CHRIS HARVEY has taken bronze at the World Kayak Surf Championships for the second year running. Held in ideal eight-foot surf in Bakio and Mundaka in northern Spain, the Guernsey man was the only UK surfer to make the final, which also featured two US team members and the European champion.
Harvey had gone into the final not feeling his best but an awesome aerial move on one wave helped him take the third spot.
‘Any one of the top 20 has the potential to win an event and it’s so difficult just to make the final,’ he said.
‘With a greater focus on coaching recently and struggling with a cold all week, I wasn’t feeling like I was on my best form. This is another great result for me and one that I can hopefully build on.
‘It’s so hard to keep up with the pace of the sport, so to be third in the world for the second year running is a real achievement. My game plan was to go out and enjoy the heat.
‘It was exciting to be in such a high class final and I was excited for the spectators who were guaranteed a good show.’
In the final, Harvey struggled to find the right waves as he seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He had to settle for short close-out rides before he caught a couple of nicer ones in the middle of the set.
Then a near-perfect wave came along.
‘I found a nice wave that walled up well and managed to work it hard,’ he said.
‘With an all-or-nothing attitude, I managed to land a nice little aerial on the inside section, albeit a bit close to rocks for comfort.’
Harvey then had a long wait at the end of the session before finding out that he was third.
‘I also received the prize for best move of the contest which I’m really excited about,’ he said.
‘In what were difficult conditions earlier in the week, I landed a really nice air which felt great and helped me get the nickname, ﾓAir Harveyﾔ, among the Americans.’
Harvey faces a busy time in the coming months. He is writing a magazine column, coaching and he’s also going on a documentary expedition to Peru.
He is looking for financial support and has bemoaned the amount he has received from companies in the island.
‘The hardest thing for me at the moment is securing financial sponsorship and I’m surprised by the lack of support from Guernsey companies,’ he said.
‘Over the last few years, and particularly the last year, I’ve had some great competition results and masses of media attention around the world. Most of the other competitors secure several thousand pounds each year in terms of financial sponsorship and especially the English competitors seem to attract some good sponsorship.
‘I’d like to think that as a wealthy island there are companies out there that would be supportive of local athletes and I might be able to secure some major sponsors for the next year.’
Harvey would like to hear from anyone who could help on chrisharveyonline@-gmail.com.
Article posted on 30th October, 2007 - 12.00am
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