The past 12 months have been incredibly special for many Eastern Bay athletes who have won medals, trophies, reached milestones and made representative sides. The Beacon looks back on the successful sporting year the region had.

It’s too hard to circle just one of the region’s Olympians as a highlight, so let’s include them altogether.

Dame Lisa Carrington became New Zealand’s greatest and most successful Olympic athlete of all time, with victory in the K1 500m, the K2 500m with Alicia Hoskins, and then in the K4 500m with Hoskins, Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan as they edged out Germany for Olympic gold.

It meant Carrington finished at Paris with three golds, taking her Olympic tally to nine medals, eight gold and one bronze, a remarkable effort.

The team put in years of hard work to prepare for Paris, and led by Carrington they performed perfectly.

Carrington said in interviews after the races she was incredibly proud of the team and the effort they had put in.

Adding to this, she was also named Māori sportswomen of the year and is a finalist for the Halberg Awards alongside her teammates.

Hayden Wilde – there’s nothing more our silver medal winning triathlete could have done. He gave the race everything he had but was pipped at the post by rival and good friend Alex Yee.

It was an impressive and near flawless race from the Kiwi, who went one better than his bronze medal performance at Tokyo back in 2021.

Wilde said he had no regrets about how he raced and how it panned out, saying he gave it all he had. It was a deserved silver medal and, much like Carrington’s success, one that made the Eastern Bay proud.

His sportsmanship after the race also showed why he’s one of New Zealand’s most well-loved athletes.

Stacey Waaka and Mahina Paul – The Black Ferns sevens duo was part of a team that created history. They went out and did exactly what they intended to do, win an Olympic gold medal by beating Canada in the final.

It meant an early morning for those watching their semifinal and final, but was worth it for all the Eastern Bay and New Zealand fans.

For many of the team, like Waaka, it was their second gold, having won in Tokyo. However, for Paul it was her first time attending the Olympics and winning gold.

It was richly deserved after she missed out on selection for Tokyo.

Women’s rugby and girls’ rugby in the Eastern Bay is growing and these two athletes from the Eastern Bay are leading the way.

Other successes include Michael Isaac, the martial arts fighter who won a world title when he defeated Cambodian fighter Tanh Makara during an event in Hamilton in November.

It was Isaac’s first world title and has made him hungry for more.

Ōpōtiki’s Dylan McPhee also won the New Zealand 79-kilogram GAMMA title with his win over Russian Alsliddin Jumanov, proving the sport is thriving in the Eastern Bay.

Alex Wilton has scooped 28 school records in his final years at Ōpōtiki College. The ex-student finished his schooling off in style by taking out the senior boys’ triathlon record, adding to his numerous swimming and cross-country records.

Xavier and Oliver Christie are talented twins who represented New Zealand in August when they attended the World Triathlon Multisport World Championships in Townsville, Australia. Both showed they are the ones to watch for the future.

Xavier returned home with a bronze medal while Oliver managed to win gold in the duathlon, an event the duo is strong at.

Motu Challenge – one last hurrah. The multisport event held annually each year has called time after 31 years and in its final edition, Whakatāne multisporter Sam Clark took out the honours in what was his 19th time taking part.

It’s been a great race and helped Clark and Corrinne O’Donnell to success in the Coast to Coast, but it’s also seen people step outside of their comfort zone and give it a crack.

Jarrod Teddy and the committee did an amazing job organising the race each but decided the time was right to move on.

It’s an event that is going to be missed by not only the Eastern Bay but some of New Zealand’s top multisport stars.

Khiarna Williams and Monica Falkner – these two are seen as role models to many in the Eastern Bay as they are the two from the region playing in Netball New Zealand’s premier competition the ANZ Premiership.

Although Williams had limited minutes for the Pulse this year because of injury, it is great seeing her back on court after a tough couple of seasons.

Falkner took time away to be a mum and was asked back as an injury replacement by the Stars and by the halfway mark had been signed as a full-time player.

Both are back on board next season with their respective teams and, hopefully, all going well, the Eastern Bay’s Charlice Bryce could soon join them at the next level. She is now in the Magic feeder squad.

Whakatāne High School – their sports tour to Australia was a success and there is hope that this will lead to plenty more and even Australian schools venturing the way of the Eastern Bay.

Mitch and Tony Rees – these two seem to be unstoppable on their Superbikes. Whether it is Mitch or Tony winning, there is little stopping the two and they seem to be getting quicker each season.

Although the pair finished second and third in the national series, they are still the two best in New Zealand on their bikes and have already dominated the few rounds at the back end of 2024.

EBOP Hurricanes – It’s still a relatively new cricket club in the Eastern Bay but they are having plenty of success on the field.

After the Firebirds won the T20 title, it was the turn of the Hurricanes, who claimed the club’s first 40-over crown.

Although a spot in the Baywide premier competition is the dream result, this victory was well deserved and the first towards achieving that overall goal.

With several junior sides and plenty of twilight cricketers, the sport is undergoing a resurgence in the Eastern Bay.

Kendall McKane – the former Whakatāne High School volleyballer earned selection in the New Zealand under-20 team to tour Australia last year. It was well deserved recognition for McKane, who ended her time at school on a high with the New Zealand selection and a beach volleyball title alongside good mate Ani Doherty.

Tai Murphy – The Eastern Bay surfer is beginning to make serious waves on his surfboard and that showed when he finished 17th at the Junior World Championships in El Salvador. It’s an impressive effort from Murphy, who is one of the country’s up-and-coming surfers.

Hannah Baxter – The teenage paddler is following in the footsteps of her idol, Dame Lisa Carrington.

Baxter, pictured left, is one of the Eastern Bay’s brightest up-and-coming talents on the water and that showed with selection in the New Zealand team to compete at the Junior World Championships in Bulgaria.

There are many other highlights, like a fantastic club rugby season, the Black Ferns from the Eastern Bay, club netball, school performances at tournament week, AIMS Games, William Warbrick’s Kiwis debut and many more.

Here’s hoping that 2025 will be just as successful as 2024.