Olympian shocks with bizarre ski win at Aussies surf lifesaving as Ali Day, Lana Rogers aim for perfect finish
In a strange coincidence a former Olympic kayaker rode a wave to double ski success at the Australian titles with an old mate behind him but beside his teammate from the Tokyo Games. See the full day five wrap.
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In a strange coincidence a former Olympic kayaker rode a wave to double ski success at the Australian titles with an old mate behind him but beside his teammate from the Tokyo Games.
Lachie Tame, who won a bronze medal with Ken Wallace at the Rio Olympics, won the double ski gold with old Avoca teammate Peter Mitchell against his K4 teammate from Tokyo Murray Stewart and his crewmate Daniel Bowker.
It was an electrifying finish which had the crowd erupting with the Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park team of Tame and Mitchell riding into the shore on the same wave as their rivals and after “a blue ‘’ with other ivals rounding the cans.
“That was epic,’’ Tame said after the win and being mobbed by the rest of the field.
“It was on. A lot of mongrel out there and we had a bit of a blue rounding the cans.
“It was on.’’
Tame, born on the Central Coast but now based on the Gold, and Mitchell used to paddle together at the Avoca club when younger.
With their families close, they decided to compete together at the Aussies and despite just two sessions together pulled off the win.
“When Lachie left Avoca I didn’t have anyone to race with so I came here to do it with him,” Mitchell said.
Top ironwoman Lana Rogers was part of a mass rescue by life guards, off duty surf life savers and professional iron athletes who had just finished racing at Bondi Beach earlier this year that made headlines around the country.
Now she’s hoping for another newsworthy feat by completing a rare perfect season of major events at the Australian championships on the Sunshine Coast.
Rogers was one of the first iron athletes to see a number of people in distress at Bondi in January after she had just raced a round of the Nutri-Grain series.
She immediately grabbed a board, swam out and helped bring swimmers in distress back to shore with the help of fellow athletes and local lifeguards.
“I just played a small part in a big rescue,” said Rogers.
“This is what we do, what we are trained for.
“It was actually my first rescue and thankfully everyone was okay.”
Now Rogers is hoping to achieve something extra special by adding the Australian ironwoman crown to the Nutri-Grain title and the Coolangatta Gold crown she bagged earlier this season.
The former Alex competitor now with Northcliffe on the Gold Coast said she is having the best year of her life - in and out of the surf - and is excited to be racing well.
This despite being knocked from her board in a heat of the ironwoman and only just scraping through to the next round in big surf at Maroochydore on Wednesday.
“I’d love to do it, of course, but I’m not thinking too far ahead,‘’ she said.
“I’m just enjoying the racing.”
In front of her was local hope Tiarnee Massie who has been tipped as a key contender for the finals on Sunday.
The Maroochydore based star finished fifth in this seasons Nutri-Grain series and will be a sentimental favourite on her home beach.
“In my first heat I just wanted to play it safe, get that first race out of the way to try and set yourself up for a good week without having anything crazy go wrong,” she said.
“It’s so special to be racing and having an event of this size on my home beach.
“I’ve had so many different successes and failures on this beach so having everyone who has watched me grow into the woman I am today in my corner is really special.
“I hope that I can get into the final and make them proud.”
Three-time Australian Ironman champion and Surfers Paradise hopeful Ali Day continued his season of success, punching his ticket his in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.
“It’s good to blow the cobwebs out, it’s completely different to anything we’ve raced in really this year,” Day said.
“It’s really good to get through…anything can happen in these conditions, so I’m just grateful to have my foot on the startline,” he said.
Manly ironman and 2018 Australian Ironman champion Kendrick Louis said it was great to get the first races out of the way.
“It’s always a nervous feeling on the first morning of the Aussies. There’s a lot of excitement built up but you also want to go out and do well,” Louis said.
“This Aussies I’ve changed my approach all together. Ever since I won the Aussies in WA (2018), I made the next year but I haven’t made a final since then…it’s been four years.
“This year it’s more about turning up, really enjoying the week, getting around the team and racing in some awesome conditions, and really just trying to have fun and be present,” he said.
Towards the northern side of the beach it was newcomer Dominique Stitt who impressed spectators and her coach in former Ironman champion Rhys Drury in the open female ironwoman quarterfinal.
Earlier this year Stitt received the call-up for the final four rounds of the Nutri-Grain Iron Series where she ended up accumulating 15 points.
The 21-year-old started her surf lifesaving journey when she was seven at Kawana Waters SLSC but has since competed for Maroochydore SLSC and now bases herself with Mooloolaba SLSC.
Despite the rough conditions Stitt proved her worth on the ski before finishing fourth overall in the open female quarterfinal.
“It was a good race, I was happy with my ski and then I just tried to stick with the other girls for the rest of the way,” she said.
“The conditions are really tough today, I got a bit unlucky in my heat but that’s life and I feel I got some more confidence going out in the quarters given I got that heat and first race of the day.
“The Nutri-Grain series as a whole was a really good experience for me, I think I learnt a lot and throughout the season I was improving in every race I did.
“Making that transition into open racing is so different but the more I race the more confident I get and more skills I learn which has shown in my racing the past few weeks.”
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Originally published as Olympian shocks with bizarre ski win at Aussies surf lifesaving as Ali Day, Lana Rogers aim for perfect finish
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