Epic Day Of Racing Cut Short By Tangaroa’s Power

The energy levels at Mount Maunganui Beach were high today, and so were the waves, as 174 athletes from 11 countries kicked off the first day of the International Surf Rescue Challenge.

The world’s best lifesaving athletes battled it out across swim, board, ski, and beach events, and the first half of the programme saw some epic performances before being cut short due to challenging conditions.

The day one test saw high swell energy and waves coming at short intervals calling time on racing. Zac Franch, GM Sport and SLSNZ, says; “Athlete safety is paramount, and if the safety team can’t operate in the break zone should anyone get into trouble, then these decisions need to be made.

“This is part of what makes lifesaving sport special; teams aren’t just competing against one another they’re also tackling the elements. These are the type conditions our lifeguards need to go out in regularly around the country, and so it’s great to be able to provide this opportunity to test their skills, albeit a reduced programme.”

The points from test one count towards an overall total from each of the three tests, which will crown one nation the ultimate International Surf Rescue Champions. The New Zealand open team, the Black Fins, are in the lead based on points from today, with two tests remaining.

Black Fins head coach Kev Morrison says; “We have some great positive vibes in the team right now. It’s obviously been a strange and tough day having not raced all events, but our team is calm. They controlled what they could control today and made calm and made clear decisions that lead to great results.

“Our captain Cory Taylor led the way for the team and calmed nerves. He was second skier across line in the ski race, then second across the line in the surf race. Our two beach sprinters Briana Irving and Oska Smith came away with wins, and they absolutely lit up the beach arena. From the Pathway team, ski paddler Julia Padrutt did a fantastic job in the conditions and came in first.

“It was great to see the performances of so many teams here in New Zealand, testing these elements with us and representing their countries with pride. One highlight was the amazing swim from Sara Tazaki from Japan who came in first this morning.

“Another highlight for me was the way the officials managed a tough day. It would have been easy to just say “this isn't happening today”, but they gave some of the world's best lifeguards the opportunity to get out there and test their wares in some of the most challenging conditions I've ever seen.

“For tomorrow, there's a chance we’ll see a decrease in the swells but we do know that we're not going to turn up tomorrow to a lake. It’s potentially a more difficult challenge for New Zealand, given that as soon as the swell sized reduces, all the competition excels. The task ahead of our team is immense but they're up for it. We'll regroup tonight and make sure that we can control what we can control. And we'll leave the rest of it up to Tangaroa!”

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