Emma Wynne has announced herself as one of the big names in surf, finishing fifth in the final round of the national Kellogg's Nutri-Grain IronMan Series at Sydney's Coogee Beach on Sunday.
Only ten competitors were in the series final, with Emma ranked seventh after qualifying rounds at Coffs Harbour, Kurrawa and Portsea.
The final format was three races, with a number of competitors being eliminated in each. Race one started with the swim leg, and Emma showed her intentions by leading around the cans and entering the board leg in second place. The surf brought the pack back together, and Emma left the water in third.
With a falling tide making for a tricky shorebreak, the ski leg was always going to be the danger zone for Emma. She managed to pick her way out without too many problems, and with the top six qualifying for race two Emma was sitting in sixth place. There was a comfortable break back to seventh, but the girl in seventh was former Australian Open Women's Ski Champion Britt Collie. Although the gap was closing, Emma's hard work early in the race gave her enough of a margin as she made her way safely in through the break and into race two.
Race two started with the board leg, and Emma didn't get off to the best of starts. With only the top three going into the final race being with the leaders was crucial, but Emma trailed the pack back into the beach for the chageover to the ski leg.
A fortunate set of waves in the shorebreak held up the leaders, and Emma was able to join them on the ski. All competitors got knocked off at one time of another, but eventually they all made it out with Emma sitting in fifth place. A wave on the way in gave Emma the opportunity to join the third and fourth placegetters, but the break proved too much as she lost her ski and lost some ground on the field.
Although she is one of the best swimmers in the field, the break from fifth to third proved too much to bridge. Only a big wave on the way in could have given Emma a chance to make race three, but it didn't happen and she finished the series in fifth place.
| Final Series Placings | |
| 1 | Kristy Cameron (Northcliffe) |
| 2 | Kristyl Smith (Northcliffe) |
| 3 | Hayley Bateup (Northcliffe) |
| 4 | Kirsty Munro (Alex Headlands) |
| 5 | Emma Wynne (City of Perth) |
| 6 | Sheree Merryfull (Northcliffe) |
| 7 | Britt Collie (Northcliffe) |
| 8 | Naomi Flood (Queenscliff) |
| 9 | Gemma Newbiggin (Met Caloundra) |
| 10 | Chelsea McKenzie (Mooloolaba) |
