Burleigh Heads junior superstar Jasmine Rayward sent a warning signal to her rivals after reclaiming the lead of the Shaw and Partners Summer of Surf u17 Ironwoman Series with a big win at the Murphy Homes Maroochy Classic on Saturday.
Rayward leapfrogged Redhead’s Lani Waller, who sat out the round, to sit on 25515 points, roughly 2300 ahead of Waller in second place. The effort is even more special considering the Burleigh teen has also been racing the open ironwoman and sits in 79th place overall.
Rayward also claimed the u17 women’s ski race and was second in the board to BHMP teammate Chelsea Wood. While in the u17 Women’s surf race, local girl Serena Bond (Alexandra Headland) shot up the overall point score to inside the top ten with a tight win over Northcliffe pair Poppy Stephen and Emma McDonald.
A big win from Henry Simpson in the u17 men’s Swim made it an Alexandra Headland double in the event; Simpson is fresh off a successful Super Surf Teams League season with the QLD Marlins; he finished ahead of Currumbin’s Riley Brennan and Northcliffe’s Riley Harland.
The two Riley’s filled out the podium only moments later, but this time in the u17 Ironman and behind Surfers Paradise young gun Fletcher Warn. The result moves Warn into third overall on the pointscore behind heavy favourite to take the series Connor Maggs, and new leader Riley Harland, who has a win from the Hayden Kenny Classic and two 7000 point third place finishes.
Surfers Paradise continues to show the future is bright with Maalik Moston claiming the u17 men’s Board race in a tight finish; also giving him enough to claim the overall board series lead. While in the u17 Ski race Dickey Beach’s Bohdi Emery got his first big result of the summer to claim the win in emphatic fashion.
In the u15s, North Curl Curl phenom Pipi Te Pania remains undefeated in the ironwoman, winning her 5thstraight Shaw and Partners Summer of Surf event. Te Pania has 29,000 points in the u15 ironwoman, the maximum possible at this point in the season and the highest score achieved by anyone in the Summer of Surf so far. To further add to her incredible record the Sydney teen also claimed the surf race and the board race for the 4th time this summer respectively; this brings her season tally to 13 wins from 15 events, a truly special run.
The podium in all 3 u15s women’s events was rounded out by a few recognisable names in Bianca Rayward (BHMP) and Zoe Woods (Alex).
It was a Sunshine Coast onslaught in the u15 men’s competition, with 9 of the top 10 in the u15 Iron all locals – Byron Oliphant claimed the first event of the finals package in style ahead of Noosa’s Darcy Dinnage and Charlie Harmer. Currumbin’s Vern Winter was the only non-local in the top 10 and continued his resistance by claiming the board race ahead of Sunshine Beach brothers Luke and Darcy Lewis – incredibly Luke is just an u14 racing up an age group against his older brother.
But it was big brother Darcy who got the final laugh claiming the u15 Surf race ahead of Alex’s Oliphant and Maroochy’s Josiah Short; Lewis’s grit and determination was reminiscent of his father John; a multiple time Coolangatta Gold placegetter.
