Athletes to watch at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships and the sport’s greatest

Discover the athletes to watch at the Surf Life Saving Australia Championships and the greatest stars the event has ever seen as the governing body prepares for the 2025 titles.

North Burleigh Surf Club members Barry Miley and Milly Rhodes. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

More than 7000 athletes will descend on the Gold Coast this week for the start of the 2025 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships.

Some of the greatest to ever compete will mix shoulders with rivals and the next generation of surf stars across youth, masters, adaptive and open divisions between March 29 and April 6.

Competitors aged between 13 through to 80 from more than 2020 clubs will feature in over 400 events.

This masthead has trawled through the 2024 results to unearth the athletes to watch who will be gunning to either defend their titles or win in a new age division.

We have also unearthed the greatest athletes to ever do it in the core open categories of the iron, ski, board, taplin and surf race.

Lana Rogers celebrates winning the Open Ironwoman Event during the 2024 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

COMPETITION DETAILS

Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March – Australian Nipper and Youth Surf Life Saving Championships

Sunday 30 March - Aussies Ocean Swim

Monday 31 March and Tuesday 1 April - Australian Masters Surf Life Saving Championships

Saturday 5 April - Adaptive Surf Sports Events

Wednesday 2 to Sunday 6 April - Australian Open Surf Life Saving Championships

Champions from 2024 and stars to watch in 2025

Champion Lifesaver

Champion Male Lifesaver: B. Doughan (Alexandra Headland, QLD)

Champion Female Lifesaver: J. Smith (Newport, NSW)

U19 Champion Male Lifesaver: J. Wells (Grange, SA)

U19 Champion Female Lifesaver: K. Bascombe (Mooloolaba, QLD)

U17 Champion Male Lifesaver: H. Woodrow (Newport, NSW)

U17 Champion Female Lifesaver: M. Damsgaard (Maroochydore, QLD)

U15 Champion Male Lifesaver: N. McKinnon (Mackay, QLD)

U15 Champion Female Lifesaver: C. Cameron (Sunshine Beach, QLD)

U14 Male Champion Lifesaver: C. Rowland (Dicky Beach, QLD)

Ironperson

Open Ironman: E. Cornish (Brighton, SA)

Open Ironwoman: A. Walker (Cooks Hill, NSW)

U17 Ironwoman: K. Rees (Swansea Belmont, NSW)

U16 Ironman: J. Stewart (North Curl Curl, NSW)

U16 Ironwoman: R. Spence (North Burleigh, QLD)

U15 Ironman: J. Stewart (North Curl Curl, NSW)

U15 Ironwoman: R. Spence (North Burleigh, QLD)

U14 Ironman: R. Macartney (Alexandra Headland, QLD)

U14 Ironwoman: M. Thompson (Maroochydore, QLD)

U13 Ironman: T. Johnson (Alexandra Headland, QLD)

U13 Ironwoman: S. Murray (North Burleigh, QLD)

NSW ironwoman Lizzie Welborn.

Board rescue

Open Men’s Board Rescue: C. Brooks, C. Maggs (Newport, NSW)

Open Women’s Board Rescue: T. Massie, Z. Longhurst (Maroochydore, QLD)

U19 Men’s Board Rescue: J. Morris, M. Morris (Northcliffe, QLD)

U19 Women’s Board Rescue: L. Waller, C. Burns (Redhead, NSW)

U17 Men’s Board Rescue: D. Sutton, O. Jessop (Wanda, NSW)

U17 Women’s Board Rescue: N. Sharpe, I. Tate (Cudgen Headland, NSW)

U16 Men’s Board Rescue: Not listed in the context provided

U16 Women’s Board Rescue: Not listed in the context provided

U15 Men’s Board Rescue: Not listed in the context provided

U15 Women’s Board Rescue: Not listed in the context provided

U14/15 Men’s Board Rescue: B. McParland, T. Murray (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park, QLD)

U14/15 Women’s Board Rescue: A.S. Stevenson, C. Williams (Avoca Beach, NSW)

U13/14 Men’s Board Rescue: J. Chalmers, H. Whitehead (Manly, NSW)

U13/14 Women’s Board Rescue: J. Edmonstone, A. Novosel (Maroochydore, QLD)

Board race

Open Men’s Board Race: Z. Morris (Northcliffe, QLD)

Open Women’s Board Race: B. Trinca (Southport, QLD)

U19 Men’s Board Race: C. Maggs (Newport, NSW)

U19 Women’s Board Race: L. Waller (Redhead, NSW)

U17 Men’s Board Race: O. Dillon (Tugun, QLD)

U17 Women’s Board Race: K. Shipley (Warilla Barrack Point, NSW)

U16 Men’s Board Race: K. Lowe (Northcliffe, QLD)

U16 Women’s Board Race: N. Arthur (Sunshine Beach, QLD)

U15 Men’s Board Race: K. Lowe (Northcliffe, QLD)

U15 Women’s Board Race: N. Arthur (Sunshine Beach, QLD)

U14 Men’s Board Race: W. Munro (Cooks Hill, NSW)

U14 Women’s Board Race: A. Dimmock (Redhead, NSW)

U13 Men’s Board Race: T. Johnson (Alexandra Headland, QLD)

U13 Women’s Board Race: S. Murray (North Burleigh, QLD)

Beach relay

Open Men’s 2x1km Beach Run Relay: M. Chislett, S. McAuliffe (Kurrawa, QLD)

Open Women’s 2x1km Beach Run Relay: S. Ferenczi, R. Miroshnik (North Bondi, NSW)

U19 Men’s 2x1km Beach Run Relay: H. Groves, R. Sheppard (Coogee, NSW)

U19 Women’s 2x1km Beach Run Relay: C. Bailey, K. McHardy (Northcliffe, QLD)

U17 Men’s 2x1km Beach Run Relay: K. Mason, O. Dalton (Wanda, NSW)

U17 Women’s 2x1km Beach Run Relay: K. Shipley, C. Spicknall (Warilla Barrack Point, NSW)

U14/15 Men’s 2x1km Beach Run Relay: W. Currie, U. Visser (Noosa Heads, QLD)

U14/15 Women’s 2x1km Beach Run Relay: S. Bush, Z. Farrington (North Burleigh, QLD)

U13/14 Men’s 2x1km Beach Run Relay: T. Chalmers, M. Chalmers (Swansea Belmont, NSW)

U13/14 Women’s 2x1km Beach Run Relay: K. Gallen, L. White (Wanda, NSW)

Ironman Matt Bevilacqua will be one to watch at the 2025 nationals. Picture: Trent Callaghan Photography

Ski

Open Men’s Single Ski: B. Carberry (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park, QLD)

Open Women’s Single Ski: N. Scott (Northcliffe, QLD)

U19 Men’s Single Ski: M. Reid (Newport, NSW)

U19 Women’s Single Ski: N. Drobot (Avoca Beach, NSW)

U17 Men’s Single Ski: A. Carberry (West Beach, SA)

U17 Women’s Single Ski: O. Clues (Newport, NSW)

Open Men’s Double Ski: J. Rees, J. Locke (Newport, NSW)

U19 Men’s Double Ski: M. Reid, B. Clues (Newport, NSW)

U19 Women’s Double Ski: N. Drobot, D. Marshall (Avoca Beach, NSW)

Open Men’s Single Ski Relay: J. Rees, M. Trim, M. Brooks (Newport, NSW)

U19 Men’s Single Ski Relay: M. Morris, J. Morris, T. Crellin (Northcliffe, QLD)

U19 Women’s Single Ski Relay: A. Bailey, E. Hardy, N. Nijssen-Seran (Northcliffe, QLD)

Taplin

Open Men’s Taplin Relay: Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park, QLD (L. Tame, P. Mitchell, B. Carberry, J. Koch, C. Fletcher, S. Rielly)

Open Women’s Taplin Relay: Alexandra Headland, QLD (L. Pallister, E. Woods, T. Halliday)

U19 Men’s Taplin Relay: Northcliffe, QLD (J. Morris, M. Morris, R. Harland)

U19 Women’s Taplin Relay: Alexandra Headland, QLD (M. Cook, L. Pilkington, S. Wall)

U17 Men’s Taplin Relay: Newport, NSW (S. Chaffer, N. Maggs, H. Monnock)

Surf race

Open Men’s Surf Race: E. Cornish (Brighton, SA)

Open Women’s Surf Race: A. Walker (Cooks Hill, NSW)

U19 Men’s Surf Race: J. Wells (Grange, SA)

U19 Women’s Surf Race: K. Bascombe (Mooloolaba, QLD)

U17 Men’s Surf Race: H. Woodrow (Newport, NSW)

U17 Women’s Surf Race: M. Damsgaard (Maroochydore, QLD)

U15 Men’s Surf Race: N. McKinnon (Mackay, QLD)

U15 Women’s Surf Race: C. Cameron (Sunshine Beach, QLD)

U14 Men’s Surf Race: C. Rowland (Dicky Beach, QLD)

U13 Men’s Surf Race: R. Short (Maroochydore, QLD)

U13 Women’s Surf Race: J. Melbourn (North Curl Curl, NSW)

Iron athletes Georgia Miller and Ali Day. Picture: SLSA

Surf teams

U14-15 Men’s Surf Teams: Warilla Barrack Point, NSW (M. Burke, M. Elliott, M. Miller, K. Sims)

U14-15 Women’s Surf Teams: Maroochydore, QLD (I. Bland, R. Copsey, P. Mendes, R.T. Williams)

U13-14 Men’s Surf Teams: Alexandra Headland, QLD (F. Bourman, T. Johnson, R. Macartney, K. Stafford)

U13-14 Women’s Surf Teams: Maroochydore, QLD (J. Edmonstone, S. Hebron, A. Novosel, M. Thompson)

Open Men’s Surf Teams: Northcliffe, QLD (K. Creech, R. Harland, MJ. Lowe, S. Perry)

Open Women’s Surf Teams: Noosa Heads, QLD (F. Gibbs-Beal, E. Armstrong, K. Lee, L. Pallister)

U19 Men’s Surf Teams: Maroochydore, QLD (J. McMenamin, S. Short, O. Monaghan, S. Williams)

U19 Women’s Surf Teams: Northcliffe, QLD (E. McDonald, C. Bender, C. Allred, M. Jansen)

U17 Men’s Surf Teams: Newport, NSW (J. Piper, B. Clues, J. Morris, M. Morris)

U17 Women’s Surf Teams: Alexandra Headland, QLD (M. Brazier, C. Silva, L. Pallister, E. Halliday)

U15 Men’s Surf Teams: Maroochydore, QLD (H. Cotter, R. Zikarsky, A. Palmer, K. Lorme)

U15 Women’s Surf Teams: Maroochydore, QLD (J. Edmondstone, S. Hebron, A. Novosel, M. Thompson)

U14-15 Men’s Surf Teams: Warilla Barrack Point, NSW (M. Burke, M. Elliott, M. Miller, K. Sims)

U14-15 Women’s Surf Teams: Maroochydore, QLD (I. Bland, R. Copsey, P. Mendes, R.T. Williams)

U13-14 Men’s Surf Teams: Alexandra Headland, QLD (F. Bourman, T. Johnson, R. Macartney, K. Stafford)

U13-14 Women’s Surf Teams: Maroochydore, QLD (J. Edmondstone, S. Hebron, A. Novosel, M. Thompson)

2km Ocean Swim

Open Male: N. Sloman (Northcliffe, QLD)

Open Female: F. Gibbs-Beal (Noosa Heads, QLD)

U19 Male: N. Carrel (Noosa Heads, QLD)

U19 Female: K. McHardy (Northcliffe, QLD)

U17 Male: K. Mason (Wanda, NSW)

U17 Female: S. McKee (North Cronulla, NSW)

U15 Male: O. Chaloner (North Cottesloe, WA)

U15 Female: C. Cameron (Sunshine Beach, QLD)

U14 Male: J. Melbourn (North Curl Curl, NSW)

U14 Female: R. Short (Maroochydore, QLD)

U13 Male: T. Johnson (Alexandra Headland, QLD)

U13 Female: S. Murray (North Burleigh, QLD)