, but it was the local athlete from Gulf Harbour who finished stronger to win the gold.
In the Men’s Under 19 Single, Clifton’s Clayton Potts took on Tauranga’s Matt Ryder. Matt got smashed by dirty waves on the way out and then got caught in the trough between the rollers on the way in. Clayton, who won a silver at this year’s flatwater nationals in the Men’s Senior Double, winning comfortably.
Bow first, sideways, whatever gets you to the beach first. Photo: Picture Show Ltd.
Conditions had worsened significantly by the last final of the day, the Open Mixed Coxed Quad, featuring two Waikato composite crews.
It was Tegan Negus, Joe Sullivan, Emma Twigg, Michael Brake and Sacred Heart Hamilton cox Bobbie Wilson up against Jackie Kiddle, Finn Hamill, Jane Schellekens, Matt Dunham and cox Ayla Rowe. It looked like both crews were riding the Pirate Ship at Rainbow’s End. They turned at the same time and it was going to come down to the beach sprint until the heavier Waikato combo broached and lost all momentum.
The day having some random outcomes for Jane Schellekens, who swears she’s not been in a boat since winning gold in the Coxed Four at the World Under 23s last August in Canada.
“Sophie Egnot-Johnson was originally meant to be doing it, but since she got selected for elites it was too much of a risk with like injury and stuff...so I got roped in,” says Jane.
“I literally was down at Maadi last weekend coaching and they just approached me and were like, ‘Can you please come? There's no one else that can do it. And I was like, ‘As a last resort, I guess.’”
Jane also sat in for Sophie to partner rising para hopeful Toby Ireland from Petone in the Mixed Double. Toby’s blind and only started rowing this season. His dream is to make the Para Double for Los Angeles.
Two rowers from different rowing skill sets dropped into the deep end and coming out tops.
The regatta had a strong international flavour, with Canadian double Olympic bronze medalist Laryssa Biesenthal bringing out a group of Australia’s best coastal athletes, representing Mosman, Melbourne University, Western Australian, Commercial and University of Queensland. Laryssa’s Beach Sprint Lead Coach for Australia and they were out getting invaluable experience ahead of worlds as well.
There were two athletes from Peninsula Community Rowing Club in San Francisco, coached by Anthony Heimuli, who was recently in New Zealand for a coastal coaching conference. His aim is to get a Tongan federation registered for international competition.
Vanuatu’s Port Vila and Hawaii’s Ikaika rowing clubs also had an athlete at the sprints.
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- Home
- /
- University Rowing
- /
- Orewa to Rio...
Orewa to Rio all to play for in one snappy sprint.
Beach Sprint nationals set the scene for worlds selection
In August, some of the athletes who descended on Orewa Beach, just north of Auckland, for the 2025 Rowing NZ Beach Sprint Championships, will be getting a callback.
This time it will be as trialists for a New Zealand team of around 10 to head to Rio de Janeiro for the World Rowing Beach Sprint Championships in October.
Last year, there was a mix of Open and Under-19 athletes in the team, and the formula will likely be the same for Brazil.
But this weekend’s event attracted a lot more athletes than those looking to go to the next level in the sport which is fast approaching its Olympics debut.
Nearly 200 athletes over 23 events competed in the two-day event.
Sunday morning’s semifinals started in perfect rowing conditions, the kind of conditions that make these east coast beaches just north of the big smoke major holiday attractions over the summer.
It made for exceptionally fair conditions as crews pushed for finals spots later in the afternoon.
In the semifinals of the Men’s Open Single, Finn Hamill smashed out his return leg rating near 50spm in pursuit of Australian frontrunner Blake Whyatt. Having gassed himself, Finn then took the extraordinarily gutsy call of bailing out of his boat early into waist-high water while Blake was still rowing.
Finn got there by the narrowest of margins to qualify for the final against his equally unorthodox training partner Matt Dunham.
As they lined up for the final, Finn and Matt started taking friendly air shots at each other as if they were about to step into the ring. There were no air shots on the water though, such was the technical prowess of these two coastal pros.
Matt was first to the turn and looked like he was going to take the title comfortably, going into Oli Zeidler quarter-stroke mode on the return run. Then Finn found a wave and went for it, closing in on his mate. Just when it looked like he might catch him, Finn’s bow side blade got caught, he ploughed sideways and it was Matt scooting up the beach first to hit the buzzer.
Hundreds of athletes flocked to Orewa Beach north of Auckland for the National Beach Sprint Championships, including this Women's Quad from Mt Albert Grammar. Photo: Picture Show Ltd
Coastal convert Emma Twigg put on a masterclass in the final of the Women’s Open Single, up against Waikato’s Jenna-Lee Markgraaff.
Emma Twigg had plenty of scary moments on the way to winning the Open Women's Single. Photo: Picture Show Ltd
Emma’s experience under pressure in flat water and coastal showed, calmly negotiating the swells on the run out to the turning buoy. Her return got complicated in the messy chop, one minute she was riding a couple of rollers not rowing, next she was sent sideways and close to capsizing. Jenna battled on, reeling Emma in so that they landed nearly simultaneously on the beach. But Emma’s navigation was the key - she was closer to the rounding peg in the run zone to win by just 1.14 seconds.
The win was one of the highlights for Rowing NZ’s GM Sport Development Jared Cummings.
“The result there with her coming in, in those pretty challenging conditions was pretty awesome,” says Jared. “She genuinely turned sideways three times on a wave."
The day having some random outcomes for Jane, who swears she’s not been in a boat since winning gold in the Coxed Four at the World Under 23s last August in Canada.
Emma and Joe Sullivan hit a boat-stopper early in the outgoing leg of the Open Mixed Double final. The wall of white water knocked Emma off her seat by which time Jackie Kiddle and partner Matt had found their rhythm.
When those two sense an opportunity they take it, their turn was textbook and they hammered it on the home stretch to win by 18 seconds.
In the Men’s Club Double, 1984 Olympic sculler Gary Reid teamed up with Brent Smart to take West End to the final. Gary plays a big part hosting many top coastal rowers at his place on the Wairoa River in Te Puna as well as with his affiliation with Bay of Plenty Coast’s athletes. He and Brent were well in it until they missed the buoy rounding, allowing the younger Waikato combo of Coby Goode and Jameson McConnochie to extend their lead and take out the title.
The Women’s U19 Single featured BOP Coast’s Emily Pengelly and Amy Akehurst from Wentworth College. Both raced at Maadi Regatta last week.
The choppy surf made for tough rowing out of the start and it was Amy who got momentum going quicker. She went wide of the turning buoy though, which gave Emily an opportunity on the run home, but it was the local athlete from Gulf Harbour who finished stronger to win the gold.
In the Men’s Under 19 Single, Clifton’s Clayton Potts took on Tauranga’s Matt Ryder. Matt got smashed by dirty waves on the way out and then got caught in the trough between the rollers on the way in. Clayton, who won a silver at this year’s flatwater nationals in the Men’s Senior Double, winning comfortably.
Bow first, sideways, whatever gets you to the beach first. Photo: Picture Show Ltd.
Conditions had worsened significantly by the last final of the day, the Open Mixed Coxed Quad, featuring two Waikato composite crews.
It was Tegan Negus, Joe Sullivan, Emma Twigg, Michael Brake and Sacred Heart Hamilton cox Bobbie Wilson up against Jackie Kiddle, Finn Hamill, Jane Schellekens, Matt Dunham and cox Ayla Rowe. It looked like both crews were riding the Pirate Ship at Rainbow’s End. They turned at the same time and it was going to come down to the beach sprint until the heavier Waikato combo broached and lost all momentum.
The day having some random outcomes for Jane Schellekens, who swears she’s not been in a boat since winning gold in the Coxed Four at the World Under 23s last August in Canada.
“Sophie Egnot-Johnson was originally meant to be doing it, but since she got selected for elites it was too much of a risk with like injury and stuff...so I got roped in,” says Jane.
“I literally was down at Maadi last weekend coaching and they just approached me and were like, ‘Can you please come? There's no one else that can do it. And I was like, ‘As a last resort, I guess.’”
Jane also sat in for Sophie to partner rising para hopeful Toby Ireland from Petone in the Mixed Double. Toby’s blind and only started rowing this season. His dream is to make the Para Double for Los Angeles.
Two rowers from different rowing skill sets dropped into the deep end and coming out tops.
The regatta had a strong international flavour, with Canadian double Olympic bronze medalist Laryssa Biesenthal bringing out a group of Australia’s best coastal athletes, representing Mosman, Melbourne University, Western Australian, Commercial and University of Queensland. Laryssa’s Beach Sprint Lead Coach for Australia and they were out getting invaluable experience ahead of worlds as well.
There were two athletes from Peninsula Community Rowing Club in San Francisco, coached by Anthony Heimuli, who was recently in New Zealand for a coastal coaching conference. His aim is to get a Tongan federation registered for international competition.
Vanuatu’s Port Vila and Hawaii’s Ikaika rowing clubs also had an athlete at the sprints.
