TRAVIS GRANT LEADS OUTRIGGER AUSTRALIA TO NATIONAL TITLE WINS
OUTRIGGER CANOE, February 5: Currumbin's Travis Grant today confirmed his reputation as Australia's premier outrigger paddler with a convincing win in the AOCRA National Outrigger OC1 individual 500 Sprint Title at Coomera Lake, Regatta Waters at Oxenford on the Gold Coast.
Grant proved too strong for Outrigger Australia club mate Leo Young to win the hotly-contested six-man final by a convincing four seconds.
He then steered the Currumbin Creek-based Outrigger Australia crew of Chris Maynard, Chris Chamberlin, Nathan Henderson, Lee Wilkinson and Todd Murray to an all-the-way win in the prestigious Open Men's OC6 National Championship from Outrigger Caloundra and Brisbane.
The 28-year-old Grant has emerged as the dominant force in OC1 racing over the past 12 months, with victories in the AOCRA OC1 Marathon and Stand Up Paddle titles in Coffs Harbour last November and the OC1 category of the Doctor Festival of Paddling event in Perth last month.
"The sprint championship has always been one race that has eluded me so it is certainly good to finally add the Australian 
gold medal to the collection," Grant said today.
"It was hot and flat and no place to hide out there. It was on from the start but a very pleasing win that's for sure."
Grant will now knuckle down to the hard yards of a busy domestic and international season that will start later this month with the Outrigger Australia OC6 Marathon event off Currumbin Creek.
It will then take the OC6 crews to Mooloolaba for the Australian Marathon Championships and to Hamilton Island for the Hamilton Island Cup, in the lead up to the prestigious 52km Molokai Channel race.
Individually, Grant will target the unofficial world championship of OC1 paddling in Molokai in April before the Battle of the Paddle Hawaii for Stand Up Paddling.
"My best result from three starts in Molokai has been eighth with two other top ten finishes so I'll be looking to improve on that," said Grant.
"But for me this is the pinnacle of individual racing - it's where it's at."
The Open Women's OC1 500m final saw Brisbane's Kathryn East add the individual title to the OC2 championship she won with Mei Tuicolo on day one, before East added her third title when she led her Brisbane team to victory in the Open Women's OC6 final.
The crew of Emma Buosi (steerer), Antje Voeller, Lyanne Seeto, Wendy Seeto, Tuioto and East held on to beat a fast finishing Surfers Paradise crew with Outrigger Australia third in a blanket finish.
"It was certainly a satisfying win after completing just two training sessions together on the Gold Coast, after not being able to train on the Brisbane River because of the flooding," said Voeller.
"We had to move nine of our boats out of the club to higher ground but thankfully we were spared any damage.
"Outrigger Australia and Northcliffe allowed us to train out of their facilities which we were most grateful for."
Adding to Brisbane's gold medal tally was Currumbin-based Pam Prescott who won the newly added but popular Women's Platinum OC1 500.
Meanwhile Mooloolaba's Tara McAleenan continued her gold medal collection with successful defences of her under 16 and under 19 OC1 500m National titles, coming after her wins in yesterday's under 16 and under 19 V1 500 finals.
McAleenan won two of Mooloolaba's 10 gold medals on Day two with Danny Sheard winning two gold medals in the Men's Senior Masters OC1 500 and the Masters OC6 final; Tyler McGrath (Boys Under 12 OC1 250); Nicholas Wendt (Men's Under 19 OC1 500) while the Mooloolaba club crews won the Mixed Under 19 OC6 500m; Mixed Under 12 OC6 250; Women's Senior Masters OC6 500 and the Mixed Under 16 OC6 500.
In other events:
- Canoe Point out of Gladstone won three gold medals to Tyrone Davis (
Under 14 Boys OC1 250), Jazmyn Davis (Under 12 Girls OC1) and the Under 14 Mixed OC6 500.
- Fraser Coast's Te Otimi Patara won the Under 16 OC1 500.
- Noosa dominated the Platinum (Over 60) OC1 final, filling the first five places to Derek Mabbott, Ian Vivian, Harry Crockford, Roger Arbuckle, Steven Wade.
- Burnie Tasmania's North West Coast club, Cradle Coast continued their collection of gold with the experienced Leigh Paine winning his second gold of the weekend with club mate Mark Probert fourth in the Men's Masters OC1 500.
- Coffs Coast won two gold medals to Sam Williams (Women's Masters OC1 500) and Anne Leonard (Women's Golden Masters OC1 500).
- Deb Gourlay from the Panamuna club on the Sunshine Coast won the Women's Senior Masters OC1 500 final while the Women's won the Women's Masters OC6 500.
- Alan Holmes won the Men's Golden Masters OC1 500 for Burleigh Point.
- Northcliffe won the Women's Golden Masters OC6 500 while;
- Burrum District's Grace Riley won the Girls Under 14 OC1 250.
After two days Mooloolaba lead the Top Ten overall club pointscore on 297pts from Brisbane (140), Canoe Point, Gladstone (110), Fraser Coast (61), Outrigger Australia (53), Northcliffe (52), Noosa (49), Panamuna (41), Cradle Coast (31) and Burleigh Point (27).
The three-day Championships, which conclude tomorrow, have attracted over 2000 competitors from all over Australia to the Gold Coast.
AOCRA National Outrigger Sprint Championships: Gold Coast: Day 2:
Men:
65+: OC1: 500m: Derek Mabbott (Noosa, QLD) 2:43.9 Ian Vivian (Noosa) 2:46.6 Harry Crockford (Noosa) 2:50.0
55-64: OC1: 500m: Allan Holmes (Burleigh Point) 2:49.6 Rick Tucker (Westcoast) 2:53.7 Tony Bond (Inland, NSW) 2:54.3 OC6: 500m: Noosa (2:20.7 Burleigh Point A (2:20.9) Burleigh Point B (2:26.6)
50-54: OC1: 500m: Danny Sheard (Mooloolaba, QLD) 2:42.3 Phil Thistlewood (Mooloolaba) 2:46..4 Ian Williams (Westcoast, WA) 2:54. OC6: 500m: Mooloolaba (2:08.0) Noosa (2:16.3) Outrigger Australia (2:18.5)
40-49: OC1: 500m: Leigh Paine (Cradle Coast, TAS) 2:34.5 Mark Eriksen (Brisbane) 2:38.3 Michael Hamnett (BRD, QLD) 2:39.0 OC6: 500m: Mooloolaba (2:10.9) Burleigh Point (2:12.7) Brisbane (2:17.1)
Open: OC1: 500m: Travis Grant (Outrigger Australia, QLD) 2:28.9 Leo young (Outrigger Australia) 2:32.0 Mitchell Olds Canoe Point, QLD) 2:39.8 CO6: 500m: Outrigger Australia (2:07.4) Outrigger Caloundra (2:09.7) Brisbane (2:12.5)
Under 19: OC1: 500m: Nicholas Wendt (Mooloolaba) 2:49.5 Mitchell Olds (Canoe Point) 2:51.6 Joel Humby (Mooloolaba) 2:55.4
Under 16: OC1: 500m: Te Otimi Patara (Fraser Coast) 2:48.8 Mitchell Thomas (Brisbane) 2:58.3 Ryan Frederiks (Brisbane) 3:09.0
14 & Under: OC1: 250m: Tyrone Davis (Canoe Point) 1:35.7 Mathew Wickham (Mooloolaba) 1:46.5 Mitchell Hurst (Canoe Point) 1:52.5
12 & Under: OC1: 250m: Tyler McGrath (Mooloolaba) 1:51.1 Kyle Shepherd (Mooloolaba) 1:53.9 Jack Riley (Burrum District) 1:54.3
Women:
65+: OC1: 500m: Pam Prescot (Brisbane) 3:12.6 Val Phillips (Noosa) 3:20.4 Cozette Reynods (Northcliffe) 3:29.5
55-64: OC1: 500m: Anne Leonard (Coffs Coast) 3:15.3 Wendy Mabbott (Noosa)3:27.4 Cozette Reynolds (Northcliffe) 3:30.3 OC6: 500m: Northcliffe (2:41.7) Noosa (2:46.4) Central Coast (3:02.8)
45-54: OC1: 500m: Deb Gourlay (Panamuna) 3:07.0 Jenny Rasumssen Mooloolaba (3:07.01) Anne Williams (Westcoast) 3:07.5 OC6: 500m: Mooloolaba (2:30.4) Brisbane(2:33.2) Northcliffe 2:33.3)
35-44: OC1: 500m: Sam Williams (Coffs Coast, NSW) 3:14.8 Samantha Gordon (Outrigger Australia) 3:15.5 Veronica Webber (Outrigger Australia) 3:22.7 OC6: 500m: Panamuna (2:29.2) Brisbane (2:30.4) Panamuna (2:31.0)
Open: OC1: 500m: Kathryn East (Brisbane) 3:01.7 Helen Chorley (Brisbane) 3;.09.9 Lisa Ratana (Panamuna, QLD) 3:10.4 OC6: 500m: Brisbane (2:26.0) Surfers Paradise (2:26.3) Outrigger Australia (2:27.5)
Under 19: OC1: 500m: Tara McAleenan (Mooloolaba) 3:14.4 Jen Davis (BRD) 3:19.1
16 & Under: OC1: 500m: Tara McAleenan (Mooloolaba) 3:11.6 Maddy Cooper (BRD) 3:15.0 Emily Probert (Cradle Coast) 3:17.2
14 & Under: OC1: 250m: Grace Riley (Burrum District, QLD) 1:46.4 Bronte Hamnett (Noosa) 1:46.7 Jessica Spencer-Galvin (Canoe Point) 1:49.1
12 & Under: OC1: 250m: Jazmyn Davis (Canoe Point) 2:06.8 Ainsley Roberts (Mooloolaba) 2:09.4 Erin Hurst (Canoe Point) 2:12.9
Mixed:
19 & Under: OC6: 500m: Mooloolaba Red (2:24.5) Mooloolaba Combo (2:25.4) Mooloolaba Blue (2:28.6)
16 & Under: OC6: 500m: Mooloolaba Blue (2:36.1) Brisbane Yellow (2:45.2 Canoe Point (2:46.6)
14 & Under: OC6: 250m: Canoe Point (1:29.5 Mooloolaba Blue (1:30.4) Mooloolaba White (1:26.9)
12 & Under: OC6: 250m: Mooloolaba White (1:38.8) Burrum District (1:41.7) Mooloolaba Red (2:00.4)
ENDS...