Making her mark in several big events since the Beijing Olympics, Michele Eray seems set to reach the summit of the international surf-ski stakes - TIMOTHY TWIDLE recently caught up with her in-between races, in her hometown of Plettenberg Bay
Plett paddling star Michèle Eray, who represented South Africa in the women’s flat water kayak canoe sprint during this year’s Olympics, has not exactly rested on her laurels since returning from the Beijing games.
Eray and team mate Abbey Miedema finished second in their category of the Fish River Canoe Marathon in October, and this was followed by a win during the SA single surf-ski championships between Knysna and Sedgefield over 30km, on November 15.
“It was a seriously long and tough race,” she said. “It got really hot and cramped quite a bit on the way. But my super-light Epic ski proved to be my secret weapon since I could get onto all the runs, however small. I finished in two hours and 39 minutes and was really stoked to have won,” she said.
Next stop for the little human dynamo was Hong Kong, where she again demolished the opposition to win the Hong Kong Dragon Ocean Surf-ski Ladies Race and bag a magnificent trophy.
“I loved Hong Kong, but the racing was really hard. The first section into the wind and swell went surprisingly well, but some of the waves made it difficult to catch the runs. I was pretty broken at the finish and had lots of cramping muscles, but there was a super refreshment jol happening at the end – burgers and drinks!
“The race experience was amazing - well organised, with beautiful scenery and super people. I loved the shopping and will definitely go back next year - and give myself more time to really enjoy Hong Kong.”
From Hong Kong, Eray flew to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for the Dubai Shamaal Surfski Ocean Race on December 2. The event is billed as the world’s richest surfski race, with total prize money of US$130 000. Yet again Eray trounced the rest of the field and stormed home in first place to win a handsome trophy and a cheque for US$6000.
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