2 September 2026
Seven world championship medals in Singapore, one decided by 0.03 of a second
Takapuna waka ama club Pineula has returned from the 2026 International Va'a Federation (IVF) World Sprint Championships in Singapore with seven podium finishes, after going stroke for stroke with Tahiti in an open men's final separated by three hundredths of a second.
Racing at Marina Bay against more than 2,200 paddlers from 29 countries and territories, Pineula crews medalled across four grades: junior 16 men, open men, open women and the open men's single.
The defining race of the club's campaign came in the Open Men's V6 500m final on the last day. Team Pineula and Tahitian powerhouse Shell 2 came down the course locked together and hit the line in 1:48.98 and 1:48.95, a margin of 0.03 of a second. It was one of the closest finishes of the entire regatta, and it took the two crews into a photo before the placings could be confirmed.
For a 70-member club from Takapuna to contest a world title that finely against the most decorated club programme in the sport is the result the paddlers came home talking about.
Rangatahi lead the medal haul
Pineula's junior 16 men's crew, the Boom Bullets, were the club's most decorated squad, reaching the podium in all three of their events:
- Silver, Junior 16 Men V12 500m (1:59.95)
- Silver, Junior 16 Men V6 500m (2:00.52)
- Bronze, Junior 16 Men V6 1000m (4:38.53)
In each case the crew finished ahead of every other New Zealand club in the grade, and in the V6 500m final they pushed past Tahiti's Heiva'a Hoe to take second behind Edt.
The Boom Bullets came into the championships as 2024 national champions in the Intermediate W6 500m and W6 turns.
Open women hold their place on the podium
The club's Open Women's crew, Pineula Tawake, claimed bronze in the V6 500m final in 2:11.32, in a race where the top three crews were covered by less than half a second. Tawake won this event at the 2024 World Sprint Championships.
Pineula Kopeka, also a 2024 world champion crew, placed fifth in the Open Women's V12 500m. The club's junior 19 women's crew, Pineula Hawaiki, made both the V6 500m and V6 1000m finals.
Millon on the podium again
Pineula paddler Manutea Millon took bronze in the Open Men's V1 500m in 2:16.04, adding to the silver he won in the same event in 2024.
Pineula results at a glance
| Grade | Event | Placing | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior 16 Men (Boom Bullets) | V12 500m | 2nd | 1:59.95 |
| Junior 16 Men (Boom Bullets) | V6 500m | 2nd | 2:00.52 |
| Junior 16 Men (Boom Bullets) | V6 1000m | 3rd | 4:38.53 |
| Open Men (Team Pineula) | V6 500m | 2nd | 1:48.98 |
| Open Men (Team Pineula) | V6 1500m | 3rd | 6:45.37 |
| Open Women (Tawake) | V6 500m | 3rd | 2:11.32 |
| Open Men (Manutea Millon) | V1 500m | 3rd | 2:16.04 |
| Open Women (Kopeka) | V12 500m | 5th | 2:10.79 |
| Junior 19 Women (Hawaiki) | V6 500m | 5th | 2:25.57 |
| Junior 19 Women (Hawaiki) | V6 1000m | 5th | 5:24.76 |
Source: official IVF results, Marina Bay, Singapore.
About the championships
The 2026 IVF Va'a World Sprint Championships were held at Marina Bay, Singapore, from 17 to 31 August 2026. It was the first time the sport's premier event has been staged in Asia. More than 200 Aotearoa club-team entries qualified for the championships alongside nationally selected elite crews and V1 representatives, the largest New Zealand contingent to attend a World Sprints.