A decent-sized swell is expected for the Nutri-Grain Ironman and Ironwoman Finals Series at North Cronulla Beach this weekend.
The beach is set for the three day event, starting with the endurance round at noon today.
The biggest names in surf sports, led by nine-time champion Shannon Eckstein and dueling Ironwomen Courtney Hancock and Rebecca Creedy, were on show at the official launch of the event yesterday alongside Kendrick Louis and Matt Bevilacqua and young gun Lizzie Welborn.
The six athletes are among the top 20 men and 20 women who will battle it out with accumulator and eliminator formats to follow on Saturday and Sunday.
There were glimpses of some sizeable waves pounding on a shallow low tide sandbank on Thursday, running towards a fast moving rip on North Cronulla’s tricky southern end.
That put smiles on the competitors’ faces as they unloaded their craft and set their sights on the sizeable sets of waves.
Northcliffe’s Eckstein heads into the finals series as fit and confident as he has ever been since winning his first series in 2003 and said he was not feeling any pressure. Eckstein won his fifth title here and his ninth last year.
“The preparation is the key and I have prepared really well for this weekend and I believe if you’ve prepared well then that takes the pressure off,” he said.
“I have won nine titles and I’m pretty happy with that, so for me the pressure is kind of off, although the expectation is a little bit different when people say you’re expected to win but that’s just their opinions.
“Just because I have won nine doesn’t give me a head start, nothing changes, it’s about winning one series this weekend. It’s just another number you do think about the next one and that’s number ten but it’s just another number.
“Winning a 10th will mean a bit in a few more years when I sit back and look at it and think that’s pretty amazing. It will mean a lot, but I have to get the job done.”
Eckstein has a sixth sense when it comes to reading the surf but will have to master the challenges that will likely come from Manly’s Louis and Kurrawa pair Bevilacqua and Matt Poole.
Coolangatta Gold winner Hancock (Northcliffe), in her 11th series and Australian champion Creedy (Kurrawa) in her 10th, are in good form and will be ready to tackle the conditions and the likes of Summer of Surf Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman Series last round winner Welborn and fellow NSW teens Naomi Scott (Manly) and Gemma Smith (Umina).
“Coming off the Coolangatta Gold meant I had a different start to the season after taking some time off but I feel like I am coming good at the right time,” Hancock said.
“It is all about timing it right and I’ve arrived here relaxed and ready. I’m used to this kind of surf after being raised in the surf at Sawtell on the NSW north coast but I did have to roll my ski a few times this morning so I hope I’ve got that out of my system.”
Creedy is in great form after winning the Summer of Surf Series by a point and knows the vagaries of the surf can play such a huge part.
“I will be ready for whatever is thrown up. I’m as relaxed as I think I’ve ever been before a series final and I can’t wait,” Creedy said.
