AUSTRALIAN LIFESAVING TEAM WINS AT WORLD GAMES
Kaohsiung , Chinese Taipei, July 25: The Australian Lifesaving team fought back from a whopping 136 point deficit to defend its World Games title in steamy, choppy conditions at Sizihwan Bay Beach in Kaohsiung today.
Australia finished with a total of 634 points after three days of competition, with Italy on 521 and New Zealand on 485.
The Chinese challenge, which had seemed almost inevitable after their performance over two days of pool competition, melted away in the balmy ocean, and they finished fourth on 420 adding only 67 points today.
Team captain Shannon Eckstein said that to defend the title against pool lifesaving powerhouses of Italy and new-comer China, along with the ever-competitive New Zealanders, was a remarkable effort.
"It is always difficult defending a title in a field as strong as this and we just have to keep on lifting the standard," he said.
"The conditions were difficult here at the beach today. We had anticipated that it would be very hot and flat, however it turned out to be rainy and choppy, but this worked in our favour in the end as it really tested the Europeans," he said.
"The entire Australian team performed really well, from the rookies to the old hands and we improved in the pool which is very positive going into a World Championships year in 2010."
Australian team coach, Danny Short said the team showed remarkable resilience and continually came back from a number of slow starts over the course of the three days of competition.
"Despite a number of hiccups along the way, the team kept pushing themselves and we ended up with a number of personal bests in the pool and a dominating performance on the beach," he said.
Australian team manager, Jeannie Baxter-Reid said that it was an outstanding whole-of-team performance from the athletes right through to the team physiotherapist and sports scientist.
"Our preparation was less than ideal with a number of changes to the team in the lead up to the Games, but as always, the Australian team ‘dug deep', demonstrating outstanding lifesaving skills on the beach," she said.
Reid also paid particular tribute to the Kaohsiung Organising Committee of the World Games, which, she said, had done a fantastic job.
"The organisation of these Games has been absolutely fantastic and the people of Kaohsiung are some of the friendliest we have ever dealt with," she said.
Eckstein and Flood take out Ironman and Ironwoman
Shannon Eckstein and Naomi Flood stamped their authority on world Ironman racing with dominant performances to wind up 
the three days of World Games competition.
Eckstein never looked in doubt, leading the field by five seconds around the cans in the first swim leg and extending this lead to around thirty seconds by the time he hit the beach.
Hugh Dougherty, in his first national team appearance, sprinted past the rather more leisurely Frenchman Julien Lalanne going into the ski leg and from then on the two Australians were unstoppable, taking out first and second postion ahead of Ryan Brennan from South Africa.
Naomi Flood tussled with South African Kendall Loots in the swim leg of the Ironwoman race, however the Australian left her challenger struggling to get her ski through the tricky shore break, and Flood never looked back.
Coming off the ski and into the board leg, Flood led Kiwi Nikki Cox by 20 seconds, who in turn was ten seconds ahead of a fatigued Kristyl Smith.
The ever-competitive Smith, the current Australian Open Ironwoman Champion was neck and neck with Cox in the final sprint leg along the beach, with Smith claiming second place with a desperate dive at the finish.
Smith and Allum in Surf Race double
Earlier Smith had got the team off to a good start when she won the gold medal in the Female Surf Race, followed by Naomi Flood in second and New Zealander Ayla Dunlop-Barretin third.
The high tide and low winds meant made for a very even field, however the superior ocean swimming skills of the Australians provided key tactical advantages.
"It's always good to get a win on the board early in the day and to win Australia's first Lifesaving gold medal at the World Games is also great," she said.
"I always try to make sure to use the first 15 metres off the beach to get ahead of the rest of the field and today it was just ‘Floody' and me for most of the rest of the race."
Chris Allum, who as the team ‘all-rounder' has had the toughest schedule over the three days of Games competition, took out the Male Surf Race in emphatic style from New Zealand's Glen Anderson, while Shannon Ecktein was pipped at the post by Italy's Federico Pinotti.
Shire boy Allum, a 23 year old teacher at Sydney's Trinity Grammar School, said the competition was tough, with the New Zealand swimmers fighting for every place.
"I was copping a hammering from the Kiwi swimmers on the way out, but the conditions were more suited to pool swimmers, so when I saw the Italian [Pinotti] go past me so I just followed him and ended up with a good win."
"I'm just stoked to win an event here today as with 12 races over the course of three days I am pretty fatigued," he said.
Terri Sullivan wins her first international gold medal
Smith later teamed up with fellow Gold Coast surf star Terri Sullivan to take out the board rescue race ahead of Nikki Cox 
and Ayla Dunlop-Barrett from New Zealand.
Sullivan, who was called up to the team only weeks ago after the withdrawal of Elizabeth Pluimers said she was thrilled to win her first international gold medal.
"Coming into the World Games without the longest preparation I was really conscious that my individual performances could be key to the team defending its title," she said.
The duo got off the beach first and apart from a couple of anxious moments when they dropped off the back of a wave, ended up beating the Kiwis by around 30 seconds.
Sarah Windsor bows out of international competition
This morning's surf race final was a bittersweet affair for Australian team stalwart, Sarah Windsor.
After overcoming a serious chest infection which caused her to be physically sick a little more than five days ago, she clinched a silver medal in yesterday's final of the 100m rescue medley in 1:17.41 at the World Games in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei.
This morning, after finishing seventh in the Surf Race final, she announced her retirement from international competition, bringing to a close a career that had spanned fifteen years and saw her represent her country in 21 national teams.
"I was supposed to retire after the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships in Canada in March, which would mean I started and finished my international sporting career in Canada fifteen years apart," she said.
"But then my grandad died. At his funeral in April one of my uncles told me something good would come around the corner shortly.
"Two days later Australian Head Coach Brett Dowker called me and suggested I get my nomination form in. I reasoned that if I get the opportunity to represent my country for the 21st time I should do it, which is why I am here in Taiwan."
The 31 year old Sunshine Coast resident begins a new career as a lecture in Physical Chemistry at the Sunshine Coast University on Monday and has no regrets at retiring at the top of her game.
"Last night's silver medal [in the 100m rescue medley] was a great way to go out and I'm really pleased to be able to go out on a high."
"There have been many highlights over my international career. At every international event I have attended I have got at least one individual medal and I held a world record in the 200m obstacle swim from 2002 to 2006.
"An international sporting career is a roller coast ride and anyone that tells you any different is lying - you have to enjoy the ride. You've got to expect the unexpected and when it happens, you have to suck it up and just keep going."
Australian Lifesaving team manager Jeannie Baxter-Reid said Sarah had had a long and distinguished career and had always been known for her hard work and dedication.
"Sarah was certainly one of the hardest workers in training and I think the length and success of her international career demonstrates that all her hard work paid off," she said.
Kiwis stamp dominance on Board Race
The highly competitive nature of international lifesaving sports was starkly evident when New Zealanders Dan Moodie and Nikki Cox took out gold medals in the male and female board races.
Despite the Australian trio of Smith, Flood and new cap Terri Sullivan appearing to take the better line to the cans off the beach, it was Nikki Cox who delighted the vocal Kiwi contingent as she headed around the cans and back to the beach well in front of her Australian rivals.
It was a similar story in the Men's board race with Eckstein and Dougherty neck to neck all the way out, only to see Dan Moodie go past them both.
"I just got a good runner and headed back to the beach - it was all over the place out there," Moodie said.
The first seeded New Zealand team also performed strongly overall on the beach today, making up 285 points to finish third in overall World Games ranking.
RESULTS
World Games, Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Day 3 - Saturday 25 July: Male: Surf Race C Allum (AUS) G Anderson (NZL) F Pinotti (ITA) S Eckstein (AUS) M Janes (NZL) D Moodie (NZL) Board Race D Moodie (NZL) H Dougherty (AUS) S Eckstein (AUS) J Despergers (FRA) C Allum (AUS) M Sutton (NZL) Rescue Tube Rescue AUS NZL RSA GER FRA ITA TPE CHN Board Rescue AUS NZL FRA ITA RSA TPE GER CHN Ironman S Eckstein (AUS) H Dougherty (AUS) R Brennan (RSA) D Moodie (NZL) C Allum (AUS) G Anderson (NZL)
Female: Surf Race K Smith (AUS) N Flood (AUS) A Dunlop-Barrett (NZL) E van Gysen (RSA) Y Chang (CHN) J Parr (NZL) Board Race N Cox (NZL) N Flood (AUS) M Boon (NZL) T Sullivan (AUS) K Smith (AUS) K Loots (RSA) Rescue Tube Rescue RSA AUS GER ITA FRA NZL TPE CHN Board Rescue AUS NZL GER ITA RSA FRA TPE CHN Ironwoman N Flood (AUS) K Smith (AUS) N Cox (NZL) M Boon (NZL) T Sullivan (AUS) K Loots (RSA)
Final pointscore AUS 634 ITA 521 NZL 485 CHN 420 GER 359 RSA 334 FRA 288 TPE 135
Australia retained World Games Lifesaving title.