Freddy Todhunter (Year 13) with her gold medal after the Girls’ U18 single sculls.

Freddy Todhunter (Y13) has added another Maadi gold medal to her collection, capping off a brilliant rowing career for St Andrew’s College with an outstanding victory in the Girls’ U18 single sculls at the 2023 Aon Maadi Regatta.

After racing strongly during the week, Freddy kept her cool in the final, and with her long, relaxed stroke, managed to power her way to the front of the race over the second 1000m. She determinedly fought off the challenge of an Otago Girls’ High School rower over the last 200m to win by half a boat length and take gold. This is St Andrew’s first U18 title since the Maadi Cup win in 2017, so it was a special day for Freddy, and the squad.

Freddy had previously won gold in the Girls’ U17 double and silver in the Girls’ U17 quad at the 2022 Maadi Regatta.

That wasn’t the only gold for St Andrew’s at the 2023 regatta. The Girls’ U15 coxed quad, Abbie Hartstonge, Sophia Voice, Sophia Drury, Mollie Thomas (all Y11) and Zakiya Smith (Y12 – cox) won gold by 0.32 seconds in a thrilling race on day one of the finals.

The Girls’ U15 coxed quad sculls crew with their gold medal, from left Zakiya Smith (Y12 – cox), Sophia Voice, Mollie Thomas, Sophia Drury, Abby Hartstonge (all Y11)

The next gold medal win was won by the Boys’ U17 coxed four. The crew of Cameron Scott (Y13), William Long, Benjamin Ashman, Jack Pitts and Jonty Pye (all Y12) came back in a gripping final from three-quarters of a boat length down against a strong St Bede’s College crew to beat them over the line by just 0.11 of a second. They set a new record for both U17 and U18, with no schoolboy four in any age group ever having gone faster.

The other medallists were the Boys’ U17 coxed eight, comprising Cameron Scott (Y13), William Long, Logan Gardner, Jake Burrowes, Benjamin Ashman, Jack Pitts, Charles Butterfield, Coby Goode and William Tavendale (cox) (all Y12), who won silver after finishing a close second to Hamilton Boys’ High School in another nail-biting race.

Overall, the St Andrew’s rowing squad made nine A finals and eight B finals, so it was an exciting last two days on the water for the students and their supporters.

Following the regatta, Freddy Todhunter was named as a New Zealand U19 team triallist, while Ben Ashman, Logan Gardner, Coby Goode, William Long, Jack Pitts, and William Tavendale (all Y12) were selected as South Island U18 team triallists.

Head of Rowing, Guy Williams said it was a special week for the St Andrew’s Rowing team.

The Boys’ U17 coxed four crew with their gold medal, back, Edward Botherway (coach) Jack Pitts, Benjamin Ashman, Jonty Pye (all Y12), Hayden Soper (coach), front, William Long (Y12), Cameron Scott (Y13)

“The results were outstanding – not only from our three national champion crews and silver medallists, but the entire team, who all put their best performances together. This is a reflection of the hundreds of hours of hard work put in by our rowers over the last six months, along with the support of our coaching staff, parents and the school. All involved should be incredibly proud.”