Maiden Wall and Back canoeing series titles for Mauvis, Ward
FIVE-TIME marathon world champion Hank McGregor returned from his second place finish at last weekend’s Steelcase Dragon Run in Hong Kong to comfortably win the sixth and final leg of the 2014 Illovo Suncoast Wall and Back Surfski Series, while Jean Luc Mauvis and Jenna Ward wrapped up the men’s and women’s series titles, respectively.
In just his second appearance of the series due to his busy international racing schedule, McGregor (Team Jeep/Epic Kayaks) soared to a massive two-and-a-half-minute victory. However, it was the scrap just behind him that was of real interest as the prerace series title contenders went head-to-head.
Prior to the final clash of the 2014 edition of the series getting under way, Mauvis, Gene Prato, Barry Lewin and Wade Krieger all sought a solid final race effort to see the scales tip in their favour for the overall spoils.
Despite a determined effort from the former lifesaving ironman Krieger, in the end Mauvis’ two victories in race four and five and hard-fought third place on Friday evening saw the Fenn Kayaks paddler narrowly edge out consistent series performer Prato and clinch the top step of the podium.
Stoked
“It’s my first ever series win, so I’m stoked. It’s pleasing because I started at Pirates Lifesaving Club as a nipper and the series is one of the oldest in the world,” said Mauvis.
“We always knew Hank (McGregor) was probably going to get the win, so it was more about the rest of us racing amongst ourselves.
“Wade (Krieger) and I have enjoyed a great battle all series and he and I went hammer and tongs at each other, which probably ended up playing an important role in my series win because it meant we got away from Gene (Prato), and I only realised afterwards just how close it was between Gene and I for the title,” he added.
With other early-series front runner Kyle Friendenstein in Australia for the Perth Doctor surfski race, Lewin managed to charge home in fourth place on the night to secure the same position overall ahead of the ever-present Oliver Burn, who wrapped up fifth place on the series’ log.
The women’s clash was a fascinating affair throughout the six-leg competition as Varsity College/Fenn Kayaks’ Nikki Russell clinched victory in the first three races ahead of Fenn Kayaks’ Jenna Ward, before Ward then claimed two race victories of her own, including the win in Friday evening’s sixth and final leg, to claim the overall series spoils.
Remarkable
Ward’s success comes off the back of her maiden surfski series win in the Bay Union Surfski Series, Durban, this winter, as well as a remarkable bronze medal in the under-23 women’s clash of the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Oklahoma City in September.
The young star’s victory was then made even sweeter when her name was drawn as the recipient of the lucky draw prize of a brand new surfski compliments of Fenn Kayaks and Illovo Sugar.
The doubles division has been a hotly contested one throughout the six weeks of racing from Suncoast Pirates Lifesaving Club to the harbour wall and back, and in the end Wayne Wilson and Clinton Cook’s race six win had little impact on the overall standings as Greg Worthington and Malcolm Pitt clinched victory from Wayne Ashford and Bryan Taylor.
St Benedicts matriculant Jordan Clauson claimed the Varsity College SA Schools’ Surfski title in March and a clean sweep in the junior boys category of the Wall and Back Surfski Series saw him add this series title to his list of achievements for the year.
The Durban surfski scene now enjoys a break from competitive racing for the festive season.
However, the FNB Surfski Challenge on January 9, 2015, gets the 10-leg Varsity College FNB Marine Surfski Series under way early in the new year.