Lyndon Fairbairn and Gisiele Summerton surfed their way to the top of the podium in their respective categories at Back Beach, New Plymouth, this week.
Fairbairn defended his men’s over-50 title, while Summerton won the women’s bodyboarding event,
Fairbairn has secured selection for New Zealand for the world masters championships.
In all, 16 national titles have been dished out, and more will follow in the coming days.
Christchurch surfer Jack Tyro was the only other South Islander to claim a title, successfully defending his men’s longboard crown.
Hannah Kohn (Gisborne) won the women’s longboard title, capping her performance with a 6.67 point ride on her last wave to seal the victory.
It was the first time Kohn had taken part in the national championships in a decade.
The championships continue further down the Taranaki coast, at Stent Road, with the under-16 and under-18 divisions.
Open division competition is scheduled to start today.
— APL
