Tahiti women take gold in V12 va'a
Tahiti has emerged as the winners of the women’s 500 metres V12 va’a race, held in Mulifanu'a.
On the first of four days of racing, Papua New Guinea won silver and host nation Samoa won bronze.
Blue skies and breeze from the north east, 11 knots gusting to 18, made it hard work to get to the start line.
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Once at the start line, the wind was at their backs, meaning careful maneuvering and skill to stay behind the start line. There was lots of support for Samoan paddlers who were happy with their bronze medal.
"This was awesome and working together for the last 12 months has been great. We look forward to all the next races," a team member said.
The backdrop for the ceremony was Savai'i, the big island.
In men's V12, New Caledonia raced to gold, followed by Wallis and Futuna with silver and Fiji with bronze.
Va'a continues on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and is free to watch.
Sailing
For her first time overseas, an Australian sailor says her trip to Samoa to compete in the Pacific Games was "amazing".
Paris Van Den Herik was awarded 8 points in the laser class on the first day of sailing at Samoa 2019.
After sailing lasers with new hulls and sails, she said: "It is really, really amazing. I haven't been overseas before so this is a really unique opportunity for me.
"I like a bit of wind, which makes you have to work your boat."
The top three sailors were New Caledonia's Juliette Bone on 7 points, Van Den Herik on 8 points, and Bianca Leilva from Samoa on 9.
They are all looking forward to getting out again tomorrow.
