FLOOD AND HALLIGAN STEER MANLY TO GOLDEN DAY AT AUSSIES
April 1, 2012: Manly's London bound Olympian Naomi Flood and rising star Devon Halligan have spearheaded Manly to golden day at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at North Kirra today.
Flood won five gold medals from five starts in the single ski; double ski with Candice Falzon; the mixed double ski with Blake Ballard; the Taplin with Falzon and Halligan and the ski relay with Falzon and Sarah Knapman.
Halligan won three gold and four silvers and the female competitor of the carnival - becoming the first girl to win the under 19 ironwoman and a silver in the open.
Flood showed all her class when she powered to the line to defend her open single ski crown after a neck and neck paddle into the wave area with fellow kayaker Alyce Burnett (Maroochydore) and Teneale Hatton (Kurrawa). It was her third title, having first won it in 2007.
The gold kept flowing for the sky blue caps when Flood, Falzon and Halligan defended their open women's taplin relay title from Northcliffe and Kurrawa.
Flood, who will contest her first Olympics in Australia's kayak team, had earlier combined with Falzon to win the open double ski final after the pair had joined forces with Knapman to win the ski relay.
There was a well deserved win to Halligan in the under 19 Ironwoman from Jordan Mercer (Noosa Heads) who had earlier won the under 19 board final and Miranda Davies (Burleigh Heads-Mowbray Park).
Halligan had won silver in her two previous Ironwoman appearances at the Aussies in the under 17s and behind Amy Nurthen (Terrigal) in last year's Under 19s.
"It's great to finally win an individual gold after my two silvers," a smiling 18-year-old Gold Coast-based University student, who will continue to compete for Manly "because NSW needs us."
"I am training with the Kurrawa club and as long as they are happy for me to train with them then I will stay with Manly and will wear the Manly cap at this year's World Championships.
"I can't believe I won the silver in the opens - beyond my wildest dreams."
There was great joy in the Halligan household with Devon's little brother Cooper winning gold for Newport
in the under 17 surf teams alongside Jonah Beard, Max Brooks and Jayke Rees.
Brilliant young Manly swimmer Trent Klousal showed his strength to defend his under 19 belt title, the first to do so since Wollongong's Matt Heisley, who won the treble between 2002 and 2004 before taking out the under 19 surf race.
Kurrawa's Hayley Bateup gave the five finger salute when she won her fifth Aussies board crown to equal the great Reen Corbert.
Corbert dominated board paddling in the 90s, winning in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998 while Bateup has now joined her with victories in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2012.
The men's board went to probably the most deserved paddler in the field, Ironman Hugh Dougherty, the first Tugun paddler to take the title since Steve King in 1998.
King was on the beach to help celebrate the gold medal.
Silver went to Maroocydore's Beau Farrell with NSW champion and 2008 Australian champion Daniel Shade from Avoca Beach grabbing the bronze.
Despite the presence of a host of Olympians, Shade's Avoca team mate Lachlan Tame defended his single ski title from Redhead's 1996-2000 Olympian Peter Scott and Reece Baker (Trigg Island) in an all-star final which included Olympic champions Clint Robinson and Ken Wallace.
For Ironman Hurst, it was his second gold of the titles, after taking the restricted surf title, but he had to fight all the way to the finish to edge out Jan Juc's Sam Sheppard with Simon Huitenga (City of Perth) third.