Columba College has a proud history of students competing and excelling in the South Island IRB Championships, and 2023 proved to be no exception with some great results achieved.

Year 12 Columba student and surf lifesaving athlete, Amelia, attended the South Island IRB championships recently and came away with some stellar results. Out of the 12 races she participated in as a crew member and a patient, Amelia received an incredible 10 medals! 

Amelia and her driver (past Columba student Zoe), are both 16-year-old athletes competing in the U19 age group, and they regularly come up against 18-year-old athletes. The pair achieved a gold medal in the tube rescue race where Amelia swam the race of her life, coming from the position of last when they reached the can, to take out first! Amelia and Zoe received another three bronze medals: two in the U19 mass rescue and assembly races, and one in the open women’s team event. This is an outstanding result for this up-and-coming young crew, and with two more years in the U19 age group, an exciting future lies ahead for the pair! 

As a patient for other crews, Amelia also received three more golds, one silver, and two bronze medals. What an incredible achievement! Well done, Amelia, on a fantastic season.