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The TBHS under-16 coxed four on the podium after being presented with the Westlake Cup for winning their grade at the 2023 Maadi Cup on Lake Karapiro. From left are Payo O’Sullivan, Luke Tomkins, Mac Brown, Ben Allan, Finn Gollins and coach Brian Smith.
A hat-trick of gold medals to Ben Allan anchored Timaru Boys’ High School’s most successful Maadi Cup rowing event ever on Lake Karapiro.
TBHS’s three golds, a silver and two bronzes was an unprecedented haul for the school, achieved by a team of 16 who made 10 A finals over the week-long regatta.
Five of the squad were multiple gold medallists as Payo O’Sullivan, Luke Tompkins, Mac Brown, Allan and Finn Gollins won both the under 16 coxed quad and coxed sculls on Friday.
Ben, before finishing the regatta by claiming gold in the under 16 single sculls prompting his team-mates to jump in the water to cheer him on his way past, also combined with Payo to win silver in the under-16 double on Saturday.
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TBHS team manager Simon O’Sullivan said Ben’s single sculls effort “was a terrific win for Ben after an intense week” as it was his third final on Saturday, following the two golds won in Friday’s finals.
“Ben would have been one of the most successful rowers at the regatta,” O’Sullivan said.
The school’s other A final medals went to Josh Bartlett with a bronze in the under 17 single sculls, who then combined with Blake Parker to win bronze in the under 17 double sculls.
The TBHS team’s success lifted it to sixth in the Star Trophy, the overall secondary school points table, and third on the Presidents Scull award for overall sculling school.
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The Timaru Boys’ High School’s under-16 coxed four celebrate their gold-medal winning row at the 2023 Maadi Cup. From left are Finn Gollins, Payo O’Sullivan, Luke Tomkins, Mac Brown and Ben Allan.
“It takes the whole squad working together to get results like these,” lead coach Brian Smith said.
“The work ethic of all of these boys at every training impresses me. It is a pleasure to coach this outstanding group of Timaru Boys’ rowers.”
Another pair of South Canterbury schools also achieved gold and bronze success. .
Elsie Talbot had a great Saturday for Craighead Diocesean School of Timaru with a gold in the under-18 girls’ single sculls, before combining with Paige Butler-Baird to win bronze in the girls’ under-18 double sculls.
Twizel Area School was unable to add to its medal tally on Saturday, finishing with a gold and a bronze from Friday to Kiara Thyne and Sadie Mason (girls’ under-18 novice double sculls) and Kobe Narruhn and Ralph Henderson (boys’ under-18 novice sculls) respectively.
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Finn Gollins, the cox of the TBHS under-16 coxed four, gets his traditional dunking after the team won their grade at the 2023 Maadi Cup on Lake Karapiro.
