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SHAW AND PARTNERS FORM GUIDE
By Dean Gardiner, Oceanpaddler and Sam Djodan, The Paddler.
SHAW AND PARTNERS DOCTOR – NOVEMBER 26, 2022
FORM GUIDE – Men’s Field
1. Cory Hill: Australia – The numbers don’t lie. He’s won three-straight Doctor titles, and four of the past five (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019). The rightful favourite to continue his reign.
2. Kenny Rice: South Africa – The newly-crowned World Champion is riding a wave of confidence which, after finishing second here before, could well take him onto the top step of the podium.
3. Hank McGregor (South Africa) – The legendary 44 year-old has rediscovered his blistering best with a 2nd at the Worlds. A winner of the Doctor in 2016, he is determined to reclaim the crown from his long-time sparring partner Hill.
4. Mackenzie Hynard (Australia) – One of the most gifted downwind paddlers, Hynard claimed bronze at this year’s World Championships in flat conditions. We’ll see the impact of that breakthrough result here in Perth.
5. Tom Norton (Australia) – The new father opted against racing overseas this year, which has allowed him to time his run to perfection. A dark horse to win the whole thing.
6. Michael Booth (Australia) – The SUP World Champion hasn’t spent as much time in the surfski as his rivals, but as the fiercest competitor in the field, he will undoubtedly push the pace once again. Now a local, his expertise will help.
7. Josh Fenn (South Africa) – A prodigy of paddling, Fenn is stepping out of the junior ranks and ready to make an impression on the sport’s biggest stage. He has enough experience racing in Australia now to do it.
8. Gordan Harbrecht (Germany) – The European powerhouse looked headed to the Olympics with Germany’s famed canoe sprint team, but is now a surfski paddler through-and-through. It is his first time racing in Australia though, which poses a big test.
9. Valentin Henot (France) – The honorary Aussie is in the best form of his career, having won the European Championships. He boasts the fitness to fly through the week and stand up in the Doctor when it matters most.
10. Brendan Rice (Australia) – While Michael Booth is an honourary West Australian, Brendan Rice represents the best of the long-time locals. Like clockwork, Rice rises to the challenge on the Doctor every single year, but in 2022 has the added benefit of a World Championship campaign in both surfski and canoe marathon under his belt. He’ll find the best possible race line and that could make a considerable difference.
WILDCARD. Shannon Eckstein (Australia) – The greatest ironman of all time has settled into surf lifesaving retirement, but still poses an enormous threat on the surfski. He won the highly respected Hong Kong Dragon Run in 2009 and is looking fit enough to cause another shock here in Perth.
WILDCARD. Ali Day (Australia) – The new ironman king certainly has the pedigree to finish at the front of the field. An eight-time Coolangatta Gold champion, Day finished fourth at the long-distance Molokai Challenge in his only downwind start. Another very real threat.
WILDCARD. Kendrick Louis (Australia) – Louis loves Western Australia, having won his Australian Ironman title at Scarborough Beach. Seventh in his last Doctor in 2019, he has the engine to grind through this field.
WILDCARD. Riley Fitzsimmons (Australia) – The two-time Olympic sprint kayaker is one of the big unknowns in the Shaw and Partners WA Race Week. It’s his first time having a serious crack in the surfski world, and possesses all of the traits to make it a success.
WILDCARD. Reece Baker (Australia) – The hero of the Western Australian paddling circuit, Baker returns to racing after spending several seasons away. An Australian champion surf lifesaving paddler, Baker knows this course better than anyone else. It could pay huge dividends.
SHAW AND PARTNERS DOCTOR – NOVEMBER 26, 2022
FORM GUIDE – Women’s Field
1. Jemma Smith (Australia) – The new World Champion is building momentum with every single race and will be hard to stop here. Smith and Danielle McKenzie boast one of the closest rivalries in the sport’s history, so expect the Doctor to go down to the wire.
2. Danielle McKenzie (New Zealand) – The defending champion of the Doctor will arrive in Perth with a point to prove, after a hard-fought silver medal at the World Championships. She holds the women’s record for the course and we expect her to go even faster this time around.
3. Michelle Burn (South Africa) – Regarded as Sth Africa’s most-skilled women’s downwind paddler, Burn has been waiting a long time for the chance to race against Smith and McKenzie over the Doctor course. By her own admission, she was closer than expected in the flat conditions of the World Championships, so look out.
4. Ana Swetish (United States of America) – The greatest surfski talent to come out of the USA, Swetish has the skills to win the Doctor. She’s still young, but we think this will be the year she takes that step-up to match the sport’s best.
5. Hannah Minogue (Australia) – An Australian surf lifesaving champion, Minogue is back on the downwind circuit looking as fit as ever. If the wind blows, she has the skills to be there, as well as the fitness and stamina if it doesn’t.
6. Nicole Birkett (South Africa) – A late addition to the Shaw and Partners WA Race Week after finishing fourth at the World Championships. Birkett is in strong form and, as an experienced competitor, knows what it takes to do well.
7. Melanie Van Niekerk (South Africa) – Making her first trip to Australia, Van Niekerk is somewhat of an unknown at the Shaw and Partners WA Race Week. She’s claimed big titles at home in Cape Town and has the potential to cause a major boilover.
8. Brianna Massie (Australia) – A consistently impressive performer on Australia’s downwind circuit, Massie has been putting the work in this season and it could produce a big pay-off here.
9. Jazmin Shipway-Carr (Australia) – The Western Australian hope is building each and every season and knows exactly what she has to do to get the most out of the Indian Ocean runs. That’s a big advantage.
10. Hannah Sculley (Australia) – One of several star ironwomen who has stepped into the surfski world, Sculley is an incredible athlete who has a great read on the ocean. It’s only a matter of time before it all clicks.
WILDCARD. Georgia Miller (Australia) – Her results say it all – Miller has already been inducted into Surf Lifesaving Australia’s Hall of Fame… and she isn’t even close to the end of her career. Downwind paddling is a new challenge, but the ironwoman legend has what it takes to handle it.
WILDCARD. Harriet Brown (Australia) – Like Miller, Harriett Brown is also racing at the Doctor for the first time. The defending Ironwoman Series champion has the skills to make it a seamless transition.
WILDCARD. Claudia Bailey (Australia) – One of the younger athletes in the field, Bailey is a name to keep an eye out for. A star of surf lifesaving and also an Australian representative kayaker, she has a big future in surfski.
WILDCARD. Maddie Schmidt (Canada) – An Olympian on Canada’s sprint kayak team, Schmidt is completely new to surfski paddling – but she’s adapting quickly. One of few paddlers that has the speed to push the pace early, she could well win the Dash for Cash.
WILDCARD. Lily Finati (Australia) – Another of the surf ironwomen making the switch, Finati has impressed in her few downwind races. Will get better with every race of the Shaw and Partners WA Race Week.
