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A Halberg for Perago athlete

Ellesse Andrews only took up cycling four years ago but the 18-year-old is already a world champion, and winner of a Halberg award. At the 2018 Halberg Awards Ellesse was presented with the Emerging Talent trophy after a brilliant year where she won gold and silver medals at the world junior champs in Italy, setting a new world record in the women’s individual pursuit. She won multiple golds at the 2017 New Zealand national track championships and the 2017 club road nationals, and took out the...

Lightweight New Zealand single sculler Matthew Dunham records stunning time

It won't count as a world record, but Matthew Dunham's row at Lake Karapiro on January 29 was world class.Competing in the heavyweight premier men's single scull final at the Cambridge Town Cup/North Island club champs, lightweight Dunham finished second behind Robbie Manson in an eye-opening time.Dunham's time of six minutes 42.19 seconds was over a second faster than the world's best time for a lightweight men's single sculler, set over three years ago. Manson won in 6:39.5...

Hansen takes out third in BMX elite class

North Canterbury continues to make its mark on the BMX track, with a number of good local placings resulting from the New Zealand Championships, held in Christchurch over the weekend.The meeting also decided New Zealand's 2018 elite titles.With the UCI World Cup season clashing with the national championships at Easter, the elite titles were decided as part of the South Island Championships at the Christchurch City BMX Club track in Hornby.Coming home with the national number...

Interview with Natalie Good

By Murka Clothing on November 7, 2017What’s up Murka Nation?! For this instalment of Own Roads we’re chatting with Natalie Good and just like her last name suggests, she ain’t too bad at a few things.Natalie Good, better known as Nat, is a Lawyer / Professional Snowboarder (Crazy mix, we know). Nat has been touring the world snowboarding and more recently trying to qualify for the Winter Olympics all the while doing a double degree in Law and Finance!Nat, Stoked to get you along for an int...

Athletics: Five minutes with Emerson Deverell

National U20 Road Race champion Emerson Deverell has an exciting future ahead of her. Here the teenager from Hamilton City Hawks Athletics offers a glimpse into her world by answering our Five Minutes With questions. What is your best athletics quality? I'm highly motivated. I don't tend to miss training. I'm always committed to running. I didn't start until I was 15, and even though I train on my own and I am always motivated to run. Why would you encourage anyone to try athleticsI'd say athlet...

Northern Knights keeper Tim Seifert sets up T20 win over Auckland with 42 ball 107

Tim Seifert unleashed the fastest century in New Zealand Twenty20 cricket to steer Northern Districts to a run-filled win over Auckland in Mount Maunganui. The ND wicketkeeper smashed 107 off 42 balls in the first night match at Bay Oval but his team had their hands full defending their tally of 214-9. Auckland fell seven runs short at 207-6, propelled by 65 off 38 from another 'keeper/opener, Glenn Phillips. He couldn't match the clean hitting of Seifert, whose ton was reached off 40 balls, eas...

Sam Gaze secures Sportsman of the Year title at Waipa Sports Awards

Securing the top title at the Waipa Networks Sports Awards has capped off a mercurial year for Cambridge cyclist Sam Gaze.The 21 year old was named Sportsman of the Year at the awards event held at the Te Awamutu Event Centre on Monday, organised by Sport Waikato.Gaze has had a difficult year, mixed with some wins and losses, with the latter related to bouts of migraine headaches.But he remained philosophical when he spoke about his progress earlier this year."Really it hasn't been a bad year be...

Dane Kirk- 2015 Recipient

Dear Perago Trustees, Hi.  I am writing today to give you an update on how I have been going with my training and competition in men’s freeski slopestyle, and what my plan is looking forward.  I am currently one of the athletes identified by Snow Sports NZ as being a contender for the Men’s Freeski Slopestyle team at the upcoming Pyeong Chang Winter Olympics 2018.  As I wrote in my application late last year, I had a very successful season in the NZ winter, in which I qualifie...

Ellesse Andrews- 2017 Recipient

Ellesse Andrews cycling update October 2017 In early August I travelled as a member of the New Zealand Junior Team, to the Junior World Champs in Montichiari, Italy. I completed in a total of three events at this competition, coming away with a silver medal in the Team Pursuit, and a gold medal and new Junior World Record in the Individual Pursuit. I also made it through to the final round of the Women’s Keirin. Since returning home, I have been largely focusing on my school work and preparati...

Bennett Greenough- Recipient 2017

September 8 2017Hi Perago, I would like to thank you very much for your support, it enabled me to have a great training and coaching structure for my build up to the BMX World Champs and of course assisted in the expense of competing and travelling to the event in Rockhill SC, USA. I had an awesome time at the BMX world champs. It was definitely the hardest world champs in terms of number of competitors and being in the USA attracted all of the best riders. With over 150 riders in my age group, ...

Kiwi Ellesse Andrews wins gold in world record time at junior world track champs

New Zealand cyclist Ellesse Andrews claimed gold at the junior world track championships in Italy on Sunday morning (NZ time), posting a world record time in the qualifying of the women's individual pursuit, before going on to finish the job in style.Andrews, formerly of Wanaka but now based in Cambridge, took the Kiwis' third medal of the event, and first gold, on what was the penultimate day of competition in Montichari.The St Peter's School student had claimed bronze in the sam...

Sydney Johnson- Recipient 2017

July 4 2017Hi there, It's a week out from my departure to Bulgaria and so I thought it would be a good time to check in! I've been on this campaign for over a month now and I can easily say it's been one of the best experiences of my life. Every week the squad focuses on improvement and success to prepare ourselves for racing at the Junior World Championships in Lithuania. Our team does this through collaboration and inter-crew competition, for example, doing races against not only juniors but u...

Deigna Khamal- Recipient 2017

July 8 2017Hi there, I recently went on my trip to Fiji to represent New Zealand at the Oceania Track and Field championships. I came 4th in both my 400m and 800m races and I was part of the silver medal winning 4x400m relay team . This was my first international competition and an amazing experience.I am now  eager than ever to make more NZ teams and see more of the world doing what I love. I would like to say a big thank you to Perago trust for your support and for helping me get to Fiji....

Sam Gaze- 2014 & 2015 Recipient

Sam was introduced to mountain biking at an early age, living in the Waikato region. He gained prominence in 2013 winning both the NZ Junior Cross-Country and the Oceania titles. Sam also won his first UCI World Cup, taking the junior honours in Italy. The following year he won the NZ Elite title, Oceania Under-23 and Elite Eliminator at the World Cup in Cairns. Sam took out the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in a Kiwi 1-2 behind Anton Cooper. In 2015 he was fourth at the Worl...

Bradley Cullen- 2016 Recipient

Update May 2016Since last year after coming back from Worlds in Chicago I have been quite busy. I have attended a few camps with the High Performance Triathlon Squad that I am a member of. > I am now racing as a first year U19 junior triathlete. > 1st in the Tinman Tri U19s at Mount Maunganui. > 3rd at Takapuna Tri U19s  Auckland. > DNF at Kinloch elite Oceania Continental Cup Triathlon Open Men, as I had a crash off my bike. > 3rd Future Champion Triathlon Festival Taup...

Jarrod Browning- 2016 recipient

5.11.2016Hi Most apologies for the very late email in getting to you about my USA and BMX Worlds review. USA started off strong with the first race weekend where I managed to get a 3rd place which I was unbelievably happy with, knowing and seeing so much improvement since the last time I was there. The next day came around where I was feeling comfortable winning all my qualifying races, semi final came around where I banged elbows with the rider next to me at the bottom of the starting ramp whic...

Jesse Campbell- 2013 recipient

One of the inaugural Perago Trust recipients in 2013 Jesse Campbell has won 21 major New Zealand and International Eventing titles and sport awards.  From a young age Jesse was passionate, determined and hardworking, he attended St. Peter’s School Cambridge with a five year General Excellence Scholarship, winning numerous awards for leadership and sport.  Below is his update sent to the Trust before his Badminton debut in 2015: I was the first recipient of a Perago Trust grant. The g...