Danielle McKenzie has taken out gold at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in France

The summer surf lifesaving season may not start for another month but Danielle McKenzie has already proven she will be one of the ones to beat after winning gold at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in France.

THE summer surf lifesaving season may not start for another month but Danielle McKenzie has already proven she will be one of the ones to beat after winning gold at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in France last week.

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The Northcliffe star finished more than one minute ahead of race favourite and defending champion Hayley Nixon of South while fellow kiwi Teneale Hatton came in third.

Daielle McKenzie in action at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships. Picture: Instagram

After competing in both surf ski and triathlon in the past, the 25-year-old admitted that her first foray into canoeing was grounded in fitness not strategy.

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“As far as race plans go I pretty well had nothing,” she said of the 22-kilometre course.

“A few of the paddlers had done the course earlier in the week so my goal was to sit with them and see where their line was.

“We’ve done lots of Coolangatta Gold training leading into this so I’ve done a lot of training just not at race pace.

“It’s so awesome to come to a third sport and compete for a first time and have a win.”

After conquering Quiberon, McKenzie is now spending some time in Durban South Africa before returning to Australia for the start of the surf lifesaving season.

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“This race was very hard to get to,” she said.

“I self-funded myself to get here.

“For me it’s been a big learning curve and try to get my name out there and talk to a lot of people and make some new friends.”