Year after her body failed her in Coolangatta Gold, Miller returns to win title

GEORGIA Miller has started down her demons to claim an emotional maiden Coolangatta win she dubbed the biggest victory of her career.

EVERY demon that visited Georgia Miller in the aftermath of her Coolangatta Gold disaster last year was in her head again.

About halfway through the final 7.1km run in Sunday’s race, Miller had what she described as a “panic attack” and was about to pull out of the event before pushing through to claim “definitely the biggest win of my career”.

“I’m so lucky that one of my handlers was there to calm me down because I was really close to pulling out,” Miller said.

ORIGIN RELAY PERMANENT FOR GOLD?

GALLAGHER OVERCOMES OBSTACLES TO WIN GOLD

INJURY CAN’T STOP GOLD WINNER DOYLE

2018 Elite Female Long Course Coolangatta Gold Winner, Georgia Miller. Picture: Jerad Williams

“My breathing got all funny and I started to tear up and I thought that was going to be it for me.

“But he got me to calm down and keep pushing through.”

Miller eventually crossed the line in 4hr 29min 22sec, to claim her maiden Gold title, beating Northcliffe clubmate Danielle McKenzie by just under 10 minutes, with Noosa’s Lana Rogers third.

The 22-year-old staggered across the line and was eventually carried to the medical tent by boyfriend, Australian kayaker Riley Fitzsimmons, where she received attention for about half an hour.

Her victory may have come at a cost of immense physical pain but Miller knows the mental barriers she broke through to become just the sixth woman to notch her name on the Gold trophy will be invaluable.

2018 Elite Female Long Course Coolangatta Gold Winner, Georgia Miller. Picture: Jerad Williams

GET FULL DIGITAL ACCESS FOR $3 A WEEK

Miller moved from Sydney to the Gold Coast in the off-season so Fitzsimmons could be based at the Australian Institute of Sport’s paddling facility at Miami in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics.

And it was Northcliffe surf sports director Mark Williams who convinced to continue the battle in the final stages.

“He just said: ‘you’ve just got to keep going, you’ve got such a big lead, you can’t give up now’,” Miller said.

“I literally felt like I had strings attached to my arms and I was just pulling my legs up.

“My eyes were going funny, I was getting shivers – it was exactly what happened last year.

“I just was praying that it wouldn’t get to that stage where I couldn’t go on.”

Miller finished fourth in the Gold last year, blowing up in the run after racing neck-and-neck with eventual winner Courtney Hancock until the final leg, where she was passed by two other athletes, missing a podium placing.

2018 Elite Female Long Course Coolangatta Gold Winner, Georgia Miller. Picture: Jerad Williams

She knew that if she stopped this year, she would be emotionally crushed.

“I would have been absolutely devastated and I don’t know how I would have gone on the rest of the season, I would have really struggled,” she said.

“(The win) is going to be huge for my confidence and I can’t wait to start racing again now.”

Miller becomes just the sixth woman to win the Gold title, joining Hayley Bateup, Alicia Marriott, Brodie Moir, Liz Pluimers and Hancock on the trophy.

“I literally look up to all of those girls on the trophy, so to be next to them is such an honour and I will remember this day for the rest of my life and it’s definitely the biggest win of my career.”