Georgia Miller’s 2019-20 Nutri-Grain series was better than when she won her maiden title but it still wasn’t enough to topple a long-time rival
Pencil in Georgia Miller’s 2019-20 Nutri-Grain series results for any other summer and there’s a fair chance she would have been standing atop of the podium claiming her second series crown.
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PENCIL in Georgia Miller’s 2019-20 Nutri-Grain series results for any other summer and there’s a fair chance she would have been standing atop of the podium claiming her second series crown.
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But the 2019-20 summer was unlike any other.
After battling each other in the same age group growing up, Noosa ironwoman Lana Rogers won the first three rounds of the series and never finished lower than third to claim her maiden crown.
Compare Miller’s most recent summer with her 2018-19 series win and statistically, the Northcliffe ironwoman put together a better series this year than the year before but not even three podium finishes, one win and two fourths were enough to topple Rogers.
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“For me, I feel like I had a really consistent season and I was on the podium multiple times and if I had the results I did this season last year, I would have won the title,” Miller said.
“Lana was on fire every single round but it was still awesome to win at Surfers and then for Harriet (Brown) to win down in Cronulla as well was awesome for the club.
“It was really tough racing and extremely close between the top four so I think it’s going to be interesting to see what happens next year.
“It depends a bit on when we can all go back to training considering the state of things at the moment.”
The “state of things” of course refers to the ongoing impacts on the sporting world due to coronavirus, the global pandemic forcing the cancellation of surf lifesaving State and Australian titles.
The decision made in March brought the surf lifesaving season to an abrupt end but Miller has managed to find a small silver lining in the chance to finally rest her body.
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“It’s been a crazy five years for me obviously starting at Newport and training like crazy there before moving away from my family to the Gold Coast,” she said.
“I’ve was all guns blazing last year and didn’t miss a race or a training session then went straight into the Coolangatta Gold and the Nutri-Grain series.
“I’m trying to take advantage of that rest because it doesn’t come around too often and it is nice to have a sleep in as well because it all takes its toll but it is disappointing not to race.”
Beach swims, at-home workouts, and dragging her boyfriend and Olympic kayaker Riley Fitzsimmons out on runs have become the 24-year-olds new norm as the couple prepare for their big isolation activity – moving house.
“Our lease was up in a few weeks so we started looking around at other places because there was nothing else to do and we thought moving house and setting up a new place would keep us busy for a few weeks,” Miller said.
“We’re hoping the boarders reopen soon so we can visit our families down in Sydney.”
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