Karate athlete and Tokyo 2020 Olympic hopeful Andrea Anacan has won gold at the Oceania Championships.
The 28-year-old Aucklander competes in the Kata, the performance side of karate, as opposed to kumate, the fighting discipline.
“Big thankyou to everyone for your continuous support and I hope you continue to support me toward Tokyo 2020,” Anacan posted on Instagram.
To qualify for Tokyo 2020 Anacan will need to accumulate points from tournaments on the World Karate Federation calendar, with the aim of being the No. 1 Oceania woman across both kata and kumate. Every continental region is allowed to send one female and one male karateka (athlete).
At the Singapore Sevens Unforced errors and ill-discipline saw the All Blacks Sevens relegated to another 6th place finish.
The Kiwis were outplayed by Fiji 19-5 in their cup quarterfinal match. Despite losing to Scotland and South Africa in pool play, the Fijians were too good for New Zealand and it was their defensive structure that got them over the line. The All Blacks Sevens got on the board first through Tim Mikkelson, but Fiji’s defence kept New Zealand scoreless for the rest of the game.
New Zealand then went on to lose 19-17 to Samoa in their fifth-place playoff. In the overall standings, New Zealand hold onto third place on 130 points.
Meanwhile New Zealand’s 2019 champion pole vaulters soared to impressive heights on Auckland’s Federal Street. A temporary pole vault runway and mat, set more than a metre above the ground, provided a unique viewpoint for spectators.
Among the successful heights was a heart-stopping moment when after convincingly clearing 4.27m, Olivia McTaggart’s pole snapped while attempting 4.40m. After taking a moment to recover Olivia bravely had another two attempts at the height with the crowd’s support, but was unable to clear the bar again. Olivia finished in first place in the women’s competition.
In the men’s competition Nick Southgate was flying high under the Sky Tower, clearing 5.27m to take first in the men’s pole vault competition.
In the Hockey both the men’s and women’s Black Sticks lost to Argentina. The men clawed their way back from 3 goals down to eventually be defeated 4-3, while the New Zealand women struggled to connect in their 3-1 loss.
Both New Zealand teams now return home to prepare for their Anzac Day against Australia in their final home match of the FIH Pro League.