Wanaka Sun | 1-7 April 2021 | Edition 1020

Page 1

Fancy filmmaking?

INSIDE THIS WEEK Views: Page 17 Jobs: Page 19 Sport: Page 20

This could be for you!

PAGE 14

Pork Pie Charity Run Zooms past!

PAGE 7 THUR 01.04.21 - WED 07.04.21

EDITION 1020

DELIVERED AND FREE

PHOTO: Graeme Murray

Braden Currie: “I wanted this win and I needed this win and that’s what I brought to the start line.

Fourth time lucky for Braden Currie Joanna Perry

newsdesk@thewanakasun.co.nz

ānaka multisport legend Braden Currie

W beat out his closest competition, Kyle

Smith, to win IRONMAN New Zealand in Taupō last weekend. The world’s longest-running IRONMAN, the triathlon on March 27 (postponed from earlier

this month due to the rise in Covid-19 alert levels) saw thousands of supporters line the streets to cheer on the competitors over a 3.8km swim in the lake, 180km cycle and 42.2km run. Currie and Taupō-based Smith had already gone head-to-head three times this season, with Smith besting Currie each time. Currie finished 4 minutes behind Smith at the Rotorua Suffer event last December, 10 seconds behind at the

Tauranga Half in January, and 13 seconds behind at Challenge Wānaka in February. But Currie’s moment finally arrived on Saturday when he crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 7:57:12 - ahead of Mike Phillips at 08:06:38 and Smith at 08:08:53, placing third in his IRONMAN debut. Smith was ahead during the swim leg, but all three athletes came tightly together during the cycle, with

Currie pushing strongly ahead into the final run. Currie said he wanted to avoid a “side by side battle” and not give Phillips and Smith a chance to run with him. “I looked at my watch early in the run and was running a 3:05/km pace and at that point I knew I was going to have a really good run, but I told myself I should probably slow down a bit,” said Currie. Continued on page 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.