KUANTAN: Australian Mackenzie Hynard took centre stage after securing first place for the third leg of the Pahang Ocean Paddle International Challenge (POPIC) 2022 today (Sept 9).
His victory marked a pivotal shift in the competition which was dominated by South African Dawid Mocke who secured two victories in a row during the first two stages.
Hynard finished the Open International Single Ocean Race category with a time of 1:06:25.47s.
“It’s been a tough couple of days for me due to the heat and humidity which I am still adapting to.
“However, I started to get a feel for it today and I will give my best to secure the top spot for the rest of the competition,” he told reporters after the race in Pantai Balok, here today.
Hynard also waxed lyrical about the organisers of the event, adding that he was especially pleased with the overall competition.
“I’d be lying if I say this isn’t a world-class event,” he praised.
Mocke came in third place with a time of 1:06:40.04s, five seconds behind first-runner-up, New Zealand’s Jenkinson Kent’s time of 1:06:35.41s.
However, Mocke is still leading the pack with a cumulative time of 3:20:37, followed closely by Kent (3:21:05) and Hynard (3:21:45).
Meanwhile, the women’s main category also saw national paddler Aimi Ayumi Azwan coming in second place for the first time, a step up from her third place spot.
New Zealand’s Danielle MacKenzie remained the leader three days in a row with a time of 1:12:10.20s.
Irin Neegree from Thailand finished in third place with a time of 1:26:08.32s.
POPIC 2022, the first of its kind to be held in Malaysia, is set to take place over the course of five days between Sept 7 to 11.
The fourth stage tomorrow (Sept 9) will take place at Pantai Cherating, Kuantan while the final stage will be held in Pantai Teluk Cempedak.
A total of 39 paddlers participated in the men’s event and 11 competed in the women’s event for the main categories.
