COLLINS & SWETISH CLAIM WINS AT 2025 GORGE DOWNWIND CHAMPIONSHIPS
Jackson Collins has claimed his first major surfski title since returning to the sport following the 2024 Paris Olympics, while Ana Swetish collected her third crown at the Gorge Downwind Championships.
Wind forecasts suggested that this year’s running of the iconic race, held outside of Portland in the northwest of the United States, could be one of the fastest seen.
Although conditions didn’t quite meet those hopes, the Columbia River was still a paddler’s paradise.
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The Gorge again boasted another bumper field, with 659 entries across single and double surfskis and outriggers.
As soon as the starting siren sounded, Collins showed his speed that is near unparalleled in paddling.
In his first international race for Epic, the K4 500 silver medalist from last year’s Olympic Games opened an early gap in front, willing to lead across the technical course, despite it being his first time at the event.
“I thought that, with the flow of the river going one way, and the wind the other, it would be pretty hard to catch someone once you get into the runs and the thick of the race.” Collins said.
“My whole plan was to get out in front and stay there, which didn’t quite work,” he laughs, “but I did my best.”
Chasing hard, a pack of three elite paddlers.
Defending champion Austin Kieffer, reigning Molokai champion Pat Dolan and the experienced Australian Mackenzie Hynard, who was racing down to Hood River for an eighth time.
The trio diced through opening 10 kilometres of the course, content to conserve their energy rather than try to reel Collins in.
“Honestly, hats off to Jackson.” Kieffer said. “I kind of shook my head and said, ‘there’s no way he’ll sustain that.”
“I let him go and tried to race my own race. My plan was to race smooth and fast for the first half then put the hammer down and see if I could make a gap.”
That did unfold in the second half of the race, with Kieffer and Dolan surfing the short-period swells right up to Collins.
“I thought we were going to have a battle,” Kieffer reflected to The Paddler. “But the man had a little more in the tank and dropped the hammer.”
“My only goal today was to never give up and always fight for first. Right around Wells Island I actually pulled up to him again, but again, he had another gear that I lacked.”
Collins says he never quite felt comfortable out in front.
“I found a little bit of space, then Austin came up hard in the last couple of kilometres,” he said.
“It was a fight right until the line, but it was good.”
Jackson Collins hit the finish line at Hood River in 1 hour, 26 minutes and 27 seconds – the fifth-fastest winning time from the Gorge Downwind Championship’s 10 instalments.
“It was really fun,” Collins said. “It’s quite tough out there, it’s so heavily dependent on your line because the flow is quite strong.
“It’s very different to racing at home, but it was very enjoyable. It was lots of fun.”
Collins’ time was just 11 seconds quicker than Austin Kieffer (1:26:38), with Pat Dolan (1:29:23) and Mackenzie Hynard (1:30:04) following behind.
The race also doubled as this year’s United States national championships, so Kieffer walks away with that crown.
“I’m super proud, fighting for the win the whole time,” Kieffer said. “And hats off to Jacko, he had an awesome race.
“It was so cool racing with Macca and Pat, it was an awesome field today. I’m really stoked with a second.”
Ana Swetish was fifth overall on her way to a commanding victory in the women’s race in a time of 1 hour, 31 minutes and 44 seconds.
Zoe Norcross-Nu’u (1:47:44) and Tamlyn Bohm (1:48:31) rounded out the top three.
“It was good,” Swedish said in the wake of her win. “We had really good waves right away, and it actually held for a really long time.
“There were a couple of hard patches, but that’s how it goes. I was really happy with how it went and it was fun – and hard, as racing is.”
To view the full results of the 2025 Gorge Downwind Championships, click here.
