Champion canoeists Lachlan Tame and Naomi Flood join Australian Life Saving Team for Rescue 2014

Surf Life Saving Australia, August 14, 2014: CHAMPION Australian canoeists Lachlan Tame and Olympian Naomi Flood will join the Australian Life Saving Team’s World Championship camp on the Gold Coast this weekend.

Tame combined with Olympic champion Ken Wallace to win silver in the K2 500 in the recent kayak world championships in Moscow in an awesome show of speed and

strength on the road to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Lachlan-Tame-and-Naomi-Flood-japan-2013

While Flood combined with her fellow Manly lifesaver Jo Brigden-Jones to finish a creditable seventh in their K2 500 final in their first major championship outing

together.

Flood debuted at the 2012 Olympics in London and with Brigden-Jones in her boat, believes they too are on track for Rio.

The return of Tame and Flood from a season of European racing commitments will be an enormous boost to the Australian Life Saving Team, who will throw down

the gauntlet to reigning World Champions New Zealand at next month’s World Lifesaving Championships, Rescue 2014, in France (September 16-21).

The pair will now join the cream of Australia’s Surf and Pool lifesavers as National Head Coach Danny Short and his team put the finishing touches to the team’s

preparations.

“It’s an exciting time to have Lachlan and Naomi back from Europe; their performances gave the whole group a huge boost and it will be great to have the

entire squad together for our final hit-out before leaving for France,” said Short. “They are both great team players who will bring enormous confidence and

leadership to the group.

“They showed that at the International Surf Rescue Challenge in Japan last year and with the likes of Shannon Eckstein, Kristy Smith, Ryan Napoleon and Pamela Hendry

in the team it puts the finishing touches to a very exciting group.

“We have a busy weekend coming up with plenty of activity in the water, on the beach and in the pool and it will be just what we need in the countdown to France.”

Tame and Flood – who both continued their domination of single ski events at this year’s Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships, will link up with Australia’s greatest

Ironman, Northcliffe’s Eckstein, Olympic swimmer Napoleon (Currumbin/RLSS Queensland) and Hendry (Maroochydore/Brisbane Lifesaving), who set a new world

record in the Australian Pool Rescue Championships last weekend.

Hendry clocked a sizzling world record time of 53.31 in her specialist 100m Manikin Carry With Fins.

It clipped 0.29 off the previous world mark, set by Italy’s Fiorani Giulia in Milan in April and sets up what will be a thrilling match-up in France.

Last weekend’s Australian Pool Rescue Championships saw some encouraging performances from Australian team members, Napoleon, Andrew Bowden (Bronte/

The Hills) and Tim Schofield (Terrigal/The Hills) in the men’s team and Hendry and Miranda Bell (Northcliffe) in the women’s events.

Napoleon, a member of the Australian Swim Team in London and a gold medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, won the 200m Obstacle race in 1:57.38 and the 50m Swim with Fins in 18 seconds flat as well as the 100m Rescue Medley in 1:02.

Meanwhile Australian Rescue-Tube-Rescue champion and Australian Pool Rescue title holder Andrew Bowden won the 100m Manikin Carry with Fins in 48.78, ahead

of Schofield (49.22) and Napoleon (50.81).

Hendry also won the 50m Swim with Fins and the 100m Rescue Medley ahead of Rachelle King (Terrigal) and Rescue 2014 team mate Christina Ruiz (Northcliffe/RLSS

Queensland) while Bell won the 200m Obstacle Race in 2:11.39, narrowly ahead of Mariah Jones (2:11.79) and Smith (2:13.90) and the 200m Super Lifesaver.

Terrigal/The Hills Schofield won the men’s Super Lifesaver ahead of Bowden and Napoleon.

This weekend will see the team feature in a “Mini Surf Carnival” at Coolangatta on Saturday and Sunday against a host of young up and comers from the Australian

Youth Life Saving Team and Nutri-Grain Trialists, with action starting at 7.30am on both days with pool events at Palm Beach Currumbin Pool on Sunday afternoon from

1.30. Short will also have Australian Swim Team Head coach Jacco Verhaeren and National

Open Water Head Coach Ron McKeon address the team in a break from their preparations for this weekend’s Pan Pacs on the Gold Coast.

Follow the Australian Life Saving Team on Social Media during Rescue 2014:

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