French Rescue Round-up

Plenty of medals went around to share for the UK athletes, as they went up against the best in Europe in what could prove to be a preview to the European championships later this summer.

Racing for the north Devon club Woolacoombe, all eight UK athletes brought a medal home with them, it was the first time the whistle was blown for most of the competitors this summer.

Ellie McCloy kicked off the medal rush with a silver in the surf race, which was followed up by Bob Whittaker who also won silver in the swim.

Immediately after, Kiran Gammon wins the youth boys surf race, winning in emphatic style and being the first to throw up the Woolacoombe W as he claimed the victory running up the beach.

The next medal landed on Evie Wong from Wales, dashing to a third place in the senior sprints after finally finding the right age group to race in.

As the tide hit the high tide bank, the wind chop generated a swell to mix it up for the board finals, McCloy got her second silver of the day in a stacked-out field after just the back coming off the lead wave.

The men’s board rescue was next to see gold, Whittaker swimming out and touching the can second, Piran Phillips the board paddler had to hold of Hossegor’s board champion Mael Tissier from behind.

Phillips and Whittaker rounded the can still in second behind the Biarritz pair, but the brits dialled the runners and found themselves on the leading wave alongside Biarritz, both pairs with initial poor dismounts, Phillips threw up the W as Whittaker led them across the line.

Wong got day two’s medals of to a start, claiming gold in the women’s ski, leading from start to finish in a dominant victory.

Phillips followed up, paddling to second, just getting down the wave in front of last year’s World championship silver Nordin Sparmann.

The next gold medal was done in the coolest of fashions by youngster Grace Young in the youth ironwomen.

Obliterating the European field, the Aussie half breed now back in the UK, showed Europe how to do it in choppy windy conditions, putting all three legs together perfectly and once again, the Wooly W came out to play.

In the senior irons, both Whittaker and McCloy claimed silvers, both just off the toes of first the whole way, both stars couldn’t get down the winning wave in the final leg of the swim.

The final races of the weekend for the UK team were the men and women taplin's in which both claimed silver.

Laura McCloy and Mathew Rowlands collected their medals in the relay, to make sure no one went home empty handed.

It was a brilliant first race and a true test of early season fitness heading into this weekend GB trials at Branksome Chine.