Crothers takes double

RACING two 100m beach sprint finals within five minutes is just part of sport, according to Rachel Crothers.

Alexandra Headland’s Rachel Crothers won both the Open. Picture: Cade Mooneyscnfastmanc

RACING two 100m beach sprint finals within five minutes is just part of sport, according to Rachel Crothers.

The Alexandra Headland teenager yesterday won the under-17 and open women’s races at the final round of the Fastest Man on Sand series at Mooloolaba.

Crothers, 16, wasn’t challenged in the under-17 final before comfortably winning the open race just minutes later ahead of Kurrawa’s Melissa Howard.

There was a sense of deja vu for Crothers who beat Howard in last year’s corresponding race.

Crothers said she had become accustomed to the tough schedule of beach racing.

“That’s just part of surf racing on the beach,” she said.

“You have to be used to the heats and semis being after each other. It’s not too bad.”

Crothers didn’t race at all the rounds of the series and wasn’t sure if she had accumulated enough points to win the series again after her triumph last year.

She said she was targeting the final round at Mooloolaba in preparation for this month’s state surf lifesaving titles and next month’s national titles on the Gold Coast.

“I wanted to be doing pretty well at this point in the season. Hopefully it will pay off at Aussies,” she said.

“I’m just preparing for Aussies and state titles and then that’s the end of the season for me.”

Currumbin’s Mitchell Swain took out the open men’s race just ahead of Kurrawa’s Ben Mitchell.

Swain, 19, had only just returned to the sport after three months out because of injury and said he struggled on the dry track earlier in the day.

“The track at the start of the day wasn’t that good,” Swain said.

“As it progressed through the day, the tide went down and it was a lot harder so it was a lot easier to run on.”

Originally published as Crothers takes double