HCRA: Puna Canoe Club collects 13 medals in Hilo

HILO — Moku O Hawai‘i Ourigger Canoe Racing Association hosted its third long-distance meet of the 2024 season on Saturday in Hilo Bayfront. Exactly 461 paddlers competed, with 233 of them being keiki. Michael O’Shaughnessy was the event’s oldest participant at 79 years old, while Stone Schaber was the youngest at age 9. The event was sponsored by Hui Wa‘a ‘O Waiakea.

Keaukaha Canoe Club won its first long-distance meet of the season with 13 total medals — seven of them being gold. In the league’s regatta on May 18, the club collected the most medals with 20.

Keaukaha won the traditional iron female open (39:25), traditional iron male age-14 division (21:09), traditional iron female age-14 division (27:48), traditional iron female age-18 division (31:10), traditional iron mixed age-12 division (23:13), traditional iron mixed age-13 division (19:10) and traditional iron mixed age-15 division (22:49).

Puna Canoe Club collected the second-most medals with 12 — also nabbing seven gold. Its wins were in the traditional iron male open (34:21), traditional iron male novice (38:24), unlimited iron male open (34:43), traditional iron female novice (40:21), traditional iron female 55-or-over division (39:54), unlimited iron female open (34:51) and the traditional iron female age-16 division (32:20).

Puna also posted six of the top-10 times in all of Saturday’s races, including the top three — the traditional male open (34:21), the unlimited male open (34:43) and the unlimited female open (34:51). Jonah Kalima, Joe Kalima II, Daniel Petner, Neemia Pola, Kekoa Sumera-Lee and J.B. Weitz were part of the fastest crew of the day.

Hoemana recorded the third-most medals with six, including four gold. Its victories were in the koa iron male open (38:38), the koa iron female open (42:27), the traditional iron mixed open (36:18) and the traditional iron female age-13 division (19:26).