IrishFreestyle

Leonard Kelleher: Lenny Kelleher during the finals at Kayak Surf World Championships in Bakio, Mundaka October 2007. Photo by Louis Kelleher

First of all I would like to thank some people who have helped me over the years and who have helped me get where I am today. Thanks to my family especially Finbar and Sophia (my parents), Mr. and Mrs. taxi drivers for past number of years. I am very grateful for all the lifts to and from competitions/training and all the early starts and late nights. Thanks to the Malahide Sea Scouts and to all the leaders involved with them for all their guidance, support and teaching. Thanks to all my Sponsors throughout the years, Rough Stuff Paddles, WaveSport, Gath Helmets, DCU and all the people who have helped raise funds to help me compete abroad. Thanks to Wayne Timmons from Ireland for managing the Irish team this year and for all his encouragement and support. Thanks to all my brothers for all their support and for keeping me in a competitive frame of mind (24/7, even at the dinner-table). Kayaking alone isn't safe and I always kayak with another person, so thanks to the people who were that other person. Thanks for all the people who have supported me and helped me throughout the years. Thanks to people who have let me stay in their homes while kayaking away from home. Thanks to the people I may have forgotten.

I'm not so sure the title win will ever sink in, it hasn't yet anyway. This event was by far my most enjoyable to date. Not because I won but the way there was a magical atmosphere surrounding the whole competition. The waves throughout the competition were from good to excellent. I was not so much in a competition frame of mine for the competition but more of a happy buzz and was enjoying every moment of the competition rather than worrying about making it through to the next round. Each wave I surfed I was just smiling while coming down the face and felt so lucky to be surfing these lovely waves. Being so relaxed throughout the competition and to be just enjoying the whole atmosphere is what I think helped me win. I never once was worrying about trying to win the World Championships but worried more about enjoying each wave surfed to the max.

Leonard Kelleher: Lenny Kelleher during the finals at Kayak Surf World Championships in Bakio, Mundaka October 2007. Photo by Louis Kelleher

The day of the finals (Sunday) was unreal. The competition organisers were having difficulties the day before as the finals were scheduled to be run on the Saturday and the awards ceremony to take place Saturday evening. The organisers had decided to hold the mens and masters finals in Bakio on Sunday morning as there was a good swell due. I wasn't very happy with this decision as the best left handed wave in Europe (Mundaka) was just 20 minutes down the road. I tried to explain my thoughts to one of the judges and one of the members of the world surf kayak committee. They couldn't change the location of the competition as there were people flying home on the Sunday and the swell wouldn't hit Mundaka until the afternoon. I thought holding it in Mundaka would be better for the sport as the best wave would be used to showcase the sport. My thoughts were proven wrong when I arrived at Bakio beach to find the most perfect wave forming for a long boat. These waves were about 15 feet and peeling perfectly. Everyone in the final (Johnny Bingham, Darren Bason, Edu Etxeberri and myself) was really fired up and couldn't wait to surf these magical waves. Sitting out the back waiting for the competition to start I looked around me in amazement, the sun was shinning, the waves were perfect and the typical Basuque landscape around the beach was breathtaking. Everyone was wearing the biggest smile on their faces and laughing. At one stage I said to Darren, this is unreal, it's like a water-park but you don't have to pay and there are no rules, he said no rules and laughed. I thought then that I might crack a bit of a joke to lighten the mood for the other lads. Having one other Irish person out there with me I thought he might have got the "Here we are now… all the lads…" (Father Todd Uncious's quote from Father Ted). Every one of them just looked at me as if I had 3 heads so I didn't even try and explain. So the hooter sounded and the heat started. There wasn't the usual grappling for waves as they kept pouring in. Each of us caught at least 5 waves I would imagine. With every wave I caught I gave a "yippie" while zipping down the face, the other lads looking on and encouraging me as I would encourage them whenever they caught another monstrous wave. As the heat was over I paddled into the beach with the biggest smile I have ever had, just with the fact that I had surf these perfect waves and that I had competed in my very first final of a world championships. I didn't mind what place I would get but was just overjoyed with excitement and buzzing with adrenaline of the final. The Irish team and supporters came up and congratulated me on my performance. I just kept repeating, "Unbelievable, unbelievable".

Thanks,

Len.