KING KY BACK TO RULE THE WAVES IN NUTRI-GRAIN THRILLER

February 6: Surf lifesaving superstar Ky Hurst turned back the clock with a staggering last to first win in round three of the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman Series at Alexandra Headlands on Queensland's Sunshine Coast today.

Hurst (Kurrawa) was trailing the field after being dumped off his ski while leading in the second leg of today's race but the four-times national Ironman champion produced a piece of surf magic in the final swim leg.

As series leader Shannon Eckstein (Northcliffe) looked to have the race wrapped up, Hurst bodysurfed a booming two-metre wave to move past the entire field and race away to a commanding victory as the big crowd cheered wildly.

Eckstein finished second to maintain his series lead and Corey Jones (Met Caloundra) placed third.

The finish of round three of the Ironwoman series produced a finish almost as exciting, with Kristyl Smith (Northcliffe) bodysurfing past leader Naomi Flood (Manly) and winning a sprint up the beach.

Flood was unable to ride a big wave all the way to the beach and Smith came from 30 metres back to edge her out, with Hayley Bateup (Kurrawa) third.

Hurst's unforgettable finish put an exclamation mark on his return to ironman racing this season. The 28-year-old walked away from the sport in 2004 to concentrate on making the Olympic swim team, but today's effort left no one in doubt that King Ky is back.

He was matching strokes with Eckstein as they raced to the beach in the ski leg but just as the spectators were looking forward to a match race between the two stars in the swim, Hurst was dumped as a big wave disappeared from under him and he crashed onto the bank.

He desperately tried to hold onto his ski but it slipped from his grip, as it seemed did his chances of winning.

Hurst entered the water for the swim tenth and last, a long way behind leader Eckstein.

While his high-class swimming was able to claw back some of the margin it wasn't until he found himself on the top of a big wave on the way back to the beach that he believed he had any chance of winning.

He launched himself down the face of the wave and with amazing surfing skills held onto the wave and rode it past the field to emerge 30 metres ahead of Eckstein and with enough time to celebrate with the crowd on the way to the finish. 

"I was dead for all money and I'll guarantee not one person on the beach though I'd do that, I didn't even think I'd do that," Hurst said.

"I was completely shot and thought I'm going to have trouble trying to pull these guys back. I tried to put on a bit of a spurt out the back across the buoys but I thought this is all over. I don't know if I was catching them or not.

"Then coming in I turned around and went ‘I think there's a few sets coming' so I slowed right down and turned around again and saw one and I thought this is going to be hard to hold.

"I just tried to hold my breath and thought if I can just hold this I'm definitely going to be a show."

Putting on a show for the crowd and the television cameras was something Hurst was well aware of and he succeeded in a fashion few could believe.

"I don't know what it looked like but that's why we're here," he said.

"It was the same with the ski leg, I took that wave for the reason that it creates good television and I think that's what we need more than places at the moment. We need to get the sport back to its original glory days and I think it's got the potential to do that.

"We haven't seen a big wave like that in an ironman event for such a long time and it's very entertaining." 

Hurst is now second in the Nutri-Grain ironman Series, three points behine Eckstein and two clear of Hugh Dougherty (Tugun), who finished fifth today.

While her wave wasn't as breathtaking, the one caught by Kristyl Smith to surf past Naomi Flood was equally significant.

Flood had taken charge of the race in the ski leg and as one of the strongest swimmers in the field she led clearly around the course to within 20 metres of the sand.

But she paid the penalty for being unable to stay on another of Alexandra Headland's booming waves when she found herself in no man's land as the field tried to chase her down.

Smith's wave came along just in time and the pair reached the sand together but Smith had the legs to claim victory.

"I couldn't have asked for a better wave, it just pulled up for me," she said.

"It's bad luck for Floody, she was just in the wrong spot."

Smith finished third and second in the opening two rounds of the series and today's win gives her a two-point lead in the Nutri-Grain series and a great chance of winning her first title after finishing runner-up five times.

She is particularly excited the series final will be at her old home beach at North Cronulla.

"I'm going to have all my friends and family there, all my old clubmates from Cronulla and Wanda," she said.

"I haven't raced there for about five years and I won a Kellogg's race probably the last time we were there so hopefully the crowd can cheer me on to a win."

Round four of the series will be contested at Alexandra Headland tomorrow.

Television coverage of today's spectacular action will be screened on the Seven Network tomorrow from noon to 2pm.