Durban canoe champs tackle world cup challenge

THE first ever ICF Ocean Racing World Cup is set to get underway in spectacular fashion this Saturday, 2 July when  many of the world’s top surfski paddlers go head-to-head in the Investec Mauritius Ocean Classic’s picturesque setting in superb downwind racing conditions.

Forecasts suggest the eighth edition of the tropical island clash is set to unfold in near-ideal downwind conditions, making for a fascinating tussle between the globe’s best ocean racers.

Six-time ICF Canoe Marathon World Champion and the race’s defending champ, Hank McGregor (Euro Steel/Epic Kayaks) is back again, eager to add to his impressive record at the event which sees him having dominated on three occasions.

Mocké brothers Dawid (Fenn Kayaks/Mocké Paddling) and Jasper (Euro Steel/Epic Kayaks) – the only other paddlers to have won the Mauritius race previously having claimed victory in 2010-2012 and 2014 respectively – are both back for this year’s challenge.

Regular top performer, Matthew Bouman (Epic Kayaks), along with last year’s seventh and ninth placed finishers, Steve Woods and Barry Lewin (Varsity College/Jeep Team), are also in the pack.

The South Africans will however have their hands full as a wealth of Australian talent has made the trip from ‘Down Under’ for the World Cup opening leg.

Current ICF Ocean Racing World Champion, Cory Hill (Fenn Kayaks/ELVA Oceansports) enjoyed a ding-dong tussle with McGregor last year and again at this year’s Maui Jim Molokai Challenge in Hawaii, setting the stage for another fascinating chapter in this developing rivalry to be written this weekend.

Joining Hill are fellow countrymen, Michael Booth (Fenn Kayaks/ELVA Oceansports) and Mark Anderson (Fenn Kayaks/Oceanpaddler Sydney). Booth has been great form in the Stand Up Paddling world of late while Anderson followed McGregor and Bouman across the line in the FNB Durban Downwind in South Africa last weekend, signalling his return to top form after a recent competitive layoff.

The women’s race also promises to be a fascinating affair as all of last year’s top five finishers have returned in 2016 while a few fresh faces have also joined the mix.”

Defending champion Michelle Burn, together with Nikki Mocké (Mocké Paddling), Nicole Russell (Fenn Kayaks/Mocké Paddling) and Sharon Armstrong, is joined on the start line again this year by Australian, Tricia Gilbert who followed the South African quartet home in fifth position in 2015.

Fenn Kayaks’ Burn comes into the race under a cloud of uncertainty though having not raced on the ocean since November 2015 when she opted to turn her attention towards building up to Durban’s recent Ironman 70.3.

Newcomers Hayley Nixon (Carbonology Sport) and Jenna Ward (Fenn Kayaks) have also made the trip out from South Africa for the Mauritian event and will undoubtedly play a major role in the women’s top five tussle.

The Investec Mauritius Ocean Classic doubles as the opening leg of the 2016 ICF Ocean Racing World Championships. The second leg takes place at the Nelo Summer Challenge in Portugal next weekend while the third leg takes place in Tahiti in September.