South Africa’s Dawid Mocke has upset Australia’s best ocean paddlers, beating more than 200 competitors home in The Doctor downwind race from Fremantle to Rottnest Island in Perth on Saturday.
With more than $30,000 on offer The Doctor attracted the globe’s very best paddlers and Mocke trumped them all, controlling the race throughout before pulling away from Australian number one Jeremy Cotter over the last kilometre of the 20km event to win by over ten metres.
Cotter’s fellow Gold Coaster Bruce Taylor upset some bigger names to finish third ahead of Mocke’s younger brother Jasper, while Hawaiian star Lauren Bartlett beat former Australian Ironwoman champion Kirsty Holmes and Perth doctor Ruth Highman in the women’s event.
The Doctor is traditionally raced from Rottnest Island to the mainland but to ensure the event remained a downwind paddle as advertised, organisers were forced to start the event in Fremantle and head west to Rottnest.
Beijing gold medallist Kenny Wallace had blasted the field away off the start, setting a white hot pace and stringing the elite field out almost from the gun. The Olympic champion tired around the halfway mark but battled on to finish back in the field.
Mocke was able to paddle with a group that sat on the back of Wallace near the start and then took the lead about ten minutes into the event. Despite the best efforts of Cotter the South African was never headed.
“Ken Wallace took off at the start and it split the field,” a jubilant Mocke said, describing how he set up the victory.
“At one stage there when Ken was going for it I wondered how long I could carry on like that but things calmed down and I knew if I could get 50 to 60 metres lead it would be hard for people to catch.
“I like to lead and defend and that’s how it worked out, even though Jeremy was able to pull up right next to me in the last few minutes.
“This race is always super competitive and was one race that I really, really wanted to win badly.”
Ensuring both major titles went offshore, Maui’s Bartlett, a prolific winner in both OC1 and surf ski events at the Molokai to Oahu world championships, was too good for Australians Holmes and Highman in the women’s race.
Gold Coast 27-year-old Travis Grant scored the biggest win of his career when he took out the standup paddleboard category, Western Australian Konrad Clemmens won the traditional paddleboard race, while the OC1 event was won by Hong Kong based Australian James Shortis.
Competitors will back up again on Sunday when the 25km Finn Kayaks Coastal Challenge Teams Relay from Fremantle to Sorrento Beach gets underway at 12 noon from Port Beach at Fremantle.
The Teams Relay event is suitable for all types of paddlers, from the elite to the everyday social paddler. Teams of two share the journey, transitioning at City Beach.
Spectators are encouraged to head to Sorrento on Sunday from 1.15pm to watch the world’s best paddlers cross the finish line.
Results The Doctor
Open Men
- Dawid Mocke (SA)
- Jeremy Cotter (Aus)
- Bruce Taylor (Aus)
- Jasper Mocke (SA)
- David Smith (Aus)
- Brad Rogers (Aus)
- Tim Jacobs (Aus)
- Brendon Sarson (Aus)
- Murray Stewart (Aus)
- Dean Gardiner (Aus)
Women
- Lauren Bartlett (HI/USA)
- Kirsty Holmes (Aus)
- Ruth Highman (Aus)
The Think Kayak Team Challenge was won by NSW – Jeremy Cotter, David Smith and Hayden White (under 20) from QLD and South Africa.
Full results click here.
