Arguably strongest field in history to fight for Nutri-Grain ironwoman title
ARGUABLY the strongest field assembled in ironwoman history will fight for the right to be crowned Nutri-Grain series champion.
Surfing
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IT’S arguably the strongest field assembled in ironwoman history.
Four former series winners, two Coolangatta Gold champions and a plethora of world title winners in various other ocean disciplines will fight for the right to be regarded as the greatest waterwoman in the world.
Not since Jordan Mercer won her maiden Nutri-Grain series title in 2015/16 in a field that included former champions Courtney Hancock and Liz Pluimers as well as established and rising stars like Brodie Moir, Rebecca Creedy and Harriet Brown, has an ironwoman faced such competition.
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After fighting back from a lingering foot injury last season, Mercer does not even have a guaranteed spot in the Ocean6 finals this season and will have to fight her way through Friday’s heats to ensure she’s able to line up in Saturday’s Round 1 decider at Queenscliff.
Kurrawa’s Brielle Cooper won a maiden series title last summer on countback from Harriet Brown, who just missed defending her title.
“I think every year you go in knowing it’s tough, there’s never any change to that,” said Brown, who admitted it took a while to get over the disappointment of losing the series on a countback.
“It really just needs hard work.”
Brown and Cooper head into the season among the favourites, along with Mercer, Coolangatta Gold champion Georgia Miller and three-time series champion Hancock.
Hancock decided to bypass the Gold this season to concentrate on the series and next month’s world championships in Adelaide. And she heads to Queenscliff feeling fresher than she has in years.
“I’m going to go into Round 1 not tired and feeling fatigued from a preparation of six months for the Coolangatta Gold, I’m go into go in exactly where I need to be and I’m excited for race one at Queenscliff,” she said.
“I think definitely (I can win another series). There’s no reason I can’t and this isn’t going to be my last season, I’ve just decided to change what I want to do and really focus on that.
“I want the Nutri-Grain this year.”
She faces a battle though not only from former champions Mercer, Cooper and Brown but new Northcliffe clubmate Miller, whose breakthrough victory in the Gold a fortnight ago has bolstered her confidence.
“That race has given me a lot of confidence and I now know that I have the fitness and hopefully the speed comes back,” she said.
“But Queenscliff could be hit or miss – it could go really well, it could go horribly, it will depend on the next couple of days and how I pull up.”
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