Congratulations to our incredible super athlete - Fiona Southorn!
After a year of riding for enjoyment and recovering from a nasty crash I seem to of nailed the World Masters Games with 3 Gold Medals, a Personal Best and two Bronze medals.
First race was the Road 20km Road Time Trial in Auckland along the waterfront, with great weather and the road closed for traffic it was perfect. I was hoping for a medal but never expected to win the race as I haven't completed a Time Trial for a very long time winning with an average speed of 41.6km.
I drove back home to re-pack for the three days of track racing ahead on the Avantidrome in Cambridge.
My first race on the Track was my preferred event the 2km Pursuit, I qualified with the second fastest time and was racing for Gold the same evening against a strong Australian. I rode a very strong ride doing a Personal Best and winning by 5 seconds.
With my two strongest events done and dusted anything else was now going to be a bonus although I didn't expect to win the Points race the following day.
I had no idea how the points system worked and had it explained to me prior to the race, the only think I was focusing on was not crashing during the 40 lap race.
I was so nervous I felt ill, After being last on the first sprint I decided the best thing was to attack off the front and have a go at lapping the field, it worked and no other riders joined me, so I peddled like buggery and with the lungs and legs burning after 12laps I had done it. The crowd went crazy, all I needed to do was stay ahead to the end. Not only did I win gold I was also faster than all the other age groups.
The last day on the track was going to be a long one if I qualified for the Match sprint, I managed to qualify in the top 4, this meant two more races of eliminations. In between I still had the Scratch race to do, I left my finish sprint too late but still managed a Bronze medal. Later in the evening I won the Bronze ride for the Match Sprint. A total of 5 medals from a very well run event.
I had no rest and raced the Age Group Nationals in Cambridge in the weekend and won the Time Trial also.
So that's two NZ titles this year a NZ record and 3 world titles.
I'm now chasing the Duathlon Worlds Champs title in August in Canada.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
It’s Riddle Time – You Might Need an Extra Cup of Coffee!
Nobody has ever walked this way. Which way is it?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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84.7% Yes
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13.9% No
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1.4% Other - I'll share below