nelo summer challenge

Running down the water’s edge, Hayley Nixon leapt onto her surfski. As she took her first stroke, the paddler next to her, floundering, clipped her ski and she half fell out. Frantically she recovered her balance, only to be hit and almost knocked out again. “Just. Move. Please!” she yelled…

There are at least ten paddlers who could podium tomorrow at the 8^th NELO Summer Challenge, which starts at 4pm in Porto, Portugal.

The video feed was just clear enough that we could make out two white-clad figures paddling two white boats - the Mocke brothers, hammering it out in front of the 138-strong fleet of surfskis...

Later today some of the top surfski paddlers in the world will line up for the 10km Nelo Summer Challenge downwind race, among them world ranked #1 Dawid Mocke, his brother Jasper (currently ranked #3), and fellow South African Sean Rice (ranked #9). Last year's winner Australian Kenny Wallace is there, his compatriots Jacob Clear and David Smith, along with a host of top sprint paddlers including 1000m K1 Olympic gold medalist Eirik Larsen (Norway).