Gold Coasters ‘own’ Molokai paddle to Oahu
GOLD Coasters have dominated the iconic Molokai to Oahu paddleboard race, with surf lifesavers Matt Bevilacqua and Harriet Brown defending their titles in tough conditions.
After breaking through to claim a maiden Nutri-Grain ironman title earlier this year, Kurrawa’s Bevilacqua won a fourth consecutive Molokai title in a battle across the Kaiwi Channel. He finished in 5hr 5min 27sec and now holds the second most wins in the famous race behind fellow Gold Coaster and big-wave surfer Jamie Mitchell, who set the standard with 10 consecutive victories between 2002 and
2011.
The Tasmanian product rated this year’s race his “hardest crossing yet”.
“That channel is an absolute beast, I have never experienced anything like that in my life,” he said in a post on Instagram.
Brown claimed her second consecutive title in 5:51.32 in the difficult conditions, about 37 minutes behind last year’s record-breaking effort.
“At times it felt like we were going slower than if the channel was flat,” the Northcliffe ironwoman said.
Brown’s finish was too strong for North Bondi ironwoman Lizzie Welborn, who matched the champion for most of the 51km race but fell away in the final stages.
Gold Coast product Travis Grant, 35, glided to his fourth stand-up paddleboard victory.
The event also featured two-time world surfing champion John John Florence in the two-person prone division with Kona Johnson.