Naomi Flood won her first Aussies medal as a 14-year-old racing in the Under-16 age group

When Naomi Flood first raced at the Aussies, she was 14-years-old and racing against girl’s years her senior.

WHEN Naomi Flood first raced at the Aussies, she was 14-years-old and racing against girl’s years her senior.

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The Queenscliff rising star arrived at Kurrawa in 1999 to compete in the Under-16 age group despite two years standing between herself and her competitors.

Naomi Flood in action for Queenscliff a year after her Aussies breakthrough Picture: simon Dean

“I remember walking over the hill at Kurrawa and the beach being so full with tents and craft and people that is was overwhelming,” Flood said.

“For me at the time, that was my Olympics.

“The best and sometimes worst part of the day was walking over that hill each morning and not knowing what the surf was going to be like.

“The surf was pumping so it gave everyone a chance and you had to be able to read the conditions and be in the right place at the right time which was part of the thrill of coming up against mother nature.

“I was surrounded by so many athletes and people I’d looked up to and even though there were probably only a couple thousand people there, it felt like 100,000.”

Naomi Flood in action for Queenscliff a year after her Aussies breakthrough Picture: simon Dean

In testing conditions, Flood took her place on the starting line in the Under-16 surf race final alongside several New South Wales state team teammates who she’d raced before.

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“I’d never raced up two age groups so I didn’t know how I was going to go,” she said.

“16-year-old girls are like grown women when you’re only 14 so I was pretty nervous.”

Flood negotiated the pounding surf with ease and by the time she got to shore, the winner had already been crowned but the remaining places were up for grabs.

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“There were about four of us running up the beach and I was a bit worried because I was never the fastest,” she said.

“I came down this wave and realised it was going to be a sprint and I was thinking ‘I’ve done all this hard work and now I’m going to stuff it up right at the end.’”

Flood’s legs carried her up the beach and into third place just behind two fellow New South Welshwomen.

“I was pretty rattled but stoked to be up there because I had no idea what was going on back then,” Flood said.