Hart and Burn power to SA surfski titles
The singles race saw competitors start at the Durban Underwater Club (DUC) and race to uMdloti.
LOCAL resident Michelle Burn claimed the women’s national title at the recent Euro Steel South African Surfski Championships presented by Fenn in Durban on Sunday, July 14.
In the men’s race, Uli Hart (23) won his first SA Surfski Championship.
The pair both had to work hard to secure their victories in conditions that contrasted sharply with Saturday’s doubles race, which was held on a flat sea.
The singles race saw competitors start at the Durban Underwater Club (DUC) and race to uMdloti.
In the men’s race, Mark Keeling and veteran Dawid Mocke made it a Western Cape clean-sweep as they claimed all three podium positions, with pre-race favourite Hank McGregor fourth.
In the women’s event, Kira Bester finished second before first junior Georgia Singe claimed third and was followed by Mount Moreland’s Saskia Hockly, who finished fourth.
Burn spoke on the conditions of the S1 race that saw her claim victory.
“I was really comfortable out there. I enjoy this course because we do it quite often in training. I didn’t have to think too much about the route. I had a fantastic start to get to the front, and I then just tried to control the race as we were getting out to the runs (waves).
“I pulled away from Kira for a while, but at uMhlanga, I looked back and she was right back on my tail. I pulled away a bit again, and she came back at me, and for the last three kays, she actually pulled up right next to me. I was battling with some forearm cramp, and I just couldn’t get onto the right bumps (waves), but I just managed to hold it together somehow, and in the last 100m, I managed to get on a wave ahead of her as we came in,” Burn said.
In the junior category, there was some tight racing with the top five all finishing within three minutes of each other with Ryley Smith (01:31:34) claiming first place before being followed by Heath Clarke (01:32:06) and Sam Mocke (01:33:10).
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