Kurrawa pair write themselves into Australian record books with historic flags wins at Mooloolaba

KURRAWA pair Simon Harris and Melissa Cracroft-Wilson have written themselves into the history books in farewell flags performances at the Aussies.

GCB Simon Harris

KURRAWA pair Simon Harris and Melissa Cracroft-Wilson wrote themselves into surf lifesaving’s history books in what is likely to be their farewell flags performance at the Aussies.

Harris made a courageous comeback from a broken hand to win his 11th flags final, while Cracroft-Wilson won her 10th title.

Harris has battled injury for much of the past three years but said he was motivated to retire on a high, so kept aiming for an 11th title.

“The older you get the more you appreciate it,’’ the 40-year-old said.

“I had a fully ruptured tricep which kept me out of 2014, so I watched that in Perth with a big brace on.

“I rehabbed that all off-season and came back (in 2015) and had seven-from-seven wins and I thought this is going to be it and then I can retire.

“And then someone jumped on my foot at Coolangatta and broke my foot, so I had six weeks of terrible preparation last year for Aussies.

“I ended up with a third which I was really happy with – they told me not to race but I thought, nup, I’m going to have a run and see what ­happens.

“When I broke my hand in October, I thought ‘not again’, but the angels are shining one more on me.’’

Harris said his dream had been to win the state, Australian and world title this season before retiring.

With two of them crossed off his list, Harris will now head to Eindhoven in the Netherlands in September in a bid to retire on a high.

“I want to go to world titles,’’ he said.

“The goal was to win state, Aussies and worlds and retire on that and hang the cap up.

“Now I’ve got to try and get some money and get to Holland.’’

Melissa Cracroft-Wilson with husband Paul. Picture Mike Batterham

After sealing a lifelong dream with her 10th title, Cracroft-Wilson is likely to focus on starting a family and may not be back in the competition arena.

Cracroft-Wilson, who won her first nine titles as Melissa Howard before her marriage to fellow beach sprinter Paul Cracroft-Wilson, who made the final of the men’s flags, admitted she thought she may run out of time to win a 10th title after missing out over the past two years.

“To get that 10th title is just … every dream that I’ve ever dreamt of,’’ she said.

“I missed out last year and the year before. It was getting to that point of – am I going to be happy with nine?

“And I really wanted that 10th one to get that lifelong dream.’’

Cracroft-Wilson said the win was a massive relief.

“I’m obviously getting to that age where I want to have a family, so it was whether I had a break and try to come back,’’ she said.

“The last two years haven’t quite gone in my favour.

“Last year I got married four days after Aussies so I had a lot of pressure on me going into that and I think I’d lost a bit too much weight and unfortunately didn’t get it.

“So I had to come back hungrier and had to get it this year.’’