Sprint racing was on the agenda yesterday morning for Shaw and Partners WA Race Week for the world’s leading ocean ski paddlers, and it was Shaw and Partners Brand Ambassador and 2022 ICF World Ocean Ski Champion, Jemma Smith, and Australian Olympian Riley Fitzsimmons (Gold Coast) who came through for the wins in the Dash for Cash at Sorrento Beach.

Kicking off at 8am and in relatively calm conditions, the morning’s do-or-die sprint ocean ski event, saw a field of 200 plus face a series of elimination races from the cans, 250 m out from shore, to the beach and a mad dash up the sand to the finish line.  Just five were left standing for each of the men’s and women’s blisteringly fast finals.

In men’s racing, Australian Olympian (Rio and Tokyo), 26-year-old Riley Fitzsimmons from the Gold Coast combined his powerful sprint canoeing abilities, his beach sprint finesse from surf lifesaving, and his overall endurance to take the victory.  Right on his heels were Canadian Olympian Simon McTavish who came in 2nd, and Sth Africa’s champion paddler, Mark Keeling for third.

Fourth went to North Bondi’s Noah Havard, and fifth was Newport’s Mitchell Trim in the final Dash for Cash showdown.

“That was tough, flat racing, but I loved it.  It was hard, it was exciting.   Took all my endurance skills, to get to the final, and all my sprint skills to get the win,” said Fitzsimmons post race.

Fitzsimmons picks up $4500 For his hard-fought performance, and vital points in his battle to reduce the points advantage held by the endurance paddlers Cory Hill and Tom Norton, before tomorrow’s final race, The 27 km Doctor from Rottnest Island to Sorrento. 

Neither Norton or Hill made the five man final this morning.   Norton who holds a slight lead in the WA Race Week point score after two wins and a second in this week’s racing, was eliminated in the second last heat.   The other front runner, defending Doctor champion, Hill, who sits second in the point score was eliminated in the third last heat.  A true endurance paddler, Cory won last Saturday’s 24 km Fenn West Coast Downwinder, and picked up a 2nd and 3rd in the mid-week 11km events.    He has four Doctor titles to his name and is fighting tomorrow for a record 5th, and also holds the race record for the iconic 27km haul.

In the women’s race, competition was intense and it ended up being Jemma Smith’s day. The young 23-year-old proved her gun paddling skills in the high-pressure final, beating off ironwoman champion from the Gold Coast, Georgia Miller who took 2nd, and defending Doctor champion Kiwi Danielle McKenzie for third.

“That was so close,” said Smith post race.  “Endurance, sprint and paddle power.   I had to keep a little bit left for the end, and I was lucky to pull that little runner.  That made the difference in the end and got me home.”

Also making the five-woman final and coming in 4th and 5th were Tasmania’s Phoebe Woodhouse and the Gold Coast’s Brianna Massie.

Jemma has had a dream few months in her paddling career, winning the ICF World Championship in Portugal in September, big east coast races in October like the Coolangatta Gold surf ski race and the North Bondi Classic.   She came into this week determined to justify her devotion to training with the paddle, and opting out of ironwoman disciplines swim and board, and it is certainly paying dividends.   She has won three of the week’s four contests, with the big won the Doctor tomorrow and he arch-nemesis, her traditional sparring partner, Kiwi McKenzie who holds the Doctor race record for women.

Tomorrow (Saturday Nov 26), the 500 paddlers face their toughest test, the Shaw and Partner Doctor, a 27km downwind race from Rotto to Sorrento.   A noon start is expected with the leading paddlers into Sorrento Beach from 1.30pm with strong south-west winds predicted. 

It will be the 19th running of The Doctor, and the field features the world’s best paddlers including world champs, Olympians and surf ironwoman and ironman stars; plus hundreds of passionate paddlers who train every week of the year to take on the Doctor – considered in the paddling world as the holy-grail of ocean ski racing.

The five race Shaw and Partners WA Race Week is the richest week of ocean paddling in the world, and offers a prize pool of $265 000. 

Shaw and Partners DASH for Cash – Men’s Final

Riley Fitzsimmons (Australia)

Simon McTavish (Canada)

Mark Keeling  (Sth Africa)

Noah Havard (Australia)

Mitch Trim (Australia)

Shaw and Partners DASH for Cash – Women’s Final

Jemma Smith (Australia)

Georgia Miller (Australia)

 Danielle McKenzie (NZ)

 Phoebe Woodhouse (Australia)

 Brianna Massie (Australia)