Mandurah’s Kathryn Davies almost literally flew her way to a win in women’s kitesurfing category at the Lancelin Ocean Classic on Saturday afternoon.
Sporting a 17m kite, significantly larger than most other surfers, Davies took off once an unexpected wind picked up.
The first-time Lancelin Classic competitor wrestled with her fast-sailing kit to keep it under control, and did so superbly, crossing the 25km distance to finish in first place in the women’s division.
Davies said she was ecstatic to get the victory.
“Honestly, it was so hard trying to stay on the board with the big kite – once I got to the shore I think I was grabbing onto a spectator’s car to make sure I didn’t just fly away with it,” she said.
“A lot of it was just maintaining focus and staying mentally disciplined. It was one of the more physically demanding things I’ve ever done.
“I felt pretty confident going into the race and to come away with the win is really nice, and it was a pretty special moment.”
The Mandurah local rounded out the event taking the win ahead of the second placed Rachael Hughes and Karin Scheiwiller in third.
It was Andrew Cooksey taking out the victory in the overall open event.
Davies has been kitesurfing for just short of four years, and has already piled up some impressive results including a third-place finish in the 2017 Lighthouse to Leighton, which sees competitors crossing the ocean to get from Rottnest Island to Fremantle’s Leighton Beach.
The commercial skipper by day said her passion for the sport stems from a love of simply being out on the water.
“I’ve always loved anything to do with being on the water, whether you’re in a boat or on a board, I really enjoy it all,” she said.
“Leading up to competitions I’ll get the kite out on the Mandurah estuary two or three times a week and just try to mimic what the conditions will be on race day.
“I think the challenge of it is quite appealing for me. I love how it forces you to overcome things like conditions every time you’re out on the board.
“I’ve only been kitesurfing for four years, but it’s become a passion for me – even now I’m just sitting on the computer looking for more events to compete in.”
The Lancelin Ocean Classic is a three-day event encompassing wave events, a beach run and the kitesurfing marathon.
For more information on the races visit lancelinoceanclassic.com.au
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
