GLOBAL paddling icon Hank McGregor clinched his second victory in three races of this year’s Bay Union Surfski Series when he powered to victory in Sunday’s Lion of Africa Surf Challenge at Marine Surf Lifesaving Club. Nicole Russell claimed the spoils in the women’s race.
McGregor is currently preparing for the Molokai Challenge that is set to take place in Hawaii at the end of May however the five time Canoe Marathon World Champion still managed to hold a strong men’s field on a course that included three testing surf turns.
“It was another beautiful day in Durban, perfect paddling conditions and just a great day to be down on the beach. It was great to see another nice turn out at the race and the conditions were just ideal; you could’ve even paddled your canoe out there!
“I’m busy preparing for a 50km plus race so it was more about testing myself and checking my speed than anything else, but it’s always nice to get a win as well,” he said.
Meanwhile Russell continued her strong recent run of form as she too clinched her second victory of the series after her narrow win in Monday’s hard-fought McCarthy Toyota Durban King of the Bay clash.
“It’s so good to get a win in the bank because there is just such stiff competition in the girls’ race at the moment so you really have to work hard to get a win. I believe the caliber of the top girls is on a par with the guys at the moment and the depth is just unbelievable!
“There’s Michelle (Burn), Jenna (Ward), Donna (Tutton), Kyeta (Purchase), Hayley (Arthur) and even Danica (Bartho) when she’s able to join us on the water as well so it really is tough racing every single week,” she said.
The doubles category continues to attract some of the province’s top vets and masters talent however it was the youthful Irvin Dixon and Dewald Hattingh who held off junior doubles crew Luke Criticos and Thomas Lovemore.
Newcomer to the Bay Union Surfski Series calendar, the Bay Union Dairy Challenge is next up and is set to take place at Durban Surf Lifesaving Club at Dairy Beach on Durban’s Beachfront on Sunday 10 May at 8am.
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