SA dominate vets podium positions at World Waveski Surfing Titles

When the World Waveski Surfing Titles got under way a week ago the SA team’s ultimate objective was to leave no stone unturned in search of podium finishes at Nahoon Reef.

They did that exactly on day five of the global competition which is considered the ‘World Cup of Waveski Surfing’.

It was somewhat of a SA clean sweep in the finals on Wednesday.

Out of five finals, SA claimed three podium finishes: the junior women’s, grandmasters women’s, open adaptive men’s and tag team — open final.

The individual senior open women and men finals will be on Sunday. SA will be happy with the results and get a big boost.

Wednesday began with a crisp and clear winter morning.

A smaller swell provided the ideal conditions for the senior rep round and Masters rep round.

Nicole Strydom was the first to pave the way on a glorious victory day for SA, claiming a gold medal in the junior women’s final with a score of 8.10.

“A prospect for the future of South African waveski,” is how pundits described her while she was celebrated by the whole SA team.

In the same final, Saskia Moniz got a silver while Courtney Schelhase finished third to round off an all-South African podium finish.

The last recognised SA champion in Durban 2014, Sandra Pienaar proved 10 years later she has not lost her touch in the sport.

Pienaar pulled off a blast from the past by winning the grandmasters women’s final.

She did so in a convincing manner with a 9.50 cut above the rest; at second place another South African Tracy Sassen managed to register a 6.30 score.

“This is for my mom,” an emotional Pienaar said.

Eugene O'Neil surpassed the French duo of Gauloume Colin and Eric Perrier together with Chile’s Eugenio Fuenzalidas to claim the top spot in the Open adaptive men’s final.

Great Britain’s Lucy McQueen won the Masters women’s title with 12.27 ahead of Spain’s Ainhoa Tolosa (10.77).

“I was lucky I got that big wave at the end to propel me, it kind of clinched it for me.

“There were some really good waves and some stingers but I’m happy with the win,” she said.

In the afternoon, the contest shifted focus to the exciting tag team event.

Though the Protea’s team of Bruce Viaene, Pierre Slabber, Kai Williams and Michael Wessels had high hopes of coming back with a gold, it was not to be as they fell short behind France and Australia.

The French team of defending champion Cyril Samson, Enzo Monfort, Virgile Humbert and Nathan Le Bars claimed gold with Aussies of Pink Galahs, Francisco Nascimento, Dale Randahl, Rees Duncan and Graham Lancaster in second place.

DispatchLIVE