Clean sweeps for Black Fins pair

Midway Surf Club’s Cory Taylor paddles in during the New Zealand surf lifesaving champs. Taylor, competing with the Black Fins, performed a clean sweep in the oceanperson ironman event, winning on each of the three day competition. Picture by Paul Rickard

A clean-sweep from Gisborne’s Cory Taylor in the oceanperson ironman event was the major highlight of the Black Fins efforts at the International Surf Rescue Challenge in the United States.

The three day, three test event concluded at the weekend.

It was held at South Padre Island in Texas in sweltering temperatures.

Test 3 on Saturday went the way of the Australians again, who amassed 126 points across the various events with the Kiwis second on 109.

Taylor, from Dawson Building Midway and Northcliffe in Queensland, won the ironman for the third time in a row that day, which was an outstanding performance.

Test 1 was won by the Aussies, 120 to NZ 112, and test 2 by the Aussies, 126 to NZ on 112.

Australia took out the challenge overall on 372, New Zealand not far behind on 333, US on 205, South Africa 200, Japan 181 and Canada 95.

Sprinter Michael Hanna from Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae completed a clean-sweep too, winning the beach sprint in all three tests.Midway’s Olivia Corrin chimed in with two wins and a third in the women’s oceanperson ironwoman, along with a third and two second-places in the women’s board.

Waikanae’s Christy Tate acquitted herself well in the Black Fins team, with a second, a third and fourth in the women’s ski, and her clubmate Briana Irving had a first and two seconds in the women’s beach sprint.