Gisborne judoka Sydnee Andrews wins silver at Panamerican & Oceania champs
Andrews went into the final ranked over 25 places below world No 2 Souza and put up a strong fight before losing by ippon.
It was Andrews' third appearance at the continental championships and came just two weeks after she placed fifth at the Dubrovnik Senior European Cup in Croatia, further underscoring her rising profile on the world stage.
Reflecting on her Santiago performance, Andrews said she was 'feeling good coming into the weekend' and credited her team coach and fellow New Zealand team members for their support.
Andrews trains with the Camberley Judo Club in the United Kingdom but was home over the summer holidays, during which she trained and helped with coaching at her Gisborne club.
Gisborne head coach Jason King was delighted with Andrews' showing in Chile and said it augured well as she looked towards qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The now-22-year-old made her Olympic Games debut at the 2024 Paris Games after winning bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Her success and development have seen her become part of High Performance Sport New Zealand's Tailored Athlete Pathway Support programme, which provides selected athletes with financial backing and performance services tailored to their stage of development.
This support enables her to train and compete at the highest level year-round.
At Camberley in London, Andrews trains full time under head coach Luke Preston.
The centre is a hub for elite international judokas and provides an environment that supports her Olympic aspirations.
She will remain in London for most of the year, returning to New Zealand at the end of the season.
Next on her schedule is the Benidorm European Open in Spain, followed by a four-day training camp as she continues her push to remain in the top end of the world and Olympics ranking lists.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
an hour ago
- Scoop
‘A Win For The Squad': Young 49er Team Strikes Gold At European Champs
Press Release – Yachting New Zealand Rising Kiwi 49er team Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush struck gold at the European Championships in Greece overnight – their proudest sailing achievement to date and the first major success for New Zealand in the class since a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Menzies and Lee Rush secured overall victory in a strong men's skiff fleet with a day – and the medal race – to spare, having taken the lead on the second day of competition in Thessaloniki. They delivered a calm and consistent performance across the week, notching 11 top-10 finishes from 12 fleet races, before also placing fourth in the double-points medal race to win the regatta by a commanding 54 points. American crew Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid were second, with Uruguay's Hernán Umpierre and Fernando Diz third. New Kiwi pairing Sam Bacon and Blake McGlashan narrowly missed out on the medal race with a 13th-place overall finish – their best result since teaming up last year. Another emerging duo, Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn, placed second in the silver fleet (27th overall), while Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren finished 49th. 'It's been incredibly hot and light all week,' said Lee Rush. 'Lots of waiting, really long days – often getting off the water around 7 or 8pm. It's been pretty taxing in that sense, but we kept things simple and tried to keep doing what we were from the start of the week.' Lee Rush credited their strong position early in the regatta with giving them belief. 'We had a really good second day that put us in the lead, but there was still all of finals racing and the medal race to go, and the points were tight. At that stage, we weren't even sure we'd make the medal race, let alone the podium or a win. But we followed that up with another solid day, and it started to feel possible.' One key improvement, he said, was their starting. 'Our starts have really come along – we've been working hard on it. We've only been competing overseas for the last two years, and it takes time to get comfortable with it [starting] at this level.' Menzies and Lee Rush teamed up in 2021 and found success quickly, finishing third in the 29er at the 2022 youth sailing world championships, followed by gold in the 49erFX at the junior world championships. But the move to the full 49er hasn't been without its challenges. Gaining the necessary weight to stay competitive in stronger breeze has been the biggest hurdle, Lee Rush admits. 'It's been our top priority for a few years now. We're getting there, but it's a long-term thing. It takes time to adjust to the 49er – the racing, the starting, just doing regattas and building experience.' They've been steadily climbing the ranks over the past year. They finished fourth at last year's junior world championships, just days before Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie took 49er silver at the Paris Games. In the Olympic medallists' absence, Menzies and Lee Rush won the 2025 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland in February, placed ninth at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma in April, and came 13th at French Olympic Week in Hyères a fortnight later. Their progress owes a lot to the depth and quality of the New Zealand 49er squad, which includes Bacon and McGlashan, Coutts and Gunn, and Kayrouz and McLaren. 'We had a really solid training block back home in the New Zealand summer. There are consistently five high-level boats pushing each other, all working towards the same goal. Not many countries have that kind of depth, and being part of a squad like this makes a huge difference,' he said. 'We're all close. We train together, travel together, stay together overseas. That bond helps, especially when we're pushing each other at such a high level, and it's a big part of why we've got to this point.' Winning the European championships is unquestionably a career highlight. 'Seb's had a lot of success in the 420, but for me, this is definitely number one, and I think he'd put it pretty high up there, too. It's a senior class. It's not a world championship, but it's still a massive win, and we didn't expect to be winning an event like this so soon in our 49er campaign.' The pair have their sights set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, but know there's a long road ahead. 'It's a great result; to be able to show that we can perform against other top-level boats and that we can put together a regatta across a full week and keep ourselves consistent and calm under pressure. But it's still just one regatta, and we have a lot to prove,' Lee Rush said. 'More importantly, it's special for the whole squad. We're all working towards the same goal – trying to get one of us to go to the Olympics and perform in 2028. This is definitely a win for the squad as much as it is for us.'
Scoop
2 hours ago
- Scoop
'A Win For The Squad': Young 49er Team Strikes Gold At European Champs
Rising Kiwi 49er team Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush struck gold at the European Championships in Greece overnight - their proudest sailing achievement to date and the first major success for New Zealand in the class since a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Menzies and Lee Rush secured overall victory in a strong men's skiff fleet with a day - and the medal race - to spare, having taken the lead on the second day of competition in Thessaloniki. They delivered a calm and consistent performance across the week, notching 11 top-10 finishes from 12 fleet races, before also placing fourth in the double-points medal race to win the regatta by a commanding 54 points. American crew Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid were second, with Uruguay's Hernán Umpierre and Fernando Diz third. New Kiwi pairing Sam Bacon and Blake McGlashan narrowly missed out on the medal race with a 13th-place overall finish - their best result since teaming up last year. Another emerging duo, Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn, placed second in the silver fleet (27th overall), while Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren finished 49th. "It's been incredibly hot and light all week," said Lee Rush. "Lots of waiting, really long days - often getting off the water around 7 or 8pm. It's been pretty taxing in that sense, but we kept things simple and tried to keep doing what we were from the start of the week." Lee Rush credited their strong position early in the regatta with giving them belief. "We had a really good second day that put us in the lead, but there was still all of finals racing and the medal race to go, and the points were tight. At that stage, we weren't even sure we'd make the medal race, let alone the podium or a win. But we followed that up with another solid day, and it started to feel possible." One key improvement, he said, was their starting. "Our starts have really come along - we've been working hard on it. We've only been competing overseas for the last two years, and it takes time to get comfortable with it [starting] at this level." Menzies and Lee Rush teamed up in 2021 and found success quickly, finishing third in the 29er at the 2022 youth sailing world championships, followed by gold in the 49erFX at the junior world championships. But the move to the full 49er hasn't been without its challenges. Gaining the necessary weight to stay competitive in stronger breeze has been the biggest hurdle, Lee Rush admits. "It's been our top priority for a few years now. We're getting there, but it's a long-term thing. It takes time to adjust to the 49er - the racing, the starting, just doing regattas and building experience." They've been steadily climbing the ranks over the past year. They finished fourth at last year's junior world championships, just days before Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie took 49er silver at the Paris Games. In the Olympic medallists' absence, Menzies and Lee Rush won the 2025 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland in February, placed ninth at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma in April, and came 13th at French Olympic Week in Hyères a fortnight later. Their progress owes a lot to the depth and quality of the New Zealand 49er squad, which includes Bacon and McGlashan, Coutts and Gunn, and Kayrouz and McLaren. "We had a really solid training block back home in the New Zealand summer. There are consistently five high-level boats pushing each other, all working towards the same goal. Not many countries have that kind of depth, and being part of a squad like this makes a huge difference," he said. "We're all close. We train together, travel together, stay together overseas. That bond helps, especially when we're pushing each other at such a high level, and it's a big part of why we've got to this point." Winning the European championships is unquestionably a career highlight. 'Seb's had a lot of success in the 420, but for me, this is definitely number one, and I think he'd put it pretty high up there, too. It's a senior class. It's not a world championship, but it's still a massive win, and we didn't expect to be winning an event like this so soon in our 49er campaign." The pair have their sights set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, but know there's a long road ahead. "It's a great result; to be able to show that we can perform against other top-level boats and that we can put together a regatta across a full week and keep ourselves consistent and calm under pressure. But it's still just one regatta, and we have a lot to prove," Lee Rush said. "More importantly, it's special for the whole squad. We're all working towards the same goal - trying to get one of us to go to the Olympics and perform in 2028. This is definitely a win for the squad as much as it is for us."
NZ Herald
8 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Small Business On the Up: Former Olympian Willy Benson's PortaSkip journey in Hawke's Bay
I approached a business mentor who turned into my business partner, just pitching ideas and growing my knowledge. I was running a swimming club at the time and wanted something on the side that was a long way away from swimming. And then I did a few feasibility studies, went back and forth and was pretty happy to come up with PortaSkip. I saw something similar in Australia. The guys at Bunnings hire out skips, but they were bins on trailers that had to be forked over the back of the truck. Wanting to run a small business, we didn't want to have to invest in that sort of capital, so we came up with our skip bins that have a hydraulic ram underneath. It just requires a ute, and it can run pretty simply, meaning we could fill a gap in the market that wasn't really there in terms of something a little bit more nimble and mobile. PortaSkips are perfect for homeowners and landlords who are clearing out a property that requires getting into a tight space. How was the transition from a life as an Olympian to running a business? I was lucky that while I was training for the Olympics, I was also at Massey studying a business degree and ended up majoring in business management. So I'm probably one of the few people who actually got out of university and managed to use their degree. I didn't really know what I wanted to do when I stopped swimming, but I was lucky that I had the tools to go and find things that interested me and challenged me. I think especially when you're starting a new business, it's a little bit like my swimming, I had a goal to represent New Zealand, and that was four years away, but you've just got to keep chipping away for something. It can seem like a bloody long way away in the future, but if you trust the effort and you're genuine and you keep chipping away, there's a chance that you'll get to where you want to get to. I think there's a pretty strong crossover between starting a new business and your sporting goals and dreams in that regard. What was it like working during Cyclone Gabrielle? It's still unbelievable every day when you drive down the expressway thinking about that thing under water. That was tricky, certainly. My family home that I grew up in was under water, so we're digging silt out of mum's place and pulling out a bunch of our possessions that we grew up with. Meanwhile, we were running around like maniacs trying to turn around as many skips as we could for everyone trying to get stuff out of their homes and businesses that were under water as well. It was wild, wild stuff and hopefully stuff that I'll never have to see again. I think honestly coming out the other side of the cyclone and just sitting back and looking at what we were able to do for people, the amount of stuff we moved and being able to see people at the lowest point in their lives and know that you played a little part in just making that super tough time a little bit more manageable for them, I think that's been a big highlight though. PortaSkip co-founder Willy Benson remembers trying to supply bins for everyone in need following Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bay. Where do you want the business to be in the next few years? I think the biggest piece is just expanding it to other areas, like Palmerston North and Wellington, and to keep it growing. With any business, it's a challenge to get established, and then once you have an established business, it's like tough to keep that momentum and keep it going and not fall off or just plateau. I think the goal over the next two to five years is to have the business throughout New Zealand. What would be your advice to other budding entrepreneurs wanting to start a business? Just do your homework initially and make sure that everything lines up, and then just work hard and trust yourself. There are times when growth is pretty slow going, but if it's genuine and you trust yourself and you've got a good plan behind you, you're most likely going to come out the other side where you want to be. Having a mentor and having someone to bounce ideas off of and help vet things is massive too, whether that's experience from previous jobs that you can translate into a new business or just along the way having another person to help you troubleshoot when you've hit a wall, I think that's massive as well. Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
