Latest news with #Pardoe
Leader Live
05-08-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Wrexham-born Olympian Hector is now a record-breaker!
The Wrexham-born swimmer has set a new world record by becoming the first person in history to swim Britain's three biggest lakes – Loch Lomond (Scotland), Windermere (England) and Bala's Llyn Tegid (Wales) – back-to-back in a travel inclusive time between lakes of under 24 hours. The two-time British Olympian completed the three swims, totalling over 34-and-a-half miles, in a combined swim time of 12 hours and 15 minutes. In the process, he smashed the previous record for Loch Lomond by an incredible one-and-a-half hours. Swimming through the night, starting at one minute past midnight on Saturday morning in water temperatures as low as 14 degrees, he completed the gruelling 21.6 miles in a new record time of seven hours, 46 minutes and 15 seconds. From Loch Lomond, Pardoe and his support team travelled the 167 miles to Lake Windermere - where he set the current record back in 2023 - in a fleet of electric Jeeps. He was cheered on at the finish by hundreds of supporters lining the lakeside beaches and pontoon to complete the 10.5-mile length in three hours and 38 minutes. After another 152 miles of driving, the next stop was Bala and it was getting dark by the time he entered the water. Cheered on again by large groups of supporters, he mustered up every ounce of energy to complete the astonishing 34.5 miles of swimming - representing almost twice the length of the English Channel, and over 2,220 lengths of a typical 25m public swimming pool. At the end he was greeted by Fergus Feeney, CEO of Swim Wales and crowned 'King of the Lakes'. In the process, Pardoe has so far raised over £6,000 for Surfers Against Sewage and highlighted the need to clean up our waterways. Support and donations keep flooding in to his Just Giving page. He said: 'I knew that this wasn't just about pushing my own limits; it was also about using the platform I've built through sport to fight for the environment that made me. 'Across the UK, our rivers and lakes are being polluted by sewage and agricultural runoff, making them unsafe – not just for athletes like me, but for anyone who wants to enjoy them. I knew that I had to push through my pain, cold and hunger to further highlight this issue. For me it's all about national pride. 'Hopefully I have now thrown down the gauntlet for others to follow. Complete this challenge if you dare.' Sponsorship came from Jeep, Cameron House Hotel and Bala Lake Hotel.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Gull sips man's coffee before stealing his mug
A gull has taken revenge on a man who was installing anti-bird spikes in a Cornish town - by drinking his coffee and pinching his mug. Maintenance worker Darren Pardoe had been bird proofing houses in Porthleven when he stopped at a pub for a coffee on 3 June. He said he had been talking to someone before he turned around to find the gull helping himself to the hot brew. Before he could take action, the feathered thief flew off with the mug. "I think it had remembered me," he joked. More news stories for Cornwall Listen to the latest news for Cornwall Recalling the coffee heist, Mr Pardoe said: "I turn round and sure enough a seagull's got its beak in my coffee... next minute the bird picks up the coffee cup by its handle and takes off across the harbour with it. "It flew round the harbour and then landed on the water, put the cup down, and the cup just sank." Mr Pardoe captured a photo of the bird in flight with his coffee mug. Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ 'Starving' seagulls baited to be hit by cars 'Seagull boy' swoops in to retain screeching title Stop feeding seagull 'muggers', beachgoers told
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Gull sips man's coffee before stealing his mug
A gull has taken revenge on a man who was installing anti-bird spikes in a Cornish town - by drinking his coffee and pinching his mug. Maintenance worker Darren Pardoe had been bird proofing houses in Porthleven when he stopped at a pub for a coffee on 3 June. He said he had been talking to someone before he turned around to find the gull helping himself to the hot brew. Before he could take action, the feathered thief flew off with the mug. "I think it had remembered me," he joked. More news stories for Cornwall Listen to the latest news for Cornwall Recalling the coffee heist, Mr Pardoe said: "I turn round and sure enough a seagull's got its beak in my coffee... next minute the bird picks up the coffee cup by its handle and takes off across the harbour with it. "It flew round the harbour and then landed on the water, put the cup down, and the cup just sank." Mr Pardoe captured a photo of the bird in flight with his coffee mug. Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ 'Starving' seagulls baited to be hit by cars 'Seagull boy' swoops in to retain screeching title Stop feeding seagull 'muggers', beachgoers told
NZ Herald
06-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Morse, Walker claim U18 glory at Gisborne Junior Surf Pro on East Coast
Pardoe made the final, where he placed fourth with a best-two-waves score of 9.27. Ffeon Clifford (Mount Maunganui) won with 11.44 from London Cockerill 9.90 and Louis Macquet 9.77. The U14 girls showed resilience and skill in choppier conditions. Hawke's Bay's Scarlett Gray stayed composed through the bigger sets to win with 9.33 from Nami Marsden 6.00, Gisborne's Madeline Smith 3.93 and Alba Clifford 3.03. Smith won the $100 biggest manoeuvre prize. Kyra Wallis, of Piha, opened with a powerhouse 8.33 ride in the U16 girls' division early in the day to earn the $100 biggest-manoeuvre prize. She maintained her form to win the final with 12.60 from Indi-Lee Ruddell on 6.83, Alani Morse 6.27 and Brooke Mathews 2.23. The hotly contested U16 boys' division was won by Mount Maunganui surfer Sol Fritchley, who posted a 5.40 ride in the dying moments to lift him to 12.23 and victory from Indica Cororan on 11.77, Remy Sale 10.77 and Kentaro Mitchell 9.84. Sale's spectacular 9.0 wave in the semis won him the biggest manoeuvre award. As conditions became more challenging late in the day, the U18 girls rose to the occasion. In a thrilling final, Walker's consistency earned her the title on 11.06 from Sage Fritchley 0n 9.84, Lenka Cargill 6.00 and Grace Gundry 5.90. The U18 boys showed raw power and polished style with Christian Fougere earning the $100 biggest-manoeuvre prize for an early-morning critical closeout hack. The final was packed with high-energy performances. Morse claimed the title with dynamic, high-impact surfing in his 13.56 total, Tao Mouldey was a close second on 12.16, Zade Pitkeathly was third on 9.66 and Taimana Marupo fourth on 6.60. The Gisborne Junior Pro provides young surfers with competitive experience on a national stage. It is seen as an investment in grassroots surfing, helping to foster the next generation of New Zealand champions.
