Wanganui teenager among world's elite kayakers - July 2015

Wanganui's Toby Brooke (right) and former WHS student is now ranked in the top 10 in the world for the junior K1 1000m after a strong performance in the under-18 B final at the 2015 Junior and Under-23 World Sprint Championships in Portugal.

After going through to the B final following his sixth placing in the semifinals overnight Thursday, Brooke powered through a controlled race on Saturday to finish second - his 3m 44.4s time being 2.44s behind the winner, Germany's Tamas Gecso.

His time was 16s quicker than his semifinal effort, comfortably ahead of the other seven competitors in the field.

In the under-23s K2 200m, Wanganui's Max Brown and Aiden Nossiter came fifth in their heat in 36.768s - this was just under 4s behind the winning Polish team.

Entering the semifinals in the early hours yesterday, the pair finished ninth in 37.768s, also just under 4s behind the Portugal K2 team, to be eliminated.

Heading into the final day of competition overnight yesterday, Brooke was in the B final for the K4 1000m with his under-18 teammates Thomas Cole, Karl McMurtrie and Alex Bristow.