Sam Shergold finished second at the world championships in Denmark. Photo/File
Sam Shergold finished second at the world championships in Denmark. Photo/File
The New Zealand Stand-Up Paddle and Paddleboard Team have secured a gold and two silvers on the first day of the 2017 ISA World Championships in Denmark this week.
World number one ranked Annabel Anderson (Queenstown) lived up to expectations, taking gold in the women's stand-up paddleboard distance race. Pronepaddleboarders Sam Shergold (Mount Maunganui) and former Mount Maunganui athlete Jessica Miller (Gold Coast) claimed silver in their respective distance races.
The results have given New Zealand an ideal start to the event sitting inside the top five teams.
Mount Maunganui's Sam Shergold battled it out with Australian Lachie Landsdown in the first of two tight races on the prone paddleboards, missing out on a title defence through a photo finish.
"It was a good dash to the finish and once we crossed the line, both of us didn't know who had got it," said Shergold who, after four laps of duelling with the Australian, had to settle for second.
"The first lap, Lachie and myself worked together to put a gap on the rest of the field so we could battle it out. Laps two to three were about doing a bit of testing of each other, seeing where we could make a move, how each other reacted. The fourth lap the pace was on, easily the fastest lap of the race.
"Copenhagen is a beautiful city and it was a privilege to race in the waters and in front of a vibrant crowd and the Queen who was in."
Shergold will contest the shorter technical race later in the week in place of Cory Taylor who had to pull out of the event because of injury.
"I now have an opportunity to redeem myself and get one back on those Aussies," Shergold said.
The second tight race of the day also went to the Australians over New Zealand, this time Jordan Mercer getting the better of Jessica Miller by a mere 30cm in the women's prone paddleboard distance race.
"Jordy ended up having the inside line around the last buoy which we both were after, then the last 100m was just about who had enough left in the tank," said Miller.
"Going around the last buoy she gained about a board length on me but I pulled her in and ended up coming second by that narrow margin. The atmosphere was pumping for the athletes in the races with the four 5km laps that we raced."
Australia are defending champions from 2016 where New Zealand finished third. The 2017 event has attracted a record 42 nations and 286 athletes.
