Sailors win gold in team race

Team Cook Islands won gold again in the men’s sailing laser team event at the Wallis and Futuna Pacific Mini Games yesterday.

Sailors Junior Charlie and Taua Elisa’s win helps boost the Cook Islands medal haul.

Taua Elisa also won his two races on Monday to be placed number one in the Pacific.

Teau McKenzie is currently placed number one in the Pacific in her races.

She has won her last four races and has one more day of sailing. Junior Charlie’s races to be held Sunday (Monday Wallis time) were postponed due to heavy rain causing poor visibility–he was expected to race again yesterday.

Meanwhile, a welcoming party at the airport will greet members of Team Cook Islands who arrive back in Rarotonga this afternoon.

Minister of Sport Mark Brown will be at the airport today at around 5pm when the flight is due in to officially welcome some members of the team back from the Wallis and Futuna Pacific Mini Games.

Weightlifter Luisa Peters, who won three silver medals for the Cook Islands, and silver medallist sprinter Patricia Taea will not be on board the flight–they are instead heading back to training.

Peters has been at the weightlifting institute in New Caledonia for a month prior to the games, while Taea returns to the Regional Development Centre on Australia’s Gold Coast where she has been training for the past eight months.

Discus gold medallist Tereapii Tapoki was scheduled to be on the flight, but it is unknown if she will be part of the group returning today.

Associate Minister of Sport John Henry, athletics manager Ina Marsters, CISNOC president Hugh Graham and weightlifting manager Unakea Kauvai will return today.

Remaining in Wallis and Futuna this week are CISNOC chief executive and chef de mission Robert Graham, administration manager Siniva Marsters, sailing manager Anne Tierney, and the three member sailing team.

They are due to return to Rarotonga early Friday morning.