Jordanoff and Jackson claim wins at WA Bodyboard Championships held at Margaret River’s Gas Bay break

Dunsborough and Yallingup bodyboarding veterans claimed some of the top divisions at the weekend’s return of the WA Bodyboard Championship at Gas Bay. The first competition at the Margaret River break since 2019 saw intense competition between the State’s best proponents of the sport. “This was the biggest turnout we’ve had for this event in many, many years,” Surfing WA events manager Justin Majeks said. “It was so good to welcome back some of WA’s best bodyboarders and see them rubbing shoulders with the new generation of talent we have coming through the ranks.” Clean and consistent 3-4 feet waves brought out the best from a stacked field of competitors who converged on the region. Dunbsorough champion Joe Jordanoff won the Drop knee division and came second in the over-35 Masters to fellow Dunsborough competitor Chad Jackson, with Yallingup’s Sean Oberholzer third and Margaret River’s Michael Reid fourth. While Kai de Legh scored in the prestigious Open Men’s contest, Margaret River mainstay Ben Veitch was close on his heels in second, Jason de Legh third and Dunsborough’s Jackson fourth. Meanwhile, Oberholzer took out the Over-45 Grand Masters contest against Dunsborough’s Barry Hammond by 3.5 points out of 20. Jordanoff said winning another state title was as rewarding as meeting his own performance goals. “The move to Gas Bay has been a great one in my opinion and the waves on Saturday were as good as it gets for a competition,” he said. “This is state title number 13 for me and I just love bodyboarding and especially the Drop Knee division.” Jackson, a pioneer of the sport in the early 2000s, made a welcome return to competitive bodyboarding. “It’s been at least 16 years since I competed in one of these events, but with such a good forecast, I was thrilled to pull on a competition jersey again after so long,” he said. “Well done to everyone here this weekend and thanks to all the sponsors for supporting grass-roots bodyboarding at its best.” Veitch won the contest’s Stealth expression session, claiming a new bodyboard for a massive flip at his beloved home break. Surfing WA will now hold a bodyboard training camp to prepare the WA team for the national titles on the east coast later this year.