Eckstein and Smith lead Northcliffe to successful World Title Defence in France

 Surf Life Saving Australia, September 29, 2014: Ten-times Australian champion club Northcliffe has completed a successful defence of its World Lifesaving Championship, Rescue 2014 Inter-Club pointscore crown at Couchant Beach, La Grande Motte, in the south of France, overnight.

After two days of pool rescue events, the Gold Coast-based club, with Ironman great Shannon Eckstein and Ironwoman star Kristyl Smith at the helm, dominated the ocean competition - winning eight events.

 

 

Eckstein finished off what has been another remarkable year - adding his fifth straight World Oceanman title to his sixth Australian ironman crown and his eighth Nutri-Grain Series victory.

“The Dominator” has shown he is without doubt the world’s greatest surf ironman adding the Inter-Club crown to another National Teams ironman title last week.

He again proved too strong for all-comers to defeat rising star Matt Bevilacqua from Mooloolaba with Eckstein’s Northcliffe club mates Cory Taylor third, Stefan Demopolous fourth and Max Beattie fifth.

 

 

Eckstein also showed his domination in the board final, beating Mooloolaba’s Luke Cuff with Beattie third and Taylor fourth.

Northcliffe wrapped up their celebrations with a victory in Oceanman Rely with the Eckstein factor again in control, alongside Cory Hill, Nick Gale and Dev Lahey.

It was Lahey whose lanky legs carried him across the knee-depth channel to victory in the surf race over Eckstein with stillwater swimmer Wally Eggleton (Bronte) third.

Hill finished second to defending champion and four-time National champion, rising kayak star Lachlan Tame (Avoca) in the open single ski with Dan Humble (Trigg Island) third. Gale and Eckstein were fourth and fifth respectively.

In the women’s events it was the seasoned Smith, who was a dominant force for the Australian team in their gallant defeat at the hands of New Zealand in last week’s National Teams Championship, who added the 2014 World Oceanwoman title to her long list of honours.

 

 

 

In the Oceanwoman it was Smith from her club-mates and fellow Australian champions Rebecca Creedy and Courtney Hancock who were second and third with former Victorian Harriett Brown giving Northcliffe the quadrella.

Smith also won the surf race from Hancock with Brown third and was runner-up to Manly’s Olympian and defending world champion Naomi Flood in the single ski which saw Amy Nurthen (Mooloolaba) third.

Brown had a memorable World Championships, winning the individual board race from Creedy and Dunn in another impressive Northcliffe trifecta.

She then backed up to win the board rescue with Creedy and the pair combined with Dunn and Hancock to win the Oceanwoman Relay.

At the end of the two day’s of ocean competition, Brown finished with three gold, one bronze and a fourth; Smith two gold and one silver; Creedy two gold, two silver; Hancock one gold, one bronze, one silver; one gold and one bronze.

Meanwhile on the beach Currumbin Beach Vikings duo Chanel Hickman and Hayley Wiper won the World beach flags and beach sprint crowns.

It capped a perfect week for the Gold Coast-based Kiwi Hickman, who won the gold medal for New Zealand as the Kiwis defended their National Teams title against Australia last week, before turning out for her Australian club in the inter-club competition.

City of Perth’s Gabrielle Murphy finished second behind the Currumbin girls in both the flags and sprint and combined with team mates Tarnica Golisano, Alysse Hogan and Brittany Houghton to win the beach relay from Mount Maunganui and North Cottesloe.

Kurrawa’s former Australian Under 17 and Under 19 beach sprint champion Ben Mispelhorn won the open beach flags from Japan’s Kenichi Wada and New Zealander Finch Murdoch with Sorrento WA’s Jackson Symonds winning the beach sprint from Thomas Nolan (North Cottesloe) with Kiwi Kodi Harman third.

The open boat finals went to British crew Porthtowan in the men’s and Scarboro in the women’s while Kurrawa and South Maroubra were the stand-out crews in the World IRB Championships.

Kurrawa won three gold and Sydney’s South Maroubra two.

RESULTS:

World Inter-Club Lifesaving Championships, Couchant Beach, La Grand Motte, Ocean FINALS:

Oceanwoman K Smith (Northcliffe) R Creedy (Northcliffe) C Hancock (Northcliffe) Surf race K Smith (Northcliffe) C Hancock (Northcliffe) H Brown (Northcliffe) Board H Brown (Northcliffe) R Creedy (Northcliffe) M Dunn (Northcliffe) Ski N Flood (Manly) K Smith (Northcliffe) A Nurthen (Mooloolaba) 2km Run A Notten (Fish Hoek RSA) K Conder (Elouera), M Stephens (Durban RSA) Flags C Hickman (Currumbin) G Murphy (City of Perth) M Maritz (Durban RSA) Sprint H Wyper (Currumbin) G Murphy (City of Perth) B Masters (Kurrawa) Board Rescue H Brown/R Creedy (Northcliffe) M Fabre/J Harel (Montpellier FRA) J Luster/J Schatz (DLRG Halle-Saalekreis GER) Beach Relay City of Perth (T Golisano A Hogan B Houghton G Murphy) Mt Maunganui NZL (O Eaton A Wright K Elliott H Moczydlowski) Nth Cottesloe (M Lipscombe A Speirs S Power T Maffescioni) Oceanwoman Relay Northcliffe (C Hancock M Dunn, R Creedy, H Brown) Montpellier FRA (C Audrin L Vallat M Fabre J Harel) Fish Hoek RSA (K Flanagan L Cowling K Gelderblon A Notten) Rescue Tube Rescue DLRG Halle-Saalekreis GER Montpellier FRA Aqua Club Evere FRA Open Surf Boat Scarboro (J Nock L Elliott N Downes J Donnelly G Nock) St Kilda (C Plowman J Lambert J Culka K Durrant V Fields) Red Beach NZL (Z Talaic-Burgess S O’Halloran K Andrew A Jenkins M Smith)

Men

Oceanman S Eckstein (Northcliffe) M Bevilacqua (Mooloolaba) C Taylor (Northcliffe) Surf race D Lahey (Northcliffe) S Eckstein (Northcliffe) W Eggleton (Bronte) Board S Eckstein (Northcliffe) L Cuff (Mooloolaba) M Beattie (Northcliffe) Ski L Tame (Avoca) C Hill (Northcliffe) D Humble (Trigg Island) 2km Run J Andersen (Ottawa Valley, CAN) A Najem (Wanda) H Cebrian (CNS Oriol Imperial, CAN) Flags B Mispelhorn (Kurrawa) K Wada (Shikinejima, JPN) F Murdoch (Riversdale Beach, NZL) Sprint J Symonds (Sorrento) T Nolan (Nth Cottesloe) K Harman (Papamoa, NZL) Board rescue P Caley/J Despergers (Biarritz, FRA) M Malcolm/L Zagel (Surfers Paradise) T O’Keeffe/N Gray (Elouera) Oceanman Relay Northcliffe (S Eckstein D Lahey N Gale C Hill) Bronte (M Elthan C Kilmurray J Higgins W Eggleton) Mooloolaba (L Cuff C Loughnan T Dowling W Bain) Rescue Tube Rescue Stralsund GER DLRG Magdeburg GER Bronte (S Ford A Bowden W Eggleton J Higgins) Open Surf Boat Porthtowan GBR (M Healey G Walters E Hartgill M Macanovic T Hanna) Hossegor Sauvetage Cotier FRA (S El Khorassani J Vidourez M Vidourez L Picavet L Courtieux) Biarritz FRA (O Loveday B Jaureguiberry C Peyre M Immig E Audibert)

* Australian Club unless other wise noted

Issued on behalf of Surf Life Saving Australia by
Ian Hanson| Media Manager Triathlon Australia
Media Manager, 2014 Australian Commonwealth Games Team
Deputy Media Manager 2016 Australian Olympic Team
Media Manager 2014 Pan Pacs

Ian Hanson| Media Manager Triathlon Australia Managing Director
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