RELAY WIN GIVES FLOOD TWO REASONS TO CELEBRATE

SURF LIFE SAVING, April, 17, 2013: Olympic kayak paddler Naomi Flood led Manly to back-to-back open women’s ski relay gold medals at the 2013 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at North Kirra today.Olympic kayak paddler Naomi Flood led Manly to back-to-back open women’s ski relay gold medals at the 2013 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at North Kirra today.

Flood celebrated her 27th birthday in perfect style as she teamed with Devon Halligan and Candice Falzon to take the sky blues to victory ahead of North Burleigh and Mooloolaba.

Leading off with her customary power, Flood gave Manly a 10-metre lead after the opening leg before North Burleigh’s Tenille Devine fought back against Halligan to pull level and set up a thrilling finish.

Last paddlers Falzon and North Burleigh Liz Pluimers set off together and Pluimers, a former women’s professional series champion, was able to open a small lead on the paddle out to the turning buoys.

However Falzon proved again she is a gritty competitor in teams competition and fought back to catch the vital wave close to the beach and sprint away to victory.

“Candace was gutsy as all hell,” Flood said as she hugged her teammates.

“To get onto that wave was amazing.

“This is an awesome team and I’m just stoked.”

West Australian club Trigg Island ended a painful two-year wait when it scored a mighty win over Northcliffe and Avoca Beach in the open men’s ski relay final.

In 2011 Trigg looked to have the ski relay gold medal in their keeping until their last paddler struck trouble and the memory of that loss drove Reece Baker, Dan Humble and Brendon Sarson to victory today, and was also the spark for wild celebrations after Sarson crossed the finish line.

The former Ironman competitor put in a powerful final paddle and was too fast for Northcliffe’s Olympic kayak gold medallist Tate Smith in the sprint to the finish.

Mooloolaba’s young surf stars threw down the challenge to perennial powerhouse Northcliffe in the first finals at North Kirra today.

Northcliffe has won the carnival pointscore eight times in a row but Mooloolaba showed the fight for this year’s crown will not be one-sided.

The Sunshine Coast club started its carnival brilliantly with victories in the open men’s and women’s board relays, as well as the under-19 women’s board relay and the under-19 ski relay.

The open men’s team of Matt Bevilacqua, Cam Cole and Kendrick Louis was too slick for Northcliffe’s B team, while the favoured Northcliffe A team featuring Ironman star Shannon Eckstein finished a surprising sixth.

It was another B team causing an upset in the open women’s board relay final where Mooloolaba’s Ella Brown, Maddy Dunn and Kirsty Higginson combined to outrace higher-rated rivals and claim gold ahead of North Burleigh and Northcliffe.

In the under-19 women’s board relay it was Maddy Dunn, Bronte Hartland and Teisha Jenkins taking gold ahead of Noosa Heads and Currumbin.

Mooloolaba’s run of success continued in the under-19 men’s ski relay with William Bain, Joel Bevilacqua and Ryan Paroz winning from Newport and Warilla Barrack Point.

Jett Kenny, son of ironman great Grant Kenny and ex-Australian swimmer Lisa Curry, celebrated his first Australian championships gold medal with a sprint finish win for Noosa Heads in the under-19 board relay team.

In what was a tight race throughout, Kenny built on the work of teammates James Porter and Rhys Burrows to get Noosa into a narrow lead as he reached the beach and then raced away from second-placed Newport and third-placed Wanda.

The 2013 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships will continue until Sunday at North Kirra.

Issued on behalf of Surf Life Saving Australia by

Ian Hanson

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