Paris Olympian Nick Sloman’s big win at Australian surf life saving, youth titles result wrap, photos
A Paris bound Olympian dropped in for a big win after a big fall as the top young surf life savers in Australia battled for glory. Aussies Youth titles news, result wrap and great photos.
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Paris-bound Olympian Nick Sloman has made an unexpected splash quite literally at the Australian surf life saving titles with a sensational victory despite tripping over in the 2km ocean swim contested by a record 900 plus swimmers.
Sloman said he was “the first hit by a sniper’’ when he fell in shallow water at the start of the biggest event at the Australian titles which kicked off on Saturday with the Youth titles and finish next week with the open, U19 and U17s competitions.
“Fortunately it went for 2km so I had time to recover,’’ said the open water swimmer who will make his Olympic debut in the Seine later this year.
“Doing this helps me stay fresh.
“Training can be quite taxing so this breaks things up.
“It keeps me sane.’’
AUSSIES YOUTH: DAY 1 NEWS, PHOTOS
The swim, which attracted 920 swimmers, was used by Sloman, a member of the Northcliffe club on the Gold Coast and the Noosa swim club, as critical training for his Olympic debut in the 10km.
Sloman, who heads to Italy next month for a World Cup swim in Sardinia, caught a wave to victory to beat Australian Dolphin and Northcliffe clubmate Bailey Armstrong with Thomas Raymond from Maroocyhdore third.
“He (Bailey Armstrong) pushes me day in and day out in the pool, he’s an incredible competitor,’’ Sloman said.
“Hopefully I can go to Paris and make Australia proud.’’
With the Youth titles ending Sunday, the Masters competition will take over the sand and surf on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The U17, U19 and open competition starts on Wednesday and concluded next weekend by which time more than 8000 competitors will have raced..
In other news Sydney mother and Bronte surf life saver Jade Young will be honoured in a moving beach ceremony on Saturday at the championships when surf lifesavers from around the country gather for a Raising of the Oars ceremony held in tribute to life savers who have passed in the last 12 months.
Surf Life Saving Australia president John Baker said special mention will be made of Young, a popular member of the Bronte surf life saving club who was one of the six Bondi Junction stabbing victims.
“We are a very close knit community and we are feeling this. Our 200,000 people are feeling it deeply as part of the surf family,’’ said Baker, who has already reached out to Bronte SLC president Basil Scaffidi to offer condolences and any help needed.
TOP RESULTS FROM SUNDAY’S FINALS AT AUSSIES YOUTH TITLE
In a crazy two hours of finals action, Australian titles were decided in a multitude of events at the championships as the Youth titles came to a close.
Manly’s Jacob Chalmers and Henry Whitehead won the U13 & U14 Male Board Rescue
from Southport and Alexandra Headland while Avoca’s Amber-Skye Stevenson and Ciara Williams won the U14 & U15 Female Board Rescue from North Burleigh and Metropolitan Caloundra.
It was a special win for the Avoca duo doing their final race before Williams moves to the Gold Coast.
“We wanted it to be very special because it was going to be out last one together,’’ Stevensen said.
“So we went all guns blazing.’’
Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park Team A of Archie Harrison and Zac Moir won the U14 & U15 Male Board Rescue from Cudgen Headland and Swansea Belmont.
In the Male Board Relay, Manly’s Jacob Chalmers, Thomas McMurtry and Henry Whitehead beat Cooks Hill Team A and Wanda.
Maroochydore Team A won the U13 & U14 Female Board Relay (Poppi Mendes, Abby Novosel, Mary Thompson) from Redhead and Black Head.
Swansea Belmont Team A won the U14 & U15 Male Board Relay (Kai Cook, Will Paterson, Hamish Rae) from North Burleigh and Grange.
The Newport team won the U14 & U15 Female Board Relay (Charli Barbour, Alannah Paul and Sadie Maggs) from Sunshine Beach A and Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park.
Metropolitan Caloundra A won the U13/U14 Mixed Beach Relay with Amelie Green, Jacob Martin, Claudia Keating and Cade Rowlands taking home a gold medal with their win over Coogee and Sorrento (WA).
The Wollongong City Maroon team of Shye Beveridge, Isabella Evans, Zoe Hope and Oasis Huender won the U14 & U15 Female Beach Relay with their win over North Cronulla and Sorrento (WA).
Grange’s Jack Burfield, Ava Needham, Matthew Dunlop and Miley Worswick won the U14 & U15 Mixed Beach Relay gold from South Maroubra and Mordialloc.
South Maroubra won the U14 & U15 Male Beach Relay (Zac Gedz, Christopher Kondilios, Rory Muldowney and Dylan Sharpe) from Grange and Mordialloc whites.
The U13 & U14 Male Beach Relay was won by Trigg Island from Coogee and South Maroubra. with Coogee winning the U13 & U14 Female Beach Relay (Riley Baker, Eadie Maguire, Taylor Morgan and Amelie Thompson) from Maroochydore and Grange.
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