AUSTRALIA FACES TOUGH CHALLENGE AS RESCUE 2012 HEADS TO THE BEACH

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RESCUE 2012, Adelaide, November 9, 2012: After three days of pool competition defending champions Australia will turn its attention to the ocean tomorrow when the Rescue 2012 World Life Saving Championships converge on Glenelg Beach to decide the National Teams Championship.

And the Aussies will face a tall order to hunt down Trans Tasman rivals New Zealand.

Going into the surf and beach events Italy leads the Championship race on 418 points, ahead of New Zealand (355) Germany (314) Australia (274) France (257) Netherlands (255) China (161) Canada (144) Belgium (143) and Spain 123.

Australia has to make up 81 points on their Trans Tasman rivals and it will be tough going for Shannon Eckstein and Kristyl Smith’s Australians when they take to the choppy waters of Glenelg tomorrow morning, determined to push the Kiwis to the limit.

The Australian Youth team has a 40 point buffer on the Kiwis after their impressive showing in the Pool.

The Youth pointscore is: Australia (490) New Zealand (450) Spain (433) Canada (295) Japan (268) Hong Kong (159) USA (104) Ireland (68) Iran (44) Sri Lanka (40).

“Every point is going to count that’s for sure,” said Australian coach Danny Short but “it’s not over till it’s over.”

“We knew we would be chasing the Kiwis after the pool events. They came here with a talented Olympic class team but I’m proud of the way our guys fought and especially someone like Sam Bell who did a great job for us.”

And it was Bell and his twin sister Miranda who provided the major highlight for the Aussies in the 200m Super Lifesaver event which saw twin silver medals to the Australian open team’s twin brother and sister.

The Super Lifesaver consists of a 75 metre freestyle swim before competitors dive to recover a submerged manikin which is then towed to the edge of the pool.

The manikin is then released before embarking on a 50 m freestyle swim with fins and in a rescue tube before securing and towing the manikin over the final 50 metres.

In the women’s final, Miranda Bell (2:26.59) chased hard, pushing talented Kiwi Natasha Hind to a new world record of 2 minutes 24.55 seconds with Italy’s Laura Pranzo (2:29.26) taking the bronze.

The men’s final saw Sam Bell, one of the big improvers on the Australian team also snared the silver medal in the Men’s open Super Lifesaver behind Thomas Vilaceca (France) with Cristoph Ertel (Germany) third.

There was gold medal success for the Australia’s Stefan Demopolous in the men’s Youth Super Lifesaver category who set a new Youth world record of 2:21.22 to edge out Spain’s Gonzalo Mateo (2:22.27) and Ireland’s Bernard Cahill (2:25.87).

The women’s Youth Super Lifesaver event saw a Kiwi quinella with Natalie Peat setting a new Youth world mark of 2:30.73 to easily account for team mate Carina Doyle (2:37.03) with Australia’s Rachelle King (2:38.63) and Alisha Ellwood (2:41.72) third and fourth respectively.

Australian pair Alisha Ellwood and Rachelle King quinellaed the 50m Youth Manikin Carry with Elwood setting a new Youth World best time of 37.53 and King 38.53 while Demopoulos won the men’s youth title in 32:61 from Bernard Cahill (IRE) 32:74 and Australia’s Sam Earp 33:27.

Meanwhile in the World Masters events, one of South Australia’s finest lifesaving sons, two-time Australian Ironman champion Dwayne Thuys returned to the gold medal dias when he combined with team mates Craig Chapman and David Orchard to win the over 130 years Surf Teams.

Thuys, who won two Ironman titles with Seacliff, returned to his home town to celebrate his father’s 80th birthday.

“It has been a lot of fun to come back and make a holiday of the trip and meet up with some many friends,” said Thuys.

RESULTS: Rescue 2012 World Life Saving Championships, Day 3 Pool FINALS

50 metre Manikin Carry
Women’s

Youth

A Ellwood (AUS) 37.53 WR R King (AUS) 38:53 D O’Connor (NZL) 39:69

Open

N Hind (NZL) 36:31 C Pidello (ITA) 36:71 L Quilter (NZL) 36:85

Men’s

Youth

S Demopoulos (AUS) 32:61 B Cahill (IRE) 32:74 S Earp (AUS) 33:27

Open

S Costamanga (ITA) 30:01 F Pinotti (ITA) 30:33 A Marais (RSA) 30:81

100 metre Manikin Carry with Fins

Men

Youth
C Dawson (NZL) 53:46 WR A Jalali (IRAN) 54:01 G Mateo (ESP) 54:01

Open
S Procaccia (ITA) WR S Costamanga (ITA) 47:85 K Schirmer (GER) 49:20

Women’s

Youth

I Morales (ESP) 1:01:91 WR I Costa (ESP) 1:03:07 N Peat (NZL) 1:03:88

Open

M Luengas (ESP) 58:09 A Peulen (NED) 58:15 A Hundt, GERMANY 58:60 M Mozzanica (ITA) 58:60

2 x 50 Metre Line Throw

Men’s

Open
IRELAND (D Barrett, D Butler) 9:40, BELGUIM (Wouter, L Bolckmans) 10:16, INDIA (A Murlidharan, G Bhokare), 10:21

Youth
CANADA (A Lofts, C Stoner) 11:17, JAPAN (M Kobayashi, R Sakamoto) 11:66, SPAIN (JM Bas, G Mateo), 12:01

Women’s

Open
NETHERLANDS (M Peeters, A Peulen) 10:73, CANADA (TL Benison, A Prayal-Brown), 11:34, HONG KONG (W Wong, M Yung) 11:44

Youth
AUSTRALIA (R King, M Jones) 13:18, NEW ZEALAND (E Hodges, D McKenzie) 13:66, SPAIN (I Morales, J Verges) 14:11

200 Metre Super Lifesaver

Women’s

Open
N Hind (NZL) 2:24:55 WR, M Bell (AUS) 2:26:59, L Pranzo (ITA) 2:29:26

Youth
N Peat (NZL) 2:30:72 WR, C Doyle (NZL) 2:37:03 WR, R King (AUS) 2:38:63

Men’s

Open
T Vilaceca (FRA) 2:09:85, S Bell (AUS) 2:11:89 AR, C Ertel (GER) 2:13:40

Youth
S Demopoulous (AUS) 2:21:22 WR, G Mateo (ESP) 2:22:27 WR, B Cahill (IRL) 2:25:27

4 x 50 Metre Relay

Men’s

Youth
New Zealand (T Harris, C Taylor, C Dawson, B Quilter) 1:36:37, SPAIN (JM Bas, G Mateo,) 1:37:25, JAPAN (M Kobayashi, R Sakamoto, S Takuya, T Tomizawa) 1:37:25

Open
CHINA (J Lou, B Zhang, F Shi, W Cui) 1:30:44, GERMANY (C Ertel, C, Ertel, K Schirmer, A Sezen) 1:31:26, NETHERLANDS (P Crijns, M Teley, R Bommell, M Meij) 1:31:76

Women’s

Open

ITALY (M Mozzanica, C Pidello, N Prandi,L Pranzo) 1:41.21 FRANCE (E Bescheron, M Fabre, J Harel, J Weydes) 1:41.64 NETHERLANDS (E Hutten, M Op het Veld, A Peulen, I Van Grinbergen) 1:42.68

Youth
SPAIN (I Costa, I Morales, S Redondo, J Verges) 1:49:59, AUSTRALIA (J Collins, A Ellwood, R King, M Jones), 1:49:60, NEW ZEALAND (D Oconnor, N Peat, K Radley, C Doyle) 1:52:62

POINTS TABLE AFTER THREE DAYS:

OPEN: Italy 418 New Zealand 355 Germany 314 Australia 274 France 257 Netherlands 255 China 161 Canada 144 Belgium 143 Spain 123
YOUTH: Australia 490 New Zealand 450 Spain 433 Canada 295 Japan 268 Hong Kong 159 USA 104 Ireland 68 Iran 44 Sri Lanka 40

SATURDAY ACTION:

National Team – Ocean events from 9am Finals from 2pm
Masters Pool Competition – 8am at SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre
IRB Championships – From 7.30am at Glenelg

ABOUT RESCUE 2012
Rescue 2012 will be held in Adelaide, South Australia, from November 7-18, 2012 and will include five separate competitions - World National Team Championships, World Interclub Championships, World Masters Championships, World Surf Boat Championships, and World Inflatable Rescue Boat Championships.

Rescue 2012 is open to all proficient lifesavers. The Masters competition is open to all proficient lifesavers who are 30 years of age or above.

Athletes can compete in nine separate disciplines - swimming, simulated emergency rescue, Ironman / Ironwoman, surf-ski, board, beach sprints, beach flags, surf boats and IRB.

Beach, National Teams and all IRB events will be held at Glenelg Beach.

Christies Beach will be the home of all Masters, Interclub and Surf Boat events.

The South Australian State Aquatic and Leisure Centre will host all Pool events.

PHOTOS BY Harvpix.com AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

MEDIA ACCREDITATION CLICK HERE

Attention all media who intend covering Rescue 2012, that Media Accreditation is for working media only and accreditation forms MUST be signed off by your editor before accreditation will be processed. A reminder also that Rescue 2012 will have its own official photographer in Harvie Allison (Harvpix.com ) who will distribute to all media outlets. Freelance photographers who are uploading for their own websites WILL NOT be accredited. ONLY photographers working for newspapers and registered agencies will receive accreditation.

Issued on behalf of Rescue 2012.