ECKSTEIN READY FOR GOLD MEDAL SPRINT INTO HISTORY

SURF LIFE SAVING, April, 18 2013: Five-time champion Shannon Eckstein is predicting Sunday’s Australian open ironman championship final will be won in a sprint finish.

Eckstein started his bid to equal Trevor Hendy’s record six national ironman titles at North Kirra today, comfortably progressing from his round one heat to the quarter-finals.

With nine athletes progressing from each heat and water conditions benign, there was little chance of a competitor as experienced as Eckstein striking trouble and he is already planning his tactics for the rest of his campaign.

“With the board as the last leg and a very short course, it really opens it up to more,” the Northcliffe star said.
“It’s harder to get away from other competitors on the board so a sprint finish might be needed to win it.”

While North Kirra today lacked the strong waves many ironmen enjoy racing in, Eckstein said the beach presents its own challenges.

“The wind direction here is different to any other beach on the coast,” he said.

“You’ve got an onshore wind today and a sweep, which is good because that breaks the field up.
“Also the hard sand is terrible for my calf muscles.”

As well as Eckstein, all the main contenders progressed safely through the first round, including four-time champion Ky Hurst (Kurrawa), Ali Day (Mooloolaba), Kendrick Louis (Mooloolaba) and Jack Moyes (Terrigal), who upset Eckstein to win the Queensland championship recently.

Day, who finished third to Eckstein in last year’s Australian championships final, is battling illness and pulled out of yesterday’s races, while the ironman heat was his only race today.

“It’s a flu-like problem and I’m feeling pretty bad but at least I seem to be getting better every day,” he said.
“It’s just unfortunate that it has happened at this time of the year when you want to be at your best.

“Being drawn in the best heat wasn’t what I wanted either and it was pretty tough getting through so I’m happy to qualify for the next round.”

In the open ironwoman first round, race favourites Courtney Hancock (Northcliffe) and Brodie Moir (North Burleigh) were drawn in the same heat but had not trouble qualifying for the semi-finals.

Defending champion Rebecca Creedy (Metropolitan Caloundra) also started her campaign with a comfortable heat win, while the winners of the other heats were won by Hayley Bateup (Mermaid Beach) and Jean Harris (Manly).

Bateup, like Day, has also spent time out of the water and was happy to get through her opening heat.
“I actually spent 10 days out of the water, it really knocked me around, so I’m not 100 percent but glad to get through that heat and hopefully start to feel better as the week goes on,” said Bateup.

The Ironwoman will contest two semi-finals on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, gold medals have been decided today with Manly winning the Rescue Tube Rescue with the team of Devon Halligan, Naomi Flood, Candice Falzon and Flo Epper – following their victory in the Ski Relay with the team of Flood, Falzon and Halligan.

Other gold medallists from the morning competition went to: North Cronulla (Under 15 boys surf teams); Maroochydore (Under 15 girls surf teams and Cameron Relay); Kurrawa (Under 15 Cameron Relay); Newport (Under 15 board relay) and Manly (Under 15 girls Cameron Relay).

The Olympic connections continued today with Remi Krenkels, grand-daughter of 1948 Olympic swimmer Bruce Bourke and niece of 1992 Olympic yachtsman Glenn Bourke, swimming in the gold medal-winning Manly team in the Under 15 Cameron Relay.

It followed the gold medals won by Kristy Higgison – daughter of 1984 Olympic swimming silver medallist Karen Phillips – in the gold medal winning Mooloolaba board relay and Jett Kenny – son of Olympic swimmer Lisa Curry-Kenny and Olympic kayaker and Ironman legend Grant Kenny.

Other major finals to come today will be the men’s and women’s open surf teams….and remember to follow all the action on:

Aussies 2013 chief photographer Harvie Allison caught this shot of Beachie The Magpie from the Commentators tower over looking North Kirra. Credit: harvpix.com

Issued on behalf of Surf Life Saving Australia by

Ian Hanson

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