Wanganui kayakers punched well above their weight and proved they were highly competitive among the cream of New Zealand paddlers when finishing second club overall at the ICF Oceania and New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships at Tikitapu (Blue Lake) in Rotorua at the weekend.
The kayak division of the Wanganui Multisport and Triathlon Club sent 26 athletes to the nationals and collectively accumulated enough points to finish second overall to the strong Poverty Bay club that has two full-time paid coaches, including one from Hungary.
The Wanganui Kayak and Multisport Club has two unpaid volunteer coaches, Aaron Cox and Brian Scott.
The Wanganui team also claimed the Copper Shield for the top overall masters and open points team on the strength of wins in the K2 masters from Scott and Cox.
Cox is a former wild water teams racing world champion with a victory at Bala in Wales in 1995.