Isle File
Hawai'i paddler completes solo run on Hudson River
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Hawai'i paddler Donna Kahakui completed a 55-mile solo canoe expedition along New York's Hudson River yesterday.
Kahakui circled the Statue of Liberty before pulling in to Pier 63 in Lower Manhattan shortly after 8 a.m., Hawai'i time. She was greeted by a crowd of Hawai'i ex-patriots in a heavy downpour.
Kahakui battled strong winds during more than 15 hours of paddling over two days.
The trip from West Point to Manhattan was to promote clean waterways as part of International Year of the Volunteer celebrations.
Kahakui paddled the Hudson a year ago and will be part of the Outrigger Canoe Club six-person team competing next week in the World Outrigger Competition Liberty Challenge at the Hudson River Park.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
• Metzger, Wong advance: The seventh-seeded team of Stein Metzger and Kevin Wong of Hawai'i paced Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) teams in a FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event by earning a berth in today's final four of the $180,000 men's Swiss Open on the Village Centre Court in Gstaad, Switzerland.
The 32-team women's main draw concluded yesterday with Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede of Brazil defeating the Barbra Fontana and Elaine Youngs in the title match.
The men's 32-team event concludes today with the semifinals and medal matches.
Winners of two of three matches yesterday, Metzger, of Honolulu and Wong, of Pearl City, advanced to today's semifinals with a 21-14, 21-16 win over eighth-seeded John Child and Mark Heese of Canada.
Metzger and Wong placed fifth last week in the Canary Islands after being eliminated by Child and Heese, the bronze medalists from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Metzger and Wong face top-seeded Emanuel Rego and Tande Ramos of Brazil in today's first semifinal. Third-seeded Jose Loiola and Ricardo Santos of Brazil face the second-seeded team of Martin and Paul Laciga in the second semifinal.
Emanuel and Tande, who will be seeking a berth in the title match for the third-straight FIVB event, increased their winning streak to 10 by advancing to the semifinals with a 21-17, 21-17 victory over 25th-seeded Niklos Berger and Oliver Stamm of Austria.
Emanuel and Tande placed second in their first FIVB event together last December in Brazil before winning last week in the Canary Islands.
The Lacigas dropped their first match yesterday to Metzger and Wong (19-21, 21-19, 15-11) before winning three-straight elimination matches to advance. Loiola and Ricardo won both of their matches yesterday, including a 21-15, 17-21 and 15-7 win over Metzger and Wong.
QUARTERBACK CLUB
• Anderson to speak: University of Hawai'i's new head swim coach Mike Anderson will be introduced by Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano, UH's assistant athletics director and senior women's administrator, at the Quarterback Club tomorrow at the Pagoda International Ballroom.
Also footage on free diving will be shown and narrated by Frank Farm, president of Alii Holokai Drive Club, Sunny Tanabe, a former Olympian swimmer and Aaron Griess, athletic director for Chaminade University.
Lunch starts at 11:30 a.m. followed by the program at noon. For more information call Al Minn at 261-5143.
