JOHN BISSET/Stuff
Shannell Wooding, in pink, won both the 100 metres and 1,000m titles in the masters’ category at the national championships in Palmerston North. Wooding is pictured with Georgia Kortright and Emily Thompson. (File photo)
A smaller South Canterbury speed skating team facing an uphill battle to retain the Unity Shield at the national championships in Palmerston North is on top of the leader boards after day one.
The championships began in Palmerston North on Monday with road and indoor track titles and will finish on Saturday with the marathon at the Manfeild raceway.
Speed skating veteran and coach Bill Begg said, at the end of Monday, South Canterbury and “long term rival” Whanganui shared the spoils with seven titles each of the 26 decided, while Blenheim and Palmerston North both had three, Hutt Valley two, with Kapiti, Dunedin, Hamilton and Christchurch one each.
Begg said Auckland attended with the biggest team and many new faces, with no titles on day one but several podium places.
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Begg earlier said South Canterbury had dominated the Unity Shield, awarded to the top speed skating region, for the past decade, but the smaller team and rule changes mean a continuation of that domination is shaping as a big ask.
Shannell Wooding won both the 100 metres and 1,000m titles in the masters category and at the end of the day, got a bonus with a third place in the open ladies 15,000m elimination, with Emily Thompson finishing in fifth.
The 15,000m race was a “hard fought” race with two recent world championship competitors Erin Green, of Blenheim, and Mikaela Macdonald, of Nelson, taking the first two places, Begg said.
JOHN BISSET/Stuff
Gemma Thornley, in pink, won the 100 meters and 1,000m races in the juvenile category at the national championships in Palmerston North. (File photo)
Gemma Thornley won the 100m and 1000m races in the juvenile category as did Oceania Purukamu in the primary girls’ category.
In the 1000m juvenile race, Layla Rae was second following Thornley. In the primary girls’ race, Lilly Rae was second in both the 100m and 1000m races.
Begg said a “big highlight” for South Canterbury in the primary 1000m race was Sophie Kortright grabbing third for a “full green and black podium’’.
In the cadet boys’ category, Callum Sandri won the 100m, with Brayden Teague “unfortunately” disqualified. In the 1000m race, Sandri was second and Teague third.
Ricky Purukamu was second in the 100m and third in the 1000m race, with Derek Tan fourth.
In the cadet girls’ category, Kyla Beveridge was third in both the 100m and 1000m races.
