MITCHELL AND MERCER WIN PADDLEBOARD WORLD TITLES
Surf Sports, August 1: Australia's major international sporting success has continued in Hawaii today with legendary Gold Coast waterman Jamie Mitchell and rising Ironwoman star Jordan Mercer setting new race record times in winning the Molokai Paddle Board World Championships.
Mitchell, won a record 10th straight title in one of the most amazing performances in the history of the 50kilometre Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard event.
The 34-year-old took 4 hours 40.31 to take eight minutes off his own previous record and to lead an all-Australian paddling podium ahead of Sydney's Brad Gaul (4:47.45) and NSW Central Coast's Jackson English (4:53.03).
While the men dominated it was Sunshine Coast schoolgirl Mercer, the 17-year-old daughter of Australian Ironman legend Darren Mercer, who captured the hearts of the paddling world.
Mercer, who will return home to prepare for the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman Series Trial on August 27 and 28, provided the biggest upset of the day to beat Hawaiian paddling queen 35-year-old Kanesa Duncan Seraphin and her fellow Hawaiian, 25-year-old Candace Appleby.
The Australian Ironwoman star, who became one of the youngest competitors in last year's Ironwoman Series, won the Molokai title in 5hrs 22.31 ahead of Duncan Seraphin (5:50.19) and Appleby (6:10.41).
In another great result for Australia, Mooloolaba Ironman star Matt Poole combined with his Sydney-based father Ian Poole to finish second in the Teams event and his Mooloolaba team mate Cam Cole, who combined with Poole and Dane Windshuttle to win the Open Board Relay at this year's Australian Surf Life Saving Championships finished second in the stock class event.
An armada of more than 250 athletes on both prone paddle boards and stand-up paddleboards (SUP) contested the gruelling open-ocean crossing of the infamous Molokai Channel. - Ian Hanson.