Tahiti served up large seas today for the Men’s Ocean Racing World Championships.  The setting was excellent with a mass start of over 150 athletes set off on their 30 km journey to the finish line.

An early group of five paddlers worked hard to reach the hot point before turning down wind along the coast.  It was nip and tuck for the first half of the race between Sean Rice (RSA) and Cory Hill (AUS).  For more than half the race these two battled it out for the lead in a show of paddling excellence on fantastic waves.

Clint Robinson (AUS) and Jasper Mocke (RSA) were also in the hunt for medals as the paddlers surfed along  this beautiful coastline.  In the second part of the race Rice dropped off the lead and Hill and Robinson were vying for the Gold Medal position.  But Hill showed his superior paddling by maintaining a lead of about 200m throughout the latter part of the race to take the World Championships title in front of a very loud Tahitian crowd.  Robinson finished with a well deserved silver medal and Mocke would take the bronze not far behind. 

As the athletes crossed the finish line Tim Fitzsimmons (AUS) summed up the feeling of all the athletes “This is an amazing experience, the course is spectacular and conditions just amazing”, It left everyone with a smile on their face racing in such surroundings and in such great conditions.

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