Lifesaving: Black Fins top world leaderboard

Steve Kent (left) and Andy McMillan. Photo / Supplied

Flurry of medals in France puts NZ in lead with Australia in fourth place

Defending champion New Zealand Black Fins top the leaderboard after the second day at the lifesaving world championships in France.

Titahi Bay's Steven Kent grabbed the day's first medal, winning bronze in the men's 100m manikin carry with fins.

Team captain Andy McMillan (St Clair) took silver in the men's 50m carry with Kent finishing in fourth while Danielle McKenzie (Mairangi Bay) and Laura Quilter (Wainui) won the day's first gold medal in the women's line throw in a time of 12.05.

Lyall Bay's Natasha Hind then took the team's fourth and final medal, grabbing silver in the women's 200m super lifesaver with fellow Lyall Bay club mate Samantha Lee coming in fifth.

New Zealand manager Mark Weatherall said it was a challenging day. "But we continued to make some great progress and will push on through to the beach events next."

New Zealand lead with 424 points ahead of France on 411 and Italy in third with 381. Australia are in fourth place with 336 points and Germany fifth with 332.

On the beach, the New Zealand Youth team kicked off their first day of competition and won nine medals.

Of the day's three gold medals, one went to Ben Johnston (Papamoa) and Andrew Trembath (St Clair) in the men's board rescue. Trembath snapped up his second gold along with Matthew Scott (Midway), Jacob Hales (Papamoa) and Ben Cochrane (Omanu) in the men's tube rescue.

The girls took the third gold with Olivia Eaton (Mt Maunganui), Madison Kidd (Papamoa), Jasmine Smith (Wainui) and Maia Bryant (Papamoa) coming in first for the women's beach relay.

Jake Hurley (Mairangi Bay) won silver in the men's beach sprints and Cochrane also won silver in the men's ski race. Eaton, Kidd and Bryant each added a silver medal to their gold; Eaton in the women's beach sprints and Kidd and Bryant in the women's tube rescue along with Hannah Williams (Piha) and Sumner's Brittany Tucker. Smith also added a bronze to her gold in the women's board race.