Harvey lands that big first international win

CHRIS HARVEY has secured his first international surf kayaking title. And by winning the Santa Cruz Surf Kayak competition at Steamers Lane Break in California, the 26-year-old Guernseyman became the first Briton to do so in more than 20 years.

In the final, Harvey had to overcome current World Cup champion Dave Johnston and American Andrew Nolan.

'I'm so excited to win. The last two years have been great as I've risen through the rankings but that international win has been elusive for a while,' said Harvey.

'I was really excited going into the final. I knew I could win but it was going to be tough and I had to keep my nerve.'

Harvey's win comes after a steady string of good results including a third in Santa Cruz last year, a silver at the British Championships in September and a bronze at the World Cup in October.

He opened in Santa Cruz with a couple of fine heat wins against Americans Jim Grossman and former US champion Vincent Shay.

In the quarter-finals Harvey edged past current British champion Dessie McGlinchey by one point for his third straight win.

A tough draw in the semis meant Harvey faced McGlinchey again, as well as 2006 champion Rusty Sage.

'The heat had a slow start and I struggled to get the rides I wanted, but on about 12 minutes I scored a really nice ride from deep.

'The wave walled up really well and I was able to combine roundhouse cutbacks, slashes and land another aerial, which got me really fired up.'

The final against Nolan and Santa Cruz local Johnston proved to be a quieter heat wave-wise and Harvey together with Johnston pulled away from Nolan.

In a battle for position and waves, both competitors had some great rides and the heat seemed really close to call.

But with a slightly more aggressive style attacking the lip, Harvey just sneaked ahead to take his first international title.

'As the competition progressed and I knocked out my main rivals I gained more and more confidence.'

Harvey also entertained the crowd in the Californian sun with some exciting moves.

'I've landed aerial moves in training, but as one of the hardest moves to perform it's difficult to get right in competition, so to land a few in this event in front of a large crowd was just fantastic.

'It's an amazing feeling when you land a big move like an aerial and the crowd goes wild.'

Harvey is currently involved in a number of video and magazine projects in the run-up to this year's British and World Championships and is seeking sponsorship from local companies.

* For more information go to www.chrisharveyonline.net