The Ironman finals series will be held between Friday and Sunday this week at Cronulla.
It’s an iconic Australian event that tests the surf skills, speed and endurance of Australia’s best lifesavers and comprises a variety of races, including swimming, board, surf ski and running legs.
Defending men’s champion Shannon Eckstein of Northcliffe will be attempting to win an incredible tenth title.
The 33-year-old first finished on top of the podium in the 2002-03 season, and since then only Zane Holmes, Ali Day and Eckstein’s younger brother, Caine, have been able to break his stranglehold on the event. Day will once again be representing Surfers Paradise in the Ironman races, having won the prestigious Coolangatta Gold endurance event four times in the last five years.
Besides the threat from Day, Eckstein will inevitably face tough competition in this year’s finals series from the likes of Kendrick Louis of Manly, Ben Carberry of Burleigh, Matt Bevilacqua of Kurrawa, Matt Poole of Kurrawa, Tanyn Lyndon of Burleigh and James Lacy of Mermaid Beach.
There will also be a lot of interest in the performance of TJ Hendy from Surfers Paradise. The 21-year-old son of Ironman legend Trevor Hendy, he has qualified for the finals series for the first time. Trevor dominated Australian surf lifesaving in the late 1980s and early 1990s, boosting the public profile of the sport enormously.
Unfortunately, in the women’s finals series an injury will prevent Jordan Mercer from defending the title she won for the first time last year. The daughter of Ironman legend Darren Mercer is recovering from recent foot surgery. Her father won the men’s title seven times in his career, with his brother – Jordan’s uncle – Dean winning it four times.
Leading contenders in the Ironwomen’s events in Mercer’s absence will likely be Rebecca Creedy of Kurrawa, Lizzie Welborn of North Bondi, Harriet Brown of Northcliffe, Lana Rogers of Noosa, Kristyl Smith of Northcliffe and Courtney Hancock of Northcliffe.
Hancock is a three-time winner of the title, and won last year’s Coolangatta Gold to show that she is still is a serious threat.
Who do you think will win the men’s and women’s titles this weekend?
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