The 2009/2010 State Canoe Sprint Championships provided an ideal warm up for all WAIS paddlers who depart for Nationals in a week and a half.
The 200m events saw Jesse Phillips (Rivervale) and Steve Bird (Mt Pleasant) dominate. The K2 200m saw Phillips and Bird record a personal best time of 32.4secs and then the K1 200m was a two horse race with Phillips initially jumping out well only for Bird to claw his way back in the second half and hold off a late surge by Phillips in 36.4 and 36.7 respectively.
Brendon Sarson (Karrinyup) had a brilliant paddle in the K1 1000m getting a fast start and continuing to pull away through the race to win in a PB of 3.34. Mitch Thompson (NSWIS) and Jesse Phillips were second and third. Sarson also repeated his effort in the K1 500m with a comfortable win.
The K2 1000m had surprise winners in Daniel Bowker (Kingsley) and surf paddler Brodie Holmes record a comfortable win in 3 min 22 sec. Homes had only sat in a K2 for the first time the day before and combined really well with Bowker.
Originally the race was expected to be fought out between Phillips/Bird and Sarson/Thompson however this did not eventuate with Phillips and Bird mounting a last minute surge over the last 150m but left it too late finishing just over half a length short. They atoned for their 1000m defeat with a comfortable win in the K2 500m.
The final race on the program was the new World Championship event the K1 5000m. The race proved a tactical affair with Phillips and Bird breaking the field up at the start leaving Sarson and Bowker with them in the lead pack.
Sarson took charge after that with the lead changing a number of times. Coming into the finish it was a race in three with Sarson keeping the speed up with a viewing to tiring out sprinters Phillips and Bird who both attacked in the last 200m. Phillips was unable to sustain the pace however Bird was able to produce a withering burst to take the win from Sarson on the very last stroke.
This weekend will see Sarson and Bowker race in the State Surf Lifesaving Championships at Secret Harbour.
– Ramon Andersson
