SLSA Hall of Fame: Beach sprinter Elly Miller, nee Graf, planning comeback
Most athletes inducted into a Hall of Fame are old or retired. But this Australian surf lifesaving great from NSW is neither.
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It’s almost a prerequisite to being inducted into a sporting Hall of Fame - having left your best form and elite racing career in the past.
But that’s not the case for Elouera surf life saver Elly Miller.
In fact she in the process of working on her comeback from the birth of her second child five weeks ago to be racing at next year’s Australian surf life saving championships.
The beach sprinter from the Sutherland Shire was inducted into the Surf Life Saving Australia Hall of Fame on Saturday night.
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Between 2006 and 2015, the speedster won a total of 13 Australian gold medals in beach events, including 10 individual titles.
In 2018 she was named the most outstanding female competitor of the entire Aussies competition and was a beach sprinter and beach flag specialist who competed at the highest level for NSW and Australia.
Miller joins the likes of multiple Olympians and paddlers Clint Robinson and Lachie Tame, ironman and Olympic swimmer Ky Hurst and ironwomen Naomi Flood and Karla Gilbert as a sport inductee into the Hall of Fame.
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Carringbah’s Miller is now hoping for a different piece of silverware to put in the cabinet before she is finished with the sport.
“It’s good but a bit crazy,’’ said Miller, mother of five-week-old Isabelle and two-year-old Spencer, of being named.
“I’m still involved with the club and while I haven’t done a lot in the least year I am hoping to get back after COVID and hopefully be at Aussies next year.
“I want to try and get my sixth open sprint title. That’s the goal.
“I won the last one in 2015 and got second by nothing in 2016. Then 2017 got washed out and in 2018 I was pregnant.
“In 2019 I was going but the little one was sick. So I’m hoping to be there in 2021.
”It will be hard and I’ll have to try and fit in training when I can. But it’s nice to have something to aim for.’’
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Miller said she loves the sport she has dominated for more than a decade.
“I just had a dedication and I’ve always love the sport,’’ she said.
“I love being on the beach versus the track. I find the beach more relaxing and I think it took the pressure off a bit.’’
Miller won numerous athletics title on the track but it was on the sand that she shone.