Shannon’s toe-tally committed to title
SHANNON Eckstein says he will do “whatever it takes’’ to get on the line and defend his NutriGrain title despite shredding his toe during the opening race of the series yesterday.
Eckstein was chaired from the beach and rushed to a local medical centre for X-rays and stitches after injuring his toe – most likely when jamming his foot into a rudder cable on a ski – lifting the nail and suffering a deep cut.
Eckstein was last night on antibiotics, with the toe stitched back together and discussing options of how he could make it to the start line, with some rating it a “miracle’’ if he lined up.
Series officials said Eckstein would make the final decision on whether he races today, although the nine-times champion will not let anything get in the way of an attempt on a record 10th title.
Eckstein finished fourth in the opening race, with Ali Day, Kendrick Louis and Matt Poole taking the podium to put the champion’s reign under pressure.
“(I’ll do) whatever it takes,’’ he said. “I’ve trained really hard for this so I won’t give up easy but obviously Ali (Day), Kendrick (Louis) and Pooley (Matt Poole) have got some good results now.
“I’ll keep battling. If the swell comes up it negates the run leg a little bit more, it’s not a sprint, it’s more about getting in the surf.’’
Eckstein could not remember suffering the injury and while he felt some pain during the race, he said frustration was his main feeling during an event he led for a significant period before being overtaken on the second ski leg.
“I led the first three swims and got no waves and then I led that ski and I got stuck in the middle of no man’s land and four people came through and I didn’t end up getting that wave,’’ he said.
“So I battled from there and it seemed like Ali and Kendrick kept getting that wave in front.
“Fourth wasn’t bad. You’re still in contention, you come out and win the next two races, you can still win the series.
“But there’s obviously something else to deal with now. It’s not ideal but we’ll get it sorted.
“At the end of the day, I’ll make the call (about whether to race). I’ll get the right medical advice and see how it is tomorrow. Obviously it’ll be sore but with the wonders of medical science you can block a bit of pain these days.’’
Eckstein said he would take advice and try to get the best outcome to be able to race freely over the next two days in formats – the accumulator and eliminator – that are short and sharp and will require plenty of sand running.
“They probably want to stitch it but we’ll see. I’ll see what’s best to try and race (today). The nail’s still there but the top skin has come off,’’ he said. “I looked down and thought, ‘what’s going on there?’
“It’s pretty deep. I knew something was a bit sore but I was just frustrated with how I was going.’’