South African paddling celebrated the crowning of three new world champions as Border ace Matt Fenn stepped onto the top step of the Under 23 men’s podium, Strand surfski star Kira Bester grabbed the Under 23 women’s crown, and Holly Smith won the junior women’s title at the ICF Ocean Racing World Championships in Perth, Australia, on Thursday.
Once the race organisers opted to use the first day of the race window to maximise the prevailing weather conditions, Fenn, Bester and Smith were part of a heavy South African presence in the duels for the various titles on offer.
In the senior men's race, Hank McGregor fell tantalisingly short of his dream of winning a surfski world crown, and was edged into second overall by defending champion Cory Hill, with Josh Fenn in third.
Fenn’s sibling Matt took the U23 win and was part of a dice for tenth place overall with compatriots Kenny Rice, Mark Keeling, Dawid Mocké and Uli Hart.
Hart was second in the under-23 category with Portugal’s Bernardo Pereira securing the bottom step on the podium.
Tweny-two-year-old Capetonian Bester took full advantage of the downwind conditions on offer over the 22km course from Freemantle to Perth to finish third overall in the women’s field, just behind Australian winner Jemma Smith and fellow South African and former world champion Michelle Burn, who has now won gold, silver and bronze medals at the world champs.
South African paddlers featured on most of the podiums, with multiple marathon world champion Hank McGregor grabbing his third surfski worlds silver medal in a thrilling duel with local hero Hill and East London’s Josh Fenn.
“What a year it has been!” gushed Bester from the finish at Scarborough Beach in Perth.
She sent a warning shot of her meteoric rise in form by winning the national title at the recent Biogen Pete Marlin Race in East London, and delivered on that expectation on the world stage this week.
South African paddlers filled most of the top-ten positions with Melanie van Niekerk racing to an excellent fifth place overall, closely followed by Border wiz Nix Birkett and another former world champ Saskia Hockly.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
ICF OCEAN RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, PERTH
Men
1. Cory Hill AUS 1:11:46
2. Hank McGregor RSA 1:12:53
3. Josh Fenn RSA 1:12:54
10. Kenny Rice RSA 1:14:29
11. Matt Fenn RSA 1:14:21 (1st Under 23)
12. Mark Keeling RSA 1:15:07
13. Dawid Mocké RSA 1:15:21
14. Uli Hart RSA 1:15:34 (2nd Under 23)
Women
1. Jemma Smith AUS 1:22:35
2. Michelle Burn RSA 1:24:00
3. Kira Bester RSA (1st Under 23) 1:24:47
5. Melanie van Niekerk 1:26:13
6. Nikki Birkett RSA 1:26:55
7. Saskia Hockly RSA 1:26:59
20. Holly Smith RSA 1:32:17 (1st junior)