Kiwi duo win on world tour

New Zealand now has a gold medal winning team on the FIVB World Tour as Griffin Muller and Sam O’Dea posted a pair of wins over teams from the United States to capture the gold medal at the inaugural VolleyFest Cook Islands. The seventh event on the 2019-2020 FIVB World Tour men’s calendar, the seventhseeded Muller and O’Dea posted a 2-1 (21-14, 20-22, 15-7) win in 52 minutes over ninthseeded Americans Christopher Austin/Earl Schultz to secure the milestone gold medal win for New Zealand while collecting the US$1000 first-place prize. Muller and O’Dea also became the 12th men’s team to win a world tour event together in their first FVB start as the Kiwi pair was the first New Zealand men’s or women’s team to play in a gold medal match on the international beach volleyball circuit. Muller and O’Dea beat fifth-seeded Travis McWhirter/Adam Roberts (US) in the semifinals.

Kiwi sprint sensation Edward Osei-Nketia claimed victory in the 100 metres at the Cooks Classic in Whanganui, but fell short of breaking his father’s stadium record. Almost 20 years ago, former Ghana and New Zealand international Gus Nketia ran 10.49 seconds at the event, and that record will remain after his prodigy son wasn’t quite able to better it on Saturday evening. The 18-year-old reigning national champion has taken the sport by storm after bursting onto the sprinting scene, and his latest effort saw him come from behind at Cooks Gardens, before easing home in 10.62 secs – with the North Harbour Bays representative having to settle for a stadium junior record. Osei-Nketia was battling with five-time New Zealand champ Joseph Millar, who led early but finished second in 10.72sec.