Australian SUP Titles: Close, Webb, Cracknell and Gilbert
In wind blown shoreys only waist high at best, the surfers did their best to show off what they could do with an 8-9 foot chunk of fiberglass in the surfing division.
With such challenging conditions it was hard to link up more than a couple of turns for the paddlers, but in the end Jackson Close showed that a little local knowledge goes a long way, winning the final over close rivals Beau Nixon, Toby Cracknell and Kai Bates.
Needing a score in the high 6’s, Jackson took off on a wave shared by Toby Cracknell. One went left, one went right with Jackson crossing behind Toby to make the section. A little lip lined up, Jackson kicked his tail out off the top and landed to score a total of 14.9.
The women’s final was even more challenging than the men’s, with waves getting smaller, winner Emma Webb said:
“It’s a credit to all the girls who went out there, it was unbelievable difficult and tricky. I knew I was leading but I knew Shjakira was such an awesome surfer. Anything could happen in those last waves, I felt she was getting stronger and I was getting weaker as the heat went on, as I was getting a bit tired. Just standing up on some of those waves was pretty difficult so I’m very happy with the win!”
It was a similar story earlier in the week during the technical races, where strong rips and messy conditions made racing more challenging that usual for both the mens and womens fleets. Toby Cracknell won the men’s division over Lincoln Dews by just a few seconds, and Karla Gilbert crossed the line almost a minute ahead of Terrene Black for the women’s racing. A sign of just how challenging the conditions were, with one wave making or breaking the paddlers race. Times were in the 20 minute range to give you an idea on how long the course was.
Then came the marathon event, the one the stand up paddling forums are buzzing about. All we know is the conditions were harsh, the course long and Beau O’Brien topped the podium when it was all said and done.
Congratulations to the paddlers for making the most from the conditions, and good luck to everyone who qualified for future events. Check out the video from the technical racing below, from day one of the Toyota Australian SUP Titles at Curumbin on the Gold Coast.
Kew, VIC
