UPSETS AT PARADISE
MATT Bevilacqua has more than made up for a slow start to the Nutri-Grain ironman series, winning the penultimate round at Surfers Paradise to set up a grandstand finish to the season.
The Kurrawa ironman outlasted the sport’s best to win under the new “survival” format – a series of three races that eliminated contestants at various points until just three competitors were left to fight out a final ski leg.
“It just had everything that round. We had a new format, big surf and there were things flying everywhere,” he said of the carnage created in strong winds and 1.8m surf.
“You just had to keep a cool head. The tide was dropping really quick and that outer bank was getting really heavy and it makes the win that much more special when it’s an insane format like that.
“I think everyone was in (danger of being eliminated) at some stage in those three races.
“The ski in that middle race, I think all 16 of us lined up in the surf trying to get through that outer bank and it was the guys that kept a cool head and zig-zagged their way out through that southerly, through that sixfoot mess (that made it through).”
Bevilacqua’s win, his second of the series, takes him to second place outright on the series leader board, 14 points behind Ali Day, who was eighth yesterday.
But with competitors able to drop their worst result of the series this season, Bevilacqua heads into the final round at Cronulla just six points behind his great mate on the virtual leaderboard.
“That’s in the back of my mind but with the depth of talent in the race at the moment, you really have to take it race by race,” Bevilacqua said.
“There’s guys like Ali Day, I’m sure Pooley (defending champion Matt Poole) is up there as well, and (James) Lacy now, he’s been on the podium a few times.”
A 10th in the first round will count against Poole, while Shannon Eckstein’s chance of winning a 10th title was killed off yesterday when he was knocked out before the final race to finish 12th.
Eckstein will not commit to another series despite racing well this season – regardless of what the results show.
“I feel like I led everything today. The five legs I did, I led and all of a sudden, I’m 12th and out,” he said.