A GUTSY comeback in the shadows of the finish line has handed Port Macquarie’s outrigger paddlers a silver medal at the prestigious Gold Coast Cup.
The Port Macquarie Maroro open mixed crew lost second place to Eastern Suburbs with three kilometres remaining in the 42km race, and was at risk of finishing outside the medals when Tweed Heads began closing.
However, superior tactics from steerer Gavin Lunn and a strong charge over the final two kilometers enabled the Port team to regain second place over their rivals, with Brisbane River Dragons taking out the event.
Port Macquarie now has one gold and two silver medals from its last four outings on the Gold Coast.
Coach Wes Byrnes said he was extremely proud of the courage shown by his crew, which finished the course from Coolangatta to Northcliffe in three hours, 40 minutes.
“We had some incredibly tired paddlers towards the end of the race but they continued working hard for each other and deserved this great result,” Byrnes said.
“It is always satisfying when each paddler can say they’ve done everything they could, and I think we got the best out of every member of this crew on Saturday.
“We also had a great team of supporters, partners and family members up at the Gold Coast helping to motivate the crew and they’re a big part of this achievement.”
In relatively calm conditions, there was little assistance from either wind or swell as the teams made their way up the coast.
Despite almost tipping early in the race, the Port Macquarie crew settled well through the middle stages and dug in for a powerful finish.
The club’s next challenge is the National Outrigger titles, being held at Mooloolaba on 24 and 25 May.
“We have three weeks to tune up for this event and, if we can continue to train hard I think we can still improve on Saturday’s excellent performance,” Byrnes said.
