Eve Tregerthan You wouldn't know Eve Tregerthan was 61. The Wellington lesbian has the energy of a teenager, which was epitomised as she excitedly shared the flashy gold medal she had won at the World Waka Ama Sprint Championships in Noumea. Competing for the New Zealand Golden Master women's team at her third world sprint champs, she helped her 11 team mates paddle to victory in the double-hull event, where two waka are lashed together. "It was an exciting race. Between first and third there was one second. We won it by 0.63 of a second. So it's like, you know, a fingernail." Tregerthan says they didn't know that they had won, just that it was close. As soon as they were off the water they were told they had nabbed triumph. "It was really exciting," she says. "And probably one of the most special parts of that is you walk back through the crowd to where the New Zealand contingent is and they sent a young woman down to bring the team back. And so as we were walking down we were karanga'd back to the New Zealand tent and then all the men were there and the boys were they and they did an amazing haka. And then there's a big long line of everybody giving you kisses and hugs." "It was pretty emotional. Probably the most emotional part is standing on the dais receiving your medal and singing the national anthem – and again another haka from the lads. They make a real big thing of the medals, so yeah, it's pretty awesome." Tregerthan says they partied on the final night, and then had to get up at four the next morning to get back to New Zealand. She had some team members who were suffering severe hangovers, and although she didn't have one herself she was left feeling 'a bit seedy'. "But you have to celebrate, eh? Celebration is part of it. You put all the work in and then if you don't celebrate then I think you're sad. You know you achieve at that level and then not celebrate it." The keen sportswoman says the team came from all around New Zealand. "As far as I'm aware I think I was the only lesbian that was there. But I did use the opportunity of giving out a lot of AsiaPacific Outgames cards." The event world champs are held every two years and Tregerthan trained for a solid 18 months prior, in the gym and on the water. She says she is very proud, both to be a New Zealander and to have achieved at that level. "I'm an older woman. And what I think is so important is that what we can do, is show it's still possible once you get to 60 to achieve on a world stage. And both my partner and I have done that in swimming and I've also done it in waka ama as well. So I'm not looking to retire from it just yet. I'm now going to change my focus." A clear water baby, she is now switching to her other love, swimming, a sport in which she will compete in the Asia Pacific Outgames in Wellington next March. She says it will be amazing to have gay sportspeople from all over the Asia Pacific region and beyond in her hometown. "There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes. I think it's going to be awesome." Her message to anyone who is thinking about competing in the Outgames, no matter what their age, is 'why not?' "You just get out there, swim a few lengths of the pool every week, two or three times. You'd be surprised how one's fitness improves so quickly, " she says. "Just go for it. Have a go. Have a go, have fun – and make new friends." Jacqui Stanford - 9th June 2010