Fagan starts countdown to shearing retirement

Fagan starts countdown to shearing retirement

Shearing legend David Fagan starts the countdown to his pending retirement from competition shearing perhaps even busier than when he first started over 30 years ago when he competes at three competitions over the Waitangi Day weekend.

The 53-year-old will start at the Aria Sports south of hometown King Country on Waitangi Day, the Rangitikei Sports Shears in Marton on Saturday, and the first Hilux New Zealand Rural Games Speedshear in Queenstown on Sunday.

They are the first competitions since he publicly confirmed to hometown newspaper the Waitomo News that his last competition will be the New Zealand Championships in Te Kuiti on April 9-11.

He had previously revealed that two test matches against Wales in Gore on February 21 and eight days later in Pahiatua will be his last appearances for New Zealand, ending one of the longest national representatiuve careers in any sport.

The busy weekend ahead confirms his commitment that despite having long given-up regular shearing in the woolshed he will compete in every possible competition he can in seeing-out his 33rd season of Open-class shearing.

He said he wants to go out on a competitive note, and has proven he is with wins since the start of January in the Open finals at the New Zealand Crossbred Lambs Championship in Winton and the Geyserland Shears at the Rotorua A and P Show.

He now has 632 Open final wins to his name, including 17 New Zealand Championships and 16 in the famed Golden Shears Open in Masterton, both of which he will be seeking again before the end of the season.

He has also won five individual World and seven teams titles, and he is also a former holder of the World ewes and lambs shearing records for nine hours.

He has also won hundreds of Speedshear events.

ENDS

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