Top honours for Fish Creek kneeboarder

FISH Creek identity, surfer and president of the South Gippsland Boardriders Association Paul O’Neill is now an international surf legend.
Over the last two weeks, Paul has been competing in his first but, surely not last, World Kneeboard Championship in Somo, Spain situated on the famous Bay of Biscay.
Unknown to the international surfing community before this event he picked up the epithet of “ The Dark Horse” as he carved his way through the heats, making it all the way to the final of the Men’s Open and over 50’s/Veterans events.
Competing in three foot surf, that Paul described as similar to local surf beaches such as Venus Bay, he managed to win the over 50s- Veterans World title.
In addition to this, he came third in the Open World title, which is also fantastic achievement.
According to Kneeboard Surf Australia president Jim Brown, Paul is the only Victorian to win a Men’s World Surfing title in the new kneeboard only format.
The only other male Victorian surfer to win a world title was Neil Luke, also a kneeboarder, back in 1978.
Jim Brown, who was at the event, said Paul surfed at a high level throughout the events and knocked out other past World title holders along the way.
Paul said that the whole event was a fantastically well run, fun experience and is thrilled to have won a world title.
Paul was surfing on boards crafted by another local surf celebrity at Island Surfboards in Phillip Island, Glyndon “Ringa” Ringrose
The locals were so impressed by his boards that they brought his quiver before they could even leave the beach.
Paul will have to wait two and a half more years to defend his title at the next World Kneeboard Championship scheduled to be held in Dunedin 2020, New Zealand.

Surf legend: Fish Creek’s Paul O’Neill won the over 50’s/Veterans World Kneeboard Championship in Spain.

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Posted by Sarah Vella on Oct 17 2017. Filed under Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry