Waka ama golden girls rewarded for hard work

Sara-Lee Pene-Davis and Katherine Simek are both relatively new to overseas travel and may not have trusted the baggage handlers with their new booty.

So they travelled home from Sacramento, California, with their world championship gold medals proudly worn around their necks.

The pair both won gold in the waka ama (outrigger canoe paddling) world championships in the US and while it may seem like a minority sport here, thousands from around the world competed at the event, including more than 200 Kiwis.

The 17-year-old Sacred Heart College Year 12 duo won a pair of medals each.

They were part of the 12-strong double-hull 500m team which won gold and Pene-Davis and five crewmates gained a bronze in the 500m six-person team behind Tahiti in second and the other Kiwi team, Simek's crew, in the gold medal position.

Both girls were excited about being world champions.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet," Simek said.

"But I feel like I'm more responsible, like I shouldn't be naughty any more."Pene-Davis, who had been involved with the sport for eight years, said she was rapt with the win and threw her paddle in the air as she crossed the line half a boat length ahead of their nearest rivals.

Pene-Davis and Simek were joined in the gold-medal winning double hull boat by two other Waikato paddlers, Ihipera Heke-Smart and Hana-Lee Wainohu.

"Everyone was hoping to win a gold, and we got told by some people if we didn't win one not to come home," Pene-Davis laughed.

Both girls were talked into the sport by family and friends and said the training leading up to the worlds took a heavy toll.

"We were meeting in Rotorua and training all weekend as well as doing our own training during the week, then in the holidays we trained every day, three times a day," Simek said.

Now with a taste for world championships, Simek said she wanted to continue in the sport with an eye for the nationals, then the next worlds.

- © Fairfax NZ News