CLINT ROBINSON GOES FOR THE DOCTOR IN PERTH

Wednesday, January 18, 2012: Five-time Olympian and Australia’s most celebrated surf lifesaver Clint Robinson will take a diversion from his London Olympic campaign to go for The Doctor in Perth this weekend.

Not that the 39-year-old is seeking any urgent medical attention, despite the disappointment of his eighth place in the NSW K1 1000 final in Sydney last Saturday – as he chases an extraordinary sixth Olympics.
 
It’s a case of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medallist and the winner of 36 Australian Surf Life Saving gold medals going back to his roots in one of the most exciting downwind paddle races on the international circuit, named after the famous sea breeze, the Fremantle Doctor.
 
Robinson is one of the most experienced ocean ski paddlers in the world and the winner of the 2009 Doctor event – the 27.5km ocean ski paddling race from Rottnest Island to Sorrento Beach.

So prestigious is The Doctor it is now on the Ocean Paddler World Series and also the International Canoe Federation World Series calendars.
 
Robinson is also the man who inflicted the season’s only ocean ski defeat on Freshwater’s defending Doctor champion Tim Jacobs in last month’s prestigious 20 Beaches Classic finale from Freshwater to Palm Beach in Sydney.
 
Race director and ocean ski legend Dean Gardiner welcomed the news of Robinson’s inclusion where he will join Jacobs, South African world champion Dawid Mocke, his brother Jasper, Gold Coast hot shots Jeremy Cotter and Bruce Taylor, WA pair Reece Baker and Brendan Sarson and Sunshine Coast’s Ben Allen  in the 10th anniversary of the race.
 
“Any time you can add a paddler of the calibre of Clint Robinson to an already red hot field then it just adds further class to the event,” said Gardiner.
 
“He has been here before and won the Doctor in 2009 and is obviously in good shape as he chases a sixth Olympics. He has the knack of chasing the swells and he’s fit so he will certainly be one of the paddlers to beat.
 
“It is also a rare thing in sport where your average weekend paddler can line up against an Olympic gold medallist or a world champion but that’s what a race like the Doctor can offer.”
 
Saturday, January 21 - THE DOCTOR
 
When: Saturday, January 21, 2012.
Where: Rottnest Island, WA (start location); Sorrento Beach SLSC (finish location)
Distance: 27.5km
Start Times: 1pm –SUPs and Paddleboards; 1:45pm – OC1 and Female competitors, Plastics; 2pm Male Skis.
Finish Times: From 3pm onwards
What: Ocean skis, surf skis (traditional Surf Life Saving competition skis), plastic skis and kayaks, Stand Up Paddle Boards, Paddleboards, Outrigger Canoes
Who: Ocean Skis - Tim Jacobs (NSW), Dawid Mocke (RSA), Jasper Mocke (RSA), Jeremy Cotter QLD), Bruce Taylor (QLD), Ben Allen (QLD), Brendan Sarson (WA), Reece Baker (WA). SUPs – Travis Grant (QLD), Jamie Mitchell (QLD), Connor Baxter (Hawaii).
 
Sunday, January 22 - FINN KAYAK COASTAL CHALLENGE
 
What: A teams and relay race from Fremantle to Sorrento Beach. Competitors can enter in a team of two, three or four in an all male, mixed, plastic or SUP team category.
When: Sunday, January 21, 2012
Where: Port Beach, Fremantle (in front of Salt On The Beach Restaurant)
Start Time: 12 Noon – all categories
Finish Time: From 1:15pm
Finish Location: Sorrento Beach SLSC
Transitions: North Cottesloe, City Beach, Scarborough Beach
Who: The majority of the competitors double up for the Challenge
 
FESTIVAL OF PADDLE SPORTS FACTS
 
The Doctor is named after the well known prevailing afternoon sea breeze “The Fremantle Doctor”.
In the case of off shore winds the course may be changed to start on the mainland and finish at Rottnest Island. This was the case in 2010 – the only time it has reversed in 10 years.
The event has attracted a wide range of competitors from the elite athlete, including Olympic representatives to the recreational paddler.
The Doctor provides the opportunity for the weekend paddler to line up against the world’s best.

ALL INTERVIEW REQUESTS: Ian Hanson (0407) 385 160