Olympian And Indigenous Swim Star The X-Factors For Australian Lifesaving Team

Surf Life Saving Australia, November 1, 2013: LONDON Olympian and gold medal winning swimmer Ryan Napoleon and emerging Indigenous international lifesaving swimmer Mariah Jones could be just the answers the Australian Life Saving Team are after as it looks to wrest back the coveted tag as the world’s best team.

Ryan-Napoleon-and-Mariah-Jones

An Olympic-powered New Zealand team shook the life out of their Australian counterparts at last year’s World Lifesaving Championships, Rescue 2012 in Adelaide.

National Head Coach Danny Short and his selectors have been searching for new blood to join the likes of Shannon Eckstein and Kendrick Louis, Ironwoman Kristyl Smith and Olympic ski paddler Naomi Flood in an all out assault to win back the Alan Whelpton Trophy from the Kiwis at next year’s World Championships.

Napoleon, who won the 400m freestyle at this year’s World University Games and has personal best times of 1:47.51 for 200m and 3:45.16 for 400m freestyle, will become a dual international when he represents Australia on this month’s European tour.

The 23-year-old Commonwealth Games gold and silver medallist and one of Northcliffe’s newest recruits is part of a Nine-strong team to tour Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany - a team that also includes Tweed Heads-Coolangatta’s former Australian Under 19 surf race champion and Indigenous Beach To Bush program ambassador Mariah Jones,

Mariah, a name that means Star of the Sea, won the under 19 women’s surf race at the 2012 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships and took bronze behind Manly’s Kiwi star Devon Halligan and Cronulla’s Shivaun Street in the women’s open belt final at this year’s Aussies at North Kirra.

She is also one of the stand outs at National Age Swimming meets in both the 50 and 100m freestyle events and an ambassador for Indigenous lifesaving.

The team will contest two important competitions in the BeNe Cup in Belgium and The Netherlands and then travel to Warendorf , Germany to contest the prestigious German Cup.

Australia will be captained for the first time by Bronte and The Hills lifesaver, Andrew Bowden and contains athletes that are part of Australian Lifesaving Rescue 2014 Squad.

Indigenous swimmer, Jones, was a member of the victorious Australian Under 20 team that won the Rescue 2012 Development Team pointscore.

Short says the tour of Europe to contest these events is critical in the Australian team’s preparation for Rescue 2014 in France next year.

This year has seen world class times recorded in the domestic Pool Lifesaving Competitions which has provided a new found confidence for the Australian Squad.

"Back in early June we began work to renew the Australian Life Saving Team culture and build an identity we could all be proud of. Central to this was to install a culture of athlete responsibility and work ethic,” said Short.

“Plenty of progress has been made with some exciting new additions made for the Rescue 2014 squad.

"The three-nil Test white wash against New Zealand at The International Surf Rescue Challenge in Japan was our first real test to see how far we have come.

“And I was delighted with what I saw – particularly in attitude and personal characteristics of our athletes and this tour will be another test to see if they have the right DNA to represent Australia next year. That is the main game.

"I am really happy with how the athletes have responded but there is still much hard work to be done.

“The world is getting faster and we have to keep up. Only hard work will guarantee we get there.”

The inclusion of Olympic swimmer Napoleon and Mariah Jones could just be the X factors Australia is looking for.

Australian Lifesaving Team, European Tour, 2013:

MEN:
Andrew Bowden (Bronte SLSC/ Hills Lifesaving Club)
Sam Bell (Maroochydore SLSC/ Port Hacking Lifeguard Club)
Tim Schofield (Terrigal SLSC/ Hills Lifesaving Club)
Matt Davis (Moore Park SLSC)
Ryan Napoleon (Northcliffe SLSC)

WOMEN:
Rachelle King (Terrigal SLSC/ Hills Lifesaving Club)
Christina Ruiz (Northcliffe SLSC)
Pam Hendry (Maroochydore SLSC/ Port Hacking Lifeguard Club)
Mariah Jones ( Tweed Heads Coolangatta)
Head Coach: Danny Short (Maroochydore)
Asst Coach / Team Manager: Wade Sinclair ( Picnic Bay )
Physiotherapist: Nick Marshall ( Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park )

Prepared and Issued On behalf of the Australian Life Saving Teamby:

Ian Hanson
Hanson Media Group

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