NEWLY crowned surfski world champion, Michelle Burn recently retained her title at the Dis-Chem Pete Marlin.
The Glen Anil resident said ocean conditions were tricky on the day as the winds came at an angle to the race course.
“It was definitely harder than I thought it was going to be. The wind wasn’t lining up perfectly. It kept pushing me inshore, so I had to force myself to paddle out. There wasn’t a lot of downwind, so I just had to keep myself going,” she added.
Read also: North Durban residents paddle to bronze at world champs
“Kira (Bester) was always on my inside and I kept looking over my should to see where she was until I couldn’t see her anymore, so I guessed I managed to get away from her. I am super happy to retain my title, especially because there was such a strong lineup of female paddlers this year,” she added.
Special mention was made of Danville Park Girls’ High School learner, Saskia Hockly, who finished in fourth place in the singles race. In the doubles race, Hockly and Mount Edgecombe resident, Jenna Nisbet finished in second place.
Rounding off the impressive results for the Hockly family was Valma Jean (younger sister of Saskia), who finished in third in the doubles race with partner, Jade Wilson.
In the men’s single race, Nicky Notten also retained his title.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).