Mairangi Bay surf lifesaver Katie Pocock has captured the biggest crown of her illustrious career by winning the Moloka'i World Championships surfski title in Hawaii today.
The 31-year-old paddler has been a dominant figure in New Zealand flatwater kayaking and surf ski racing for the last nine years, and took over the world's top ranking with wins in the international surf ski series late last year.
But she's never won the grueling 53km paddle from the island of Moloka'i to Hawaii until today.
To do so, she had to dethrone Maui's Lauren Bartlett in the 30-year-old event and see off a strong challenge from Australian representative ironwoman Naomi Flood, to finish the race in a time of 4hrs 28mins 32secs. Flood was second in 4:36:38 with Bartlett third in 4:46:34.
Pocock's Mairangi Bay teammate Travis Mitchell also had a great paddle, finishing fifth in a strong men's field.
That race was won by South Africa's Hank McGregor in 3:54:39, wtih Australian Tim Jacobs second in 3:57:20 and two-time defending champion Lewis Laughlin (Tahiti) third in 4:04:21.
Fellow Kiwis Paul Wilford and Tim Grammer were second and fourth in the 40-49 masters division respectively, while Midway surf lifesaver Damian Munro was 52nd overall.
