Aussies 2024: 38 U17s young guns to watch at Australian surf life saving titles
NSW and Queensland tend to rule the waves in one of the most competitive divisions of the Australian surf life saving champs but not always. Under 17s guns to watch at Aussies 2024.
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It’s one of the most exciting age groups in surf sport in Australia and the under 17’s competition at the Australian surf life saving championships promises to deliver close racing, plenty of upsets and outstanding performances.
Just making a final will be a notable achievement for the teenagers in the under 17s with most events boasting up to realistic chances of medal success.
And while NSW and Queensland tend to rule the waves it could be a different story on the sand.
South Australian and Western Australian athletes are regularly featuring in beach and sprint finals and on the podium alongside the traditional powerhouse states of Queensland and NSW.
The West Australian athletes in particular will be looking to carry the momentum gained from a successful home Aussies last year to the East Coast in 2024.
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We’ve consulted the experts and checked out recent results to find some of the young athletes expected to turn heads at the Aussies on the Sunshine Coast in 2024 where the U17s competion begins on Wednesday.
U17 NSW ATHLETES TO WATCH AT AUSSIES
Noah Maggs - Newport - U17 Male
A young star on the rise and brother of last year's top performer at the Aussies, Connor Maggs.
Noah has had a great season with several big wins including gold in the U17 ironman at the Jim Wall Classic and three gold at the NSW titles in the board, iron and surf race.
Dane Sutton - Wanda - U17 Male
Dane is another young gun bringing great form into the Aussies with a win in the U17s ironman at the 2024 Shannon Eckstein Classic.
He was a standout last year, winning three gold medals in the 2x1km beach relay, the Cameron relay and board rescue.
Alex Walker - Cooks Hill - U17 Male
Alex Walker is a Surf Life Saving NSW Surf Sport Academy athlete with a goal of cracking the Nutri-Grain iron series. in the not to distant future.
He is an outstanding athlete and has won numerous medals in board race, surf race and ironman events.
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Sam Davis - North Curl Curl - U17 Male
Sam hails from Sydney’s northern beaches and had a great state championships in 2024.
He made finals in the board and iron races and won a bronze in the surf race at states.
Brodie Wright - Redhead - U17 Male
A strong board paddler who won silver in the event at the NSW titles.
He also made the final of the U17 single ski and iron events and was part of the victorious Redhead U19 Male Board relay team.
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Kane Edwards - Redhead - U17 Male
Competed in Nutri Grain Ironman series trials last year with Redhead clubmate Brodie Wright. Kane was a member of the silver medal winning Open Male Taplin team at the NSW championships.
He also won a bronze in the U17 Board relay and U17 Iron race.
Luke Higgs (swim) - North Curl Curl - U17 Male
Luke Higgs was the standout performer at the 2023 Australian Surf Life Saving Youth Championships, winning four gold medals.
He’ll be looking for repeat Aussies victories in the ironman, surf race, 2km Ocean Swim and will be a strong teammate if competing in the surf teams.
Jayden Beaumont - Warilla Barrack-Point - U17 Male
In 2022 Jayden competed at the International Life Saving Federation FIN Rescue World Cup and won gold in the board and swim and finished second in the oceanman (M15-19 Category).
Thomas Hall - Swansea-Belmont - U17 Male
Thomas Hall was part of the gold medal Swansea Belmont team in the U17 single ski relay and a member of the silver medal winning team in the U17 mixed beach relay at the NSW championships in March.
Sam Murphy - Swansea-Belmont - U17 Male
Sam Murphy is one to watch in the ski. He finished 3rd in the Summer of Surf U17 ski series overall. He also won the Manly Open and finished 2nd at the North Bondi Classic and Sydney Water. Sam also had a top five placing four times across the series for the
U17 Board race.
Kobe Sorenson - North Cronulla - U17 Male
Was dominant when representing NSW at the Interstate Championships and had the great team from North Cronulla in his corner.
Dylan Kinkade - Forster- U17 Male
The NSW mid north coast athlete was a classy performer at the NSW State Championships. He won the beach flags and came third in the beach sprint.
Pipi TePania - Newport - U17 Female
Pipi continues to shine in surf sports with a gold in the U17 board race and silver in the single ski at states. She was a close 4th in the ironwoman.
She came a second to teammate Kaitlin Rees in the Youth Board Race at the Interstate Ocean championships earlier this year and also represented Australia in the 2023 Battle of the Tasman Youth team against New Zealand last year, along with club mates Olivia Clues and Dominique Melbourn.
Kaitlin Rees Swansea- U17 Female
Keep your eyes on Swansea star Kaitlin Rees.
She comes into the Aussie with a gold in the ironwoman and surf race at the NSW titles.
She also helped NSW to victory at the Interstate Ocean Championships overall for the fifth year in a row, where she won gold in the youth female board race.
Emerson Leadbeatter - Swansea Belmont - U17 Female
She has had a fantastic season as a first-year U17 highlighted by her two medals in at the NSW Championships.
She won gold in flags at states and a silver in the beach sprint.
Olivia Clues Newport - U17 Female
A northern beaches young gun and rising star whose brother Bailey also competes and father Michael was a top ironman.
She has been racing up in the lead up to the Aussies for a competitive edge.
She won an iron bronze at the NSW titles, gold in the single ski and made top 10 in the board and surf race.
Olivia represented Australia in the 2023 Battle of the Tasman Youth team against New Zealand with club mates Pipi TePania and Dominique Melbourn.
Dominique Melbourn Newport - U17 Female
Dom is a strong swimmer and helped lead Newport to an open team victory at the 2023 Coolangatta Gold.
She competed at the 2023 Battle of the Tasman Youth event against New Zealand and recently competed at the Australian swimming trials and short course championships.
U17 QUEENSLAND ATHLETES TO WATCH AT AUSSIES
Dylan Wilson - Sunshine Beach - U17 Male
Dylan Wilson finishing 3rd overall in the U17 Ironman in the Summer of Surf Series.
He dominated the U17 age group with a 1st, 2nd and 3rd in three of the four major rounds and shows huge promise.
He is coached by former Nutri-Grain ironman Wes Berg.
Oliver Dillon - Tugun - U17 Male
Oliver is a rising star from the southern Gold Coast club of Tugun.
He claimed silver in the 2024 Manly Surf Open in the men’s board race and was selected as a representative on the 2024 Queensland Cyclones ocean/beach interstate team.
Byron Oliphant - Alexandra Headlands - U17 Male
One to watch, Byron claimed silver in the 2024 Shannon Eckstein Ironman Classic U17 Ironman, He also competed across the board, ski and swim.
He was SLSQ’s Junior Athlete of the Year in 2022 and selected on the 2024 Queensland Cyclones ocean/beach interstate team.
Kobi Holden - Currumbin - U17 Male
Kobi was a gold medallist in the under 14 ironman and board race at the youth state championships.
He is a strong swimmer and earned Australian selection for the 2023 New Zealand Surf Life Saving Pool Rescue Championships.
Riley Rasmussen - North Burleigh - U17 Male
Riley won silver in the U17 Ironman, a bronze in the U17 surf race and a finals spot in the single ski at the Queensland State Championships in March in a top performance.
He also took silver in the U17 Board race at the 2024 Shannon Eckstein Ironman Classic U17 Ironman and is one to watch.
Byron Dieckman - Maroochydore - U17 Male
Won a silver in the 2024 Shannon Eckstein U17 ironman and a silver in the U17 ski silver at the Queensland titles in March.
Byron was also selected as a representative on the 2024 Queensland Cyclones ocean/beach interstate team.
Alec Stewart - Alexandra Headlands - U17 Male
Alec was a member of the silver medal winning team in the U17 Taplin Relay at last year’s Aussies in Perth.
More recently he won the U17 Single Ski at the Queensland State championships.
Zeke Zimmerle - Tweed Heads and Coolangatta - U17 Male
Another speedster.
Zeke showed great form to win silver medals in the sprint and flags at the Queensland titles and is another to watch for on the Sunshine Coast.
Darcy Lewis - Sunshine Beach - U17 Male
Darcy won a bronze in the U17 ironman at the state championships recently.
He also made the final of the surf.
With his local knowledge he could be dangerous and is under the guidance of former ironman Wes Berg at the club.
Hayden Van Hooven - Mermaid Beach - U17 Male
Hayden comes in Aussies with a solid season behind him.
He snared silver medals in the U17 surf race at the states and the U17 swim at the 2024 Shannon Eckstein Ironman Classic.
Hayden is a consistent finalist.
Bianca Rayward- Burleigh - U17 Female
A rising star with talent to burn.
At a brilliant state titles she claimed gold in the U17 surf race, silver in the ironwoman and was a finalist in the ski and board race.
Last year Bianca broke the record for the 200m 14 Female Super Lifesaver by an impressive nine seconds.
She also represented Australia in the 2023 New Zealand Pool Rescue Championships.
Zoe Woods - Alexandra Headlands - U17 Female
Zoe has been a consistent competitor for some time, narrowly missing the U14 iron title at the 2023 Aussies in Perth to Pipi Te Pania.
Zoe represented Queensland at the 2024 Australian Interstate championships in Maroubra earning a silver medal in the U17 Ironwoman, silver in the Surf Race, and bronze in the board race.
She also medalled at this year’s Queensland titles with a gold in the U17 board race, silver in the Surf Race, and Bronze in the Ironwoman.
Sienna Bush - North Burleigh- U17 Female
Sienna Bush took home the U17 ironwoman gold at both the 2024 Shannon Eckstein Ironman Classic and the state champs. She will be one to watch coming into the Aussies.
Britt Ackerley - Maroochydore- U17 Female
Britt is an excellent board and ski athlete.
She had some solid events at the 2024 Shannon Eckstein Ironman Classic in both the U17 ironwoman (silver) and the board race (gold).
She also medalled at the state championships in the single ski (silver), in the board race (bronze) and narrowly missed out in the ironwoman (4th place). Britt was also selected as a representative on the 2024 Queensland Cyclones ocean/beach interstate team.
Daisy Quinn - Met Caloundra- U17 Female
Daisy Quinn, a strong long-distance swimmer who won gold in the 16 years 5km and 7.5km at the The 2023 Australian Open Water Championships in WA, earning Daisy an invitation to Swimming Australia’s 2023 open water swimming development Camp.
Daisy also won gold in the 1500m freestyle at the 2023 Queensland swimming championships in Brisbane.
Allie Hughes - Tugun- U17 Female
Allie Hughes claimed her first gold medal in the single ski final at the state titles this year. She was a gold medallist at the Summer of Surf North Bondi in the U15 Ironwoman in 2022.
Lily Alford - Tugun - U17 Female
Won both beach flags and beach sprint at the recent Queensland championships and will be looking to continue a strong season at Aussies.
U17 VICTORIAN ATHLETES TO WATCH AT AUSSIES
Jemma Holt - Mordialloc U17 Female
Awarded the Joan Johannes Memorial Trophy for finishing first in the under 16s individual category at the 2023 Royal Life Saving Society’s Australian Pool Lifesaving Championships. This also saw her selected to compete in the Open Women’s Development Team at the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships in Canada in September 2023.
Jemma has consistently been named one of Life Saving Victoria’s most promising athletes.
Lani Steel (ski) - Jan Juc - U17 Female
Silver in the U17 ironwoman at the Summer of Surf Series in Jan Juc.
Lani has also been described as an athlete to watch in the ski events.
U17 WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES TO WATCH AT AUSSIES
Amelia Rowe - Sorrento - U17 Female
Did the sprint and flag double at WA state and at the Interstate Championships in January.
Was a class above in winning the sprint at Aussies last year but will be looking to improve on her semi-final performance in the flags.
U17 WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES TO WATCH AT AUSSIES
Chase Corbett - Port Noarlunga - U17 Male
Chase won silver in the Summer of Surf Series Glenelg Sprint Challenge U17 Ironman. He’ll be looking to improve on his finals placings from last year’s Youth Aussies in the ironman
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Originally published as Aussies 2024: 38 U17s young guns to watch at Australian surf life saving titles
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