FEATURE STORY
“I was at the physio a couple of hours
every day this week and I had an amazing
team around me to get me to the line.
"I was still a bit nervous about it this
morning and hoping that run wouldn’t
turn into a sprint finish. It ’s a bit sore but
thankfully it lasted and I can put my feet
up now.”
The injury scare prompted Day to
write the word ‘believe’ on his left hand,
and he kept looking at it for inspiration
throughout the race.
“I’ve seen the footy players do it all the
time and I thought, ‘Why not, I’ll do it too’,
he said.
“I kept looking down at it and believing
– that was the word for me today.”
Bevilacqua finished comfortably in
second place but was almost relegated
to third when penalised three minutes for
missing a gate during the board leg. The
penalty meant he was officially just two
seconds ahead of Wright, who produced a
storming finish.
Tears flow as Hancock Wins
Coolangatta Gold
In the Coolangatta Gold elite women’s
race, Northcliffe’ s Courtney Hancock
battled to hold back tears as she won her
second title in the surf lifesaving marathon
ahead of Allie Britton (North Burleigh) and
Rebecca Creedy (Kurrawa).
Hancock took the elite women’s crown
in 2011 but has had to endure some
frustrating results in the intervening years.
The joy and relief at finally winning again,
mixed with exhaustion, saw her on the
verge of breaking down as she crossed the
line in 4:29.07 and slumped into a chair.
“I felt very emotional seeing all my
family there, because you never know how
many races you’ve got left as an athlete,”
she said. “You just have to make the most
of every single race.”
Hancock was challenged early by Britton
and Rebecca Creedy, but took charge
in the 3.5km swim and pulled away to a
comfortable win. Britton finished second
just under three minutes behind Hancock,
while Creedy was another four minutes
back in third place.
“I woke up this morning and I thought
if I could put it together it will be the best
race ever,” Hancock said. “In the last two
years I have felt really good in races but it’s
been really frustrating for me. I have been
so close.
“I felt really good at Aussies, and then
got smashed after feeling like I was in the
best form of my life.”
Hancock was feeling so good ahead of
the race she had to force herself to relax.
“I knew all week I felt something special,
I felt really, really good,” she said. “I was
getting my iPod ready last night and I
started dancing and I said, ‘Slow down
Courtney, keep that energy for tomorrow,
you are going to be racing for over four
hours.”
Like Day, Hancock was far enough ahead
of her rivals to be able to soak up the
adulation of the friends and fans who lined
the chute to the finish.
“I’m just so pleased it wasn’ t a sprint
finish, I’ll never forget that in 2011, so I
actually walked up the stairs (to soak it all
in),” she said. “It was really really nice to
win a Coolangatta Gold and to take it all in.
That was an absolute dream come true.
“I basically raced that race today how
I wanted to. I knew the other girls were
going to be really, really tough, but without
doubt that was my favourite race I’ ve done
so far.”
Courtney Hancock | Photo: Harv Pix
16 | MULTISPORT MAGAZINE