Good little interview with one of the fastest women on the water, who you may never even have heard of (though you’ll definitely know the name if you’re from Australia…).

After a record-setting career as her country’s most dominant ever IronWoman (aka Surf Life Saving races, which are a big, big deal in Australia) in the late 90’s and early 00’s, Karla Gilbert retired from ocean racing for several years before jumping back into racing 18 months ago with Stand Up Paddling.

Despite being twice the age of many of her rivals, the Gold Coaster is fast moving through the ranks to become one of the quickest women on the water. Karla is now paddling for Naish and after some impressive results already this year (winning the 12 Towers and putting in a big effort at OluKai), keep your eye out for her name to appear on plenty of podiums in the next couple of years.

This interview is from Surfing Australia, who, unlike many Surfing Governing Bodies around the world, have fully embraced Stand Up Paddling over the past couple of years…