McGregor and Nixon do the national surfski double
Hank McGregor and Hayley Nixon won the men’s and women’s singles titles in the Freedom Paddle on Saturday and at the Strand on Sunday.
FOLLOWING their double ski wins on Saturday at the Freedom Paddle, Durban-based surfski stars Hank McGregor and Hayley Nixon won the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively at the Strand on Sunday.
After Saturday’s relatively mild conditions Sunday’s sea off the Strand was completely benign which made the race a slog for the paddlers. Sunday’s singles race took on a much more competitive nature than the Freedom Paddle, according to men’s winner McGregor.
“Saturday’s race was the climax of the weekend with regards to excitement and fun but we arrived at the race on Sunday with a far more serious attitude. There was zero assistance from the ocean and everything to play for with national selection on the line, but I was really happy to get my title back after Jasper (Mocké) won the national champs for two years in a row. Sunday was very different from Saturday in that it was an out-and-out race. Saturday we had the pleasure of paddling around Robben Island with Table Mountain in the background but Sunday was hard racing,” the Euro Steel/Fenn Kayaks’ star said.
The experienced McGregor managed to get himself the lead on the way back to Strand and he held onto the lead right to the finish to claim another national crown. Kenny Rice ended in second spot while defending champion Jasper Mocké had to settle for third.
In the women’s race it was world champion Nixon who came out on top following an uncompromising race against a strong women’s field. It was a difficult race for those that hadn’t paddled there before and Nixon managed the challenges the best.
The women’s race was an interesting one with Nixon and Bianca Beavitt getting away early but they were hunted down by Nikki Birkett and the trio had a dice for the line over the last 12km. Beavitt finished second, with Birkett third.
In the age group tussles, Josh Fenn and Sabina Lawrie took home the U23 crowns while Uli Hart and Zara Wood won the junior national titles.
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