Surf sweat and sunshine at Hamilton Island’s Gatorade Battle of the Paddles

More than 350 competitors from all over the world have wrapped up competition on Hamilton Island as the Gatorade Battle of the Paddles event came to a close.

The star-studded competition line up included former Olympians, celebrities, professional athletes and amateurs, with personalities including Tom Williams and Jodhi Meares competing alongside professional athletes Clint Robinson, Jeremy Cotter, Amanda Rankin, Jett Kenny and many more. The event also attracted elite international athletes such as Jenny Kalmbach, Hawaiian SUP champion and the New Zealand women’s outrigger team.

Now 29 years old, this was the first year that Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) joined the Australian Outrigger Canoe Racing Association (AOCRA) and Hamilton Island for the event, formerly known as the Hamilton Island Cup. SLSA introduced three exciting new disciplines into the event; stand up paddle boarding, board paddling and surf skiing. $90,000 worth of cash and prizes were awarded to competitors over the four days. 

Glenn Bourke, Hamilton Island’s CEO said: ‘The combination of AOCRA, SLSA and Hamilton Island for the first time was a great success. There were so many diverse and quality athletes on the Island, and seeing the growth of the new disciplines was exciting. It also helped that the event was blessed with fantastic weather for the entire event. We’re already looking forward to building on the event for 2013.’

Hawaiian SUP champion, Jenny Kalmbach, has already confirmed that she will be returning next year, saying the event far exceeded all of her expectations.
‘It’s been an incredible trip to Hamilton Island for the Gatorade Battle of the Paddles. The island is beautiful; it’s the perfect place to paddle, have fun and relax. It has something for everyone, from outrigger, surfski, standup paddling and even a trail running race. I have no doubt that this will become one of the top events of the year for stand up paddling’, Jenny said.

2013 marks the 30th anniversary of the event, and the date has already been set as 20 – 24 June 2013. The milestone event is already tipped to attract even more competitors than this year across each and every discipline. 

The 2012 Gatorade Battle of the Paddles took place from 14 – 18 June. For more information on the event visit http://www.hamiltonisland.com.au/battle-of-the-paddles/

Results highlights include:
– 16km Men Open Ocean Ski – 1st Clint Robinson
– 16km Women Open Ocean Ski – 1st Sharlene Kelly
– 25km Men Open Ocean Ski – 1st Jeremy Cotter
– 25km Women Open Ocean Ski – 1st Amanda Rankin
– 25km Open Double Ski – 1st Tom Williams & Bill Burton
– 16km Board Paddle – 1st Jordan Mercer
– 5km SUP – 1st Jenny Kalmbach
– 250m SUP Sprint – 1st Jenny Kalmbach
– 42km OC6 Open Men – 1st Combined Club, Outrigger Australia OCC
– 42km OC6 Open Women – 1st National Titles Crew, Mooloolaba OCC
– 16km OC1 Open Men – 1st Aaron Bitmead
– 16km OC1 Open Women – 1st Amanda Ozolins
– 250m OC1 Open Men – 1st Todd Cohen
– 250m OC1 Open Women – 1st Darbyshire

For full results visit www.aocra.com.au or www.slsa.com.au.