William Benson - Olympian 2008, Head Boy 2005, Dux 2005
Year 13 students had the privilege this week to listen to William who was Dux and Head Boy at Hastings Boys' High School in 2005 talk about his achievements in and out of school.
William reflected on his school days and shared how balancing his intense swimming training with his academic ambitions shaped his strong work ethic in the classroom.
William shared stories from his remarkable experience at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he competed as part of New Zealand’s 4 x 100m relay team. He also recounted witnessing historic moments, including watching American swimmer Michael Phelps claim an unprecedented eight gold medals and seeing Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt set a new world record in the 100m event.
Now working full-time as a swimming coach at Hastings Sports Park, William expressed how much he enjoys his career and the fulfilment he finds in coaching the next generation of athletes.
A few weeks ago Teariki-Joseph Maui 11Ow, Tawa Paringatai 10Mp, Jeremiah Qaranivalu 11Mg and Hamiora Fatialofa flew to Hilo in Hawaii for the Waka Ama World Championships.
The boys had a great time experiencing a different culture. They visited a school and a volcano and really enjoyed trying the different food and cuisine.
They had a few training sessions there so that they could practice in the new waka and get used to the different type of ocean waters.
Boys did very well with results of:
1000m
5th in heat.
1st in Reprecharge Semi
7th in Final.
500m
3rd in heat
5th in Reprecharge Semi
Mahalo!
