Surf lifesaving: Maney lays down gauntlet with ironman victory

Alistair Maney. Photo / Supplied

Top Red Beach athlete Alistair Maney has laid down an ironman challenge to the rest of the country after an outstanding race at Whangamata yesterday.

Maney was back in the pack going into the final ski leg and came through for a strong finish during trials as part of the northern and eastern regional surf lifesaving carnival.

"I haven't done any training over winter - I've just been studying really hard - but since exams I've been getting back into it and putting in some big training sessions," said Maney.

The 20-year-old allrounder still has two years to go in his physiotherapy studies.

"It's definitely motivating me this season and I'm definitely going to try and do the series in the Sonic Series," he said.

"There has never really been anything traditionally before New Year so this carnival has been really valuable," he said. "I got a bit lucky with Cory [Taylor] falling off that wave and I didn't really expect to come out and win, given how much training I'd done," said Maney. "Every race I do is getting me back into it more."

Another to put her hand up was Mairangi Bay's Danielle McKenzie, a triathlete of note who spreads her talents between the two disciplines.

Triple Olympian Steven Ferguson will retire from kayaking after the London Olympics but that will not be the end of his competitive ambitions.

The 31-year-old wants to have one more crack at the New Zealand surf lifesaving team, with the Rescue 2011 world championships to be held in Adelaide two months after London.

He made a strong statement to selectors at the first round of the Sonic Series in Whangamata, winning the ski race and finishing fourth in the surf race, despite little in the way of recent swimming training.

"I've got good fitness from my kayaking and swimming's a bit like riding a bike - I just swing my arms around and it all comes back to me when I'm under pressure," Ferguson said.

The son of Olympic kayaking great and former surf ironman Ian Ferguson has pedigree, competing in breaststroke at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 2000 Sydney Olympics before switching to kayaking.

He also competed at the 2002, 2004 and 2006 surf lifesaving worlds and would love another crack six years after his last appearance. He's moved back into surf this season as coach of the Piha club.

"I've told the selectors I'm pretty keen, if that's something they're interested in."

Mairangi Bay's Madison Boon won the ironwoman race while another gun kayaker, Orewa's Teneale Hatton, triumphed in the women's ski race.

The surf boat races went according to form, with national men's champions Piha and women's titleholders Mairangi Bay recording comfortable victories yesterday.