BURN GETS CONFIDENCE BACK AFTER WINNING SOUTH AFRICAN TITLE
Michelle Burn says there’s a simple reason she enjoyed the South African surfski titles so much.
“There was wind.” She jokes.
Behind the laugh was the truth of a tough 18 months of racing.
In 2022, Burn travelled to Australia for the Shaw and Partners WA Race Week, and a long-awaited showdown with fellow world champions Jemma Smith and Danielle McKenzie.
But a bout of COVID left her below her best.
Last year, fighting fit, she returned to Perth – only for the wind to disappear.
Burn went on to win silver at the ICF World Championships a week later, but over the weekend, at last, she felt like it all just came together.
“It’s pretty cool,” she reflected to The Paddler.
“I was starting to think I didn’t know how to win anymore, because it’s been a long time. I’ve had a lot of second places.”
“It was quite nice to have that confidence back again.
“Life happens for everybody. Everyone goes through their own things at different times.
“Having this race here at home, it was chilled. I was quite comfortable with the course and didn’t have to think too much. It was fun.”
Burn doesn’t know exactly how many national titles she’s won over her career.
“I’m not sure,” she laughs. “I don’t really count those things.”
But she does know that her latest title is extra special, given the quality of the women’s field that assembled in Durban, which Burn labelled “one of the strongest she’s seen” at a South African titles.
The 23 kilometre course stretched from Durban Point to Umdloti, and the further it went on, the better the conditions became.
The start, however, was dead-flat. A fast start was crucial.
“I had a really good warm-up for a change, so I jumped in and felt comfortable from the start and took the lead,” Burn recalls.
“I paddled straight out to where I thought the runs would be and everyone just stuck with me.
“I think Kira [Bester] was using me as a guide on where to go. Every time I slowed down to let her go, or I went a bit wider, she hung with me.”
That was seemingly the story of the race.
Just like they did at the 2023 ICF World Championships, Burn and Bester battled to the finish.
“Kira was on my tail the whole way,” Burn says.
“I’d get away, then she’d come back at me. I’d get away, then she’d come back at me again.”
“The last 100 metres I managed to get ahead by a bump or two. The shorebreak was pretty tricky, but I managed to get in fine.
“I was pretty happy. It was just nice to win again.”
Burn stopped the clock in a time of 1 hour, 36 minutes and 29 seconds, which, in the end, was 35 seconds ahead of Kira Bester (1:37:04) in second.
Junior paddler Georgia Singe (1:40:48) was a further three minutes and 44 seconds behind, with Saskia Hockly (1:41:12) and Melanie Van Niekerk (1:41:50) rounded out the top five.
To view the full results of the 2024 South African Surfski Titles, click here.
Uli Hart claimed his first South African surfski title after winning the men’s race, ahead of Mark Keeling and Dawid Mocke.
To read why that victory assured Hart that he does belong on surfski’s elite stage, click here.
For Michelle Burn, the win came with an added feeling of satisfaction given she hasn’t really thought too much about winning.
“I definitely haven’t been as focused on one specific thing, like I have been previously.
“I think I’ve gotten better at not fixating on just winning… I think I’ve gotten better at dealing with a loss now.”
“But I think that just comes with age, too.
“I need paddling, anyway. It’s my relaxation and my time where I don’t think too much about everything else.”
The 2024 ICF World Championships are now in her sights, though.
Burn will again represent South Africa, looking to add a second title to her name, after victory in 2021.
“Now I’ll start to focus on that,” she says. “I haven’t really thought about it too much yet.
“But I’m amped. I have a few months before Worlds. I need to put some more training in, but I’m happy with where it’s at.”
