Penalties cost women rafters gold medal

21st July 2010

RAFTING

by Kelly Exelby sport@dailypost.co.nz Rotorua-dominated New Zealand teams have been among the medals at the world rafting championships, with the men grabbing bronze in the gruelling downriver race and the women, silver in the slalom.

Racing down man-made channels at the Dutch Water Dreams facility rather than natural rivers, the Kiwi men were 9th overall over four disciplines, with the women fourth. Japan won both world titles.

Representing New Zealand in the men's raft side were brothers Paul and Lance Roozendaal, Tauranga's Brent Bastin and Rotorua-based Johann Roozenburg, while Bay of Plenty's Luuka Jones, Louise Jull, Denise Martin and Alana Whiteman were in the New Zealand women's boat.

"The only teams to beat us [in downriver] were the two fully professional teams from Brazil and Japan," Paul Roozendaal said.

"I knew we had the potential to [get a] medal this year. Once we get more support and can work as hard as teams like Japan and Brazil, I'm sure we can be world champs."

The women were an agonising five seconds behind winners Slovakia in the slalom, with their best run of 4:18.45, including 25 seconds of penalties.

Roozendaal said his team were falsely penalised in the head to head for pushing off another raft. "We finished with the same time as Brazil but incurred 80 seconds worth of penalties."

The Kiwis revelled in the downriver, where teams of four paddled six laps of the course while running with their raft back to the top of the course after each lap.

"The portages were flawless but carrying the raft up stairs and through a beach volleyball court in the sand at the top made it hard."