May 17, 2016
Canoe club celebrates golden coach
Winners and grinners are on their way back from the World Va’a Sprint Championships in Queensland, where Aotearoa surpassed Tahiti as the dominant nation in the sport.
James Papali’i from the Manukau Outrigger Canoe Club says the record medal haul is a testament to the effort that has gone in over the past three decades, particularly by tangata whenua.
He’s also singing the praises of the Mangere-based club’s head coach Mark Williams, who epitomises a journey that may eventually stretch from Otara to the Olympics.
"He was a paddler we started back in Manukau in 1990 as a young guy. He and his mates in Pineula, they were street kids, getting into trouble until they were supported by their whanau and got into waka ama. I've watched these guys' lives change through waka ama and now he's a gold medallist," he says.
James Papali'i says the prospect of becoming an Olympic event is invigorating the sport and will create huge opportunities for rangatahi.
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