Jasmine Rayward will enjoy something unfamiliar this weekend – a rare Saturday off.
Between commitments to surf lifesaving, kayaking and a
Bachelor of Commerce at Bond, Rayward has spent just three weekends at home since the beginning of October.
But she’ll get the chance to do just that this weekend, as she sits out of the Murphy Homes Maroochy Classic to rest ahead of a crucial few weeks of racing.
The 2025 ADCO scholar has booked her place in next weekend’s Shaw and Partners Iron Series Grand Eliminator at Miami, before switching craft and heading to Penrith for the Canoe Sprint Grand Prix 2 event, which doubles as selection for the Australian team.
It’s a schedule that would stretch even the most seasoned athlete – but Rayward refuses to choose between her two sporting passions.
Her ambitions remain as bold as her workload: to win a professional ironwoman title and qualify for the Olympic Games.
“It’s really hard when I know I could give up one sport and be better at the other,” Rayward said.
“But I have a vision for what I want to do and genuinely believe with the team around me, I can succeed at both.”
An Australian representative in both disciplines, Rayward admits the ocean’s unpredictability has been her biggest challenge, motivating her to finetune her surf skills under coach Michael King.
“To be honest, I do prefer the predictability of the kayak – you’re in your own lane and have your own water, so what you get out is what you put in,” Rayward said.
“There is a lot of unpredictability in the surf with so many people in the water. It is sometimes hard to even get a stroke in.
“I know my flat-water speed is more than good enough, but it’s the skills that let me down sometimes, so I’ve really been working on them with Kingy.”
Rayward’s rise hasn’t come easily, with the 19-year-old revealing she has had to grind hard for every improvement. Surrounded by a powerhouse squad at Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park, she draws daily inspiration from the athletes around her.
“I’m not the sort of person who picks up something straight away,” she said. “It takes me so long to get good at things … I’m not the most coordinated or the fastest person, but I will work really hard at something until I’m good at it.
“I want to win so badly though, and every day I’m working on new things, listening to others in the squad and seeing what I can do different.”
With both sports running through summer, Rayward has made the difficult decision to prioritise the upcoming Grand Prix 2 event over the blockbuster Shannon Eckstein Iron Classic at Northcliffe.
But before she switches to the kayak, she has a chance to etch her name into surf lifesaving history.
The Shaw and Partners Iron Series Grand Eliminator at Miami on February 1 will see athletes contest a brutal three‑race format where 12 start, two are cut after each of the first two rounds, and only the final race decides the title.
For a speed‑based athlete like Rayward, it’s a test of patience as much as power.
“I’m not the best strategist, but I’m getting better. It’s so tactical, theorising what everyone else is going to do and what you can do. You have to be fast enough to win but also smart as it doesn’t matter if you win the first race, you still have to make it to the last one.