Ethan Callaghan and Georgia Miller have been crowned the Open Ironman and Open Ironwoman Champions at the Shaw and Partners Summer of Surf Hayden Kenny Classic!
It was a fairy tale finish for the Burleigh Heads Mowbray Parks Ironman who secured the biggest win of his career, while Miller stamped her name back on top with an emotional win.
“It was a very emotional race for me, I felt really nervous coming into this weekend, and I would be lying if I didn’t say I wanted to win.
“I am relived right now, I won my first Summer of Surf race here 10 years ago so to be back here, winning today at the Shaw and Partners Summer of Surf Hayden Kenny Classic, it is everything I could have hoped for.”
In the first major competition of the 2023/24 series, the pair have secured themselves 10,000 points towards the overall leader board and will walk away with a $10,000 cash pool prize.
Callaghan took victory ahead of Surfers Paradise Ali Day and his training partner Will Savage, with Newport’s Lizzie Welborn and Northcliffe Lana Rogers taking home the minor placings.
In the Open Male Ski event Newport pulled a trifecta with Fletcher Armstrong proving too strong for his club mates with Mitchell Trim and Charlie Brooks rounding out the podium.
Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park’s Jasmine Rayward claimed her first win of the weekend powering home ahead of Newport’s Piper Harrison and Northcliffe’s Claudia Kelly.
In a fast finish Northcliffe pair, Auden Parish and Matt Bevilacqua went 1-2 in the Open Male Board with Kurrawa’s Taj Sloane taking third.
Mirroring the men, Northcliffe’s Hannah Sculley and Harriet Brown took first and second in the women’s event with Sunshine Beach’s Electra Outram in third.
Reigning series champions, Manly’s Hayden Cotter and Alexandra Headlands Lani Pallister both took home their first win of the summer in the Open Male and Open Female Surf Race.
Cotter proved too strong for Burleigh Head’s Mowbray Parks James Koch and Zach King, with Northcliffe’s Naomi Scoot and Rogers rounding out the women’s minor placings.
BMD Northcliffe A stormed home to win the Open 6-person Mixed Taplin with Alex Headland and Northcliffe B battling for second and third in a tight finished across the line.
A fantastic day on the beach, an enormous thanks to all our sponsors; Shaw and Partners Financial Services, Surf Lifesaving Queensland, Alexandra Headland SLSC, Race One Surf Craft, The Lap Co, the Sunshine Coast Council, We Are Feel Good Inc and Skoda.