Surfski World Champs Recap with Cory Hill, Pierre Vilella, Kira Bester, Rosie Edwards, and Sam Mocke

Durban was everything we dreamed of and more. Billy and Betsy dive into: what was going on with that shore break? Who handled it well, should the course run through such an intense shorey, and how viral did those videos go?

But more importantly, what was going through the minds of some of the top paddlers when they were on the water? It was a long course of 34km in less wind what many paddlers hoped for, and there was plenty of action between the buoys that didn’t make the live stream.

Newly crowned 2x world champion Kira Bester and 2025 U23 world champion Rosie Edwards join Paddlecast to talk through how the women’s race went from the front, recapping the key moments in their own words.

For the men’s race, 4x world champion Cory Hill and 2025 vice world champion Pierre Vilella tell the story of the front of the men’s race in their own words. Pierre led from the start, but actually dropped back to 6th place at one point. And Cory wasn’t even at the front of the race until more than halfway through, but still pulled off a record-breaking 4th world title (breaking his own record).

Billy & Betsy talk about their stand-outs, focusing on some impressive young paddlers including junior world champions Sam Mocke and Andrea Jimenez, as well as U23 stand-outs Rosie Edwards, Bernardo Pereira, and Matt Coetzer.

In her interview with Paddlecast, Kira Bester describes exactly how she was feeling in that moment when she won her world title, and who she was really racing for this year. Rosie Edwards explains just how shocked she was at her result, and why she thinks she paddled so well in Durban. Pierre Vilella, whose silver medal shocked many fans including a commentary team that called him Gordan Harbrecht for the first few minutes of the race, discusses how surprised he was, how his training group helps him, and why he thinks his recent venture into marathon racing was key to his stellar result.

16 year old Sam Mocke makes his podcast debut, almost as exciting as winning his second junior world title with plenty of time left in the junior category. He talks about which paddlers, Mocke family and otherwise, he looks up to as role models and inspiration. Sam outlines exactly just how ambitious he is with his goals for the future of his paddling career, far beyond more world titles…

Finally, Billy & Betsy mention a few more fantastic races that have been happening over the last couple of weeks while they’ve been focused on Durban, including:

The Krumlovsky
Liffey Descent
Great Alabama 650
Paddle Games
Pete Marlin
20 Beaches

Links to catch up on those races are included below.

Thanks to Carbonology UK for sponsoring this episode of Paddlecast! Carbonology is one of the world’s leading surfski brands, and notably it’s the brand of choice for the now 2x world champion Kira Bester, who has won both her world titles racing the Carbonology Flash X LV (Low Volume) ski. Paddlecast co-host Billy has spent plenty of time in Carbonology skis as well, including the intermediate-level Zest which was his first ski and a perfect introduction to surfski paddling for those coming from a strong sprint or marathon racing background.

Head over to carbonologysport.co.uk to check out their skis and other equipment. Contact AlanHunter@carbonologysport.co.uk to learn more.

00:22 Introduction & why Billy didn't race
02:28 Women's Race Recap with Kira & Rosie
09:04 The Shorey
14:31 Men's Race Recap with Cory & Pierre
27:15 The Largest Start Line Ever at Worlds
29:40 Stand-Out Paddlers
Highlighting up-and-coming paddlers who performed exceptionally well or better than expected
35:28 Interview with Kira Bester
40:28 Interview with Rosie Edwards
43:38 Interview with Pierre Vilella
50:59 Interview with Sam Mocke
1:00:47 Interview with Cory Hill

Useful links:
  / krumlovskymaraton  
  / liffeydescent  
  / greatalabama650  
  / paddle_games  
https://petemarlin.co.za/2025-results
https://20beaches.com.au

#surfski #surfskikayak #worldchampionship #durban2025 #visitsouthafrica #kayaking #surflifesaving #paddlesportsa #planetcanoe