ECKSTEIN FAREWELL

Hometown farewell looms for surf great

SHANNON Eckstein has given the greatest indication yet that he will continue on for another season, with the Australian titles at Broadbeach likely to be his swansong.

Eckstein finished third in the ironman at the Aussies in Perth behind Kendrick Louis and Ali Day to register only his third loss in the blue chip race in a decade.

Coupled with his second placing in the Coolangatta Gold, it makes for a strong season – in anyone’s estimation but Eckstein’s.

“It’s been OK but by my standards it’s been a pretty poor year,” Eckstein said.

It’s unlikely to be the note an athlete like Eckstein wants to finish on. The 34-year-old hinted at retirement earlier this year when he said the Surfers Paradise leg of the Nutri-Grain series may have been his last race on the Gold Coast.

But with the world titles to be held in Adelaide in November and the Aussies embracing the surf at Broadbeach again next April, it’s hard to see Eckstein heading to the sidelines now. Eckstein had surgery on his legs last year, with muscle cut from his lower legs to help ease pressure on arteries, which for years had become compressed, leading to cramping and calf pain during exercise, particularly running.

The surgery was in large part to allow him to deal with the amount of running required in the Coolangatta Gold – the only title to elude the man widely regarded as the greatest ironman of all time.

But the Gold is unlikely to be on Eckstein’s radar this year given its timing just seven weeks before the world titles at Glenelg Beach.

“I’m pretty confident I won’t do the Gold, I’ll do worlds in November and I’ll roll into summer,” Eckstein said. “Aussies are back on the Gold Coast next year … and Aussies at Broadbeach would be a good way to wrap it up in my ironman career.

“I might go on and do some ski racing or swim but in terms of the ironman and fulltime training, I’m pretty confident I can get another year out without doing the Gold.”

Eckstein finished equal fourth in the series – his worst result in more than a decade.

Simply going around again won’t provide any guarantees for Eckstein though, whose results were as much a result of lack of motivation this season as they were injury-affected.

“It’s not the note to finish on but you’re not guaranteed anything,” Eckstein said of continuing on. “I could go around next year and same thing could happen or I could go worse but I’d like to finish off on a better series.”