MOOLOOLABA MUMS LEAD THE WAY IN OUTRIGGER WORLD QUALIFIERS
AOCRA, February 5, 2012: Mooloolaba’s Amanda Ozolins has won round one in the battle of the “super mums” on the opening day of the Australian Outrigger Canoe Racing Association (AOCRA) World Sprint Qualifiers and Oamps National Championship meet at Kawana Waters on the Sunshine Coast today.
Ozolins, one of Australia’s most celebrated outrigger paddlers and a mother of two, took line honours in the World Sprint Open VI Women’s 500m final ahead of fellow Mooloolaba mums Lea Curtis and Natalie Flynn.
The 33-year-old, who left Canberra to come to the Sunshine Coast to paddle with the best of the best in 2006, was again the stand-out paddler in the V1 rudderless qualifying final for this year’s World Sprint Titles in Calgary, Canada in August.
She won the final in a time of 2 minutes 44.30 seconds ahead of team mates Lea Curtis (2:56.50) back paddling five months after the birth of her baby with another mother Natalie Flynn (3:05.40) just ahead of a fourth Mooloolaba paddler Allyson Tait (3:08.10) with Noosa’s Antonia Nicolo (3:08.20) fifth and Koa Kai’s Veronica Thorpe (3:12.80) sixth.
The Mooloolaba girls later combined with a fourth mum, Jane Brimacombe and Hope Grunfeld to win the V6 Women’s 500m ahead of a second Mooloolaba crew with Koa Kai third.
It has set the stage for what will be a big weekend of paddling with over 700 competitors from every State in Australia from Under 16s to Masters contesting the World Qualifiers and National Championships.
The event which is being hosted by the SQ Zone of AOCRA and the Junior Development Committee will see all proceeds go towards the sport’s Junior Development.
Below are the six paddlers to qualify for World Sprints from the various heats in each division. Some events only had one heat so less than six qualifiers. Those who had no others in their division still raced in order to get a time to know their placing at World Sprints.
WORLD SPRINT QUALIFIERS (Calgary, Canada, August 11-15)
V1 Open Women 500m straight
1. Amanda Ozolins Mooloolaba 02:44.30
2. Lea Curtis Mooloolaba 02:56.50
3. Natalie Flynn Mooloolaba 03:05.40
4. Allyson Tait Mooloolaba 03:08.10
5. Antonia Nicolo Noosa 03:08.20
6. Veronica Thorpe Koa Kai 03:12.80
V1 Master Men 40+ 500m straight
1. Graham Groeneveld Pittwater 02:34.20
2. Brett Gaia Cairns Beaches 02:44.60
3. Grant Olds Canoe Point 02:50.70
4. Rhys Morgan Cairns Beaches 02:53.40
5. Ross Watson Cairns Beaches 03:22.40
V1 Master Women 50+ 500m straight
1. Gayle Mayes Outrigger Caloundra 02:59.80
2. Denise Cooper Kawaihae 03:00.30
3. Jenny Rasmussen Mooloolaba 03:01.30
4. Debra Gourlay Mooloolaba 03:02.50
5. Anne Williams West Coast 03:10.30
6. Ann Leonard Coffs Coast 03:25.30
V1 16 & Under Boys 500m straight
1. Lachlan Green Outrigger Australia 02:53.80
2. Andrew Brunskill Brisbane 03:02.70
3. Matthew Wickham Mooloolaba 03:06.70
4. Harry McGrath Mooloolaba 03:08.60
5. Tom Green Outrigger Australia 03:13.00
6. Mitchell Hurst Canoe Point 03:13.30
V1 16 & Under Girls 500m straight
1. Emily Probert Cradle Coast 02:53.70
2. Teaicia Adams Mooloolaba 03:08.90
3. Talisha Buttsworth Canoe Point 03:09.90
4. Brittany Green Outrigger Australia 03:12.00
5. Grace Riley Burrum 03:12.50
6. Claire Withrington Brisbane 03:19.80
V1 Master Women 40+ 500m straight
1. Emma Morgan Cairns Beaches 02:53.15
2. Suzanne Maksan Outrigger Caloundra 03:04.21
3. Jane Mitchell Magnetic Island 03:06.18
4. Nadine Hickling Cairns Beaches 03:24.05
5. Heather Sinclair Cairns Beaches 03:43.95
V1 19 & Under Boys 500m straight
1. Mitchell Olds Mooloolaba 02:31.90
2. Kurtis Reeder Mooloolaba 02:33.70
3. Zack Cobbing Cradle Coast 02:35.60
4. Te Otimi Patara Mooloolaba 02:38.80
5. Nicholas Wendt Mooloolaba 02:40.20
6. Braden Veale Cairns Beaches 02:43.10
V1 19 & Under Girls 500m straight
1. Rebecca Rasmussen Mooloolaba 02:50.90
2. Jenaya Davis Mooloolaba 02:55.20
3. Emmily Piancatelli Mooloolaba 03:04.30
V1 Master Men 50+ 500m straight
1. Tony Bond Western Beaches 02:43.70
2. Grant Olds Canoe Point 02:46.30
3. Jason Wetin Tweed Coast 02:51.30
4. Gregory Bullen Magnetic Island 03:00.30
V6 Master Men 40+, Master Women 40+, Master Women 60+ 500m straight
1. Far North Queensland Master Men 40+ 02:13.00
2. Far North Queensland Master Women 40+ 02:18.30
3. Koa Kai Master Women 40+ 02:27.80
4. Mooloolaba Master Women 40+ 02:28.30
5. Northcliffe Master Women 60+ 02:40.60
V6 Sunshine Coast Juniors Boys & Girls 500m straight
1. 19 & Under Boys 02:04.00
2. 16 & Under Boys 02:26.90
3. 16 & Under Girls 02:36.30
V6 Open Women 500m straight
1. Mooloolaba (Tait) 02:18.90
2. Mooloolaba (Fitzgerald) 02:27.10
3. Koa Kai 02:30.00
V6 Master Women 50+ 500m straight
1. Far North Queensland 02:24.80
2. Mooloolaba 02:27.00
V6 Master Men 40+ & Master Women 40+ 1000m turns
1. Far North Queensland Master Men 40+ 05:14.30
2. Far North Queensland Master Women 40+ 05:26.70
3. Mooloolaba Master Women 40+ 05:47.00
4. Koa Kai Master Women 40+ 05:57.00
V6 Open Women 1500m turns
1. Mooloolaba (Curtis) 08:21.50
2. Mooloolaba (Fitzgerald) 08:54.10
3. Koa Kai 09:14.20
V6 Master Women 50+ & Master Women 60+ 1000m turns
1. Far North Queensland Master Women 50+ 05:40.70
2. Mooloolaba Master Women 50+ 05:43.60
3. Northcliffe Master Women 60+ 06:09.60
V12 Open Women 500m straight
1. Mooloolaba 02:17.70
2. Far North Queensland 02:17.80
V12 Open Women 500m straight
1. Far North Queensland 02:18.80
2. Koa Kai/Outrigger Caloundra 02:22.60
Ian Hanson - Media Manager 0407385160
AOCRA National Outrigger Sprint Titles.