Mathematics teacher Jayne Hallam has recently returned from representing New Zealand at the Dragon Boating World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand from 8-14 August. This is the pinnacle event in the world of dragon boating, and was last held in 2019.

As a British passport holder, Jayne requires special dispensation from the dragon boating world authorities to compete. She’s now designated as a “qualifying Kiwi”, based on her time living in New Zealand and not representing another country. Jayne took up Dragon Boating for the first time when she arrived in New Zealand in January 2018 for her teaching role at Dio.

Jayne received some funding from the Dio Heritage Foundation to help her on her way to this world event.

The selection process began at the beginning of this year, and training has involved many hours on the water, including at Hamilton Lake and Westhaven Marina, combined with several fitness and strength sessions each week. “The New Zealand Dragon Boating season runs from October to March and is usually carried out in warm, sunny weather. It was a different experience training in the cold, rain and darkness in Auckland over autumn and winter, which was completely opposite to the 37-degree heat we faced in Pattaya,” Hallam said.

Jayne’s team (Senior C Ladies Short Boat) won a bronze medal for 200m. This race is colloquially referred to as the ‘splash and dash’, as it is a fast and furious race to the line in around one minute. Combined times over three heats take the podium places. The New Zealand squad received two bronze and three silver medals overall.

“It was a truly memorable experience, and I feel that I have achieved more than I imagined during my time at Dio. I am very grateful to my colleagues at Dio for their support during both my preparations and my absence while competing,” Hallam said.

Well done Jayne and the New Zealand Dragon Boating Team!