FLOOD PRIMED FOR LONDON OLYMPIC ASSAULT

April 10: Manly's Olympic kayak hopeful Naomi Flood added her second gold medal of the DHL 2011 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at Kurrawa today - and starts her preparations for London on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old former Australian Ironwoman champion used all her surf skills and her paddling prowess to win the women's single ski championship in a polished display.

She has been one of the faces of surf lifesaving over the past decade, representing Australia at the last two World Championships before winning selection in the Australian kayak team.

Flood, who has transferred from her Manly training base to the AIS Canoe Facility on the Gold Coast, now has the London Olympics squarely in her sights.

The talented, personable Flood credited surf lifesaving for starting her sporting career and admitted the surf competition has been a major plus after the pressures of preparing for the Australian kayak championships.

"It's only natural to have a let down after preparing for the Australian Kayak Championships and to come to the Aussies and race and have some fun is a perfect way to stay in touch as well," said Flood.

"I've been trying to win this single ski again since 2007 so it is huge to finally get it back."

But there will be limited celebrations and not much time for rest as Flood starts her London preparations on Tuesday, as she gets back on her boat for this year's Canoe Kayak World Cup meets in Poland, Czech Republic and Germany and hopefully a place in the Australian team for the World Championships in Hungry.

"London is the big goal and that starts almost immediately," said Flood.

"We have to qualify our boats for the Olympics and then hopefully make the team"

Flood is one of the finest surf sports competitors in Australia and a Manly mainstay who teamed up with outstanding Under 19 competitor Devon Halligan (swim) and Candice Falzon (board) to win the Open Women's Taplin.

She also produced a gutsy silver medal swim in the open belt final to Northcliffe's Ayla Dunlop-Barrett and finished second in the open mixed double ski to 1996 and 2000 Olympian Peter Scott and Lisa Brown (Redhead) with Lifesaving legend and five times Olympian Clint Robinson and emerging 16-year-old kayak star Coco Howcroft (Maroochydore).

She also added bronze with Falzon and Sarah Knapman in the women's single ski relay.

In other major events:

  • Kurrawa's beach flags queen Melissa Howard won her seventh Australian beach flags title - the most by any female, when she edged out club mate and New Zealand champion Chanel Hickman with Winter Olympian Michelle Steele (Elliott Heads) taking bronze. The men's event saw Tom Reiken eventually crowned the winner after New Zealand's Morgan Foster (Kurrawa) was disqualified.
  • Mona Vale, swept by Bryce Munro with crewmen James Morison, James Davison, Wesley Dose and Sam Funch won its first Australian open surf boat title in 74 years, when the Mona Vale Alumni won the crown at Bondi in 1937. The luckless Currumbin Beach Barbarians were pipped on the line for their fourth silver since 2003. Mooloolaba (Sheryl Beaumont, Summa Callaghan, Leah Mckenzie, Brenden Western and Sara Western) won the women's open boat while the South Curl Curl Dutch Rudders (Mitchell Buckingham, Daniel Kwon, Ben Spiteri, Mark Spiteri and Tyler Williams) won the under 19s.
  • Virtual unknown Lachlan Tame won the prestigious open single ski crown, Avoca's first win in the event since Tom Gallard at North Wollongong in 1952, in a frantic finish from Trigg Island's Brendan Sarson with Manly's defending champion Murray Stewart third.
  • Wanda Blue (Brock Douglas, Blake McCrindle, Gordon McKirdy, Kurt Melville, Grant Sandstrom and Stuart Smith) won back their Curlewis Six-Man R and R title - winning the gold for the fourth time in past nine years with McKirdy, Melville, Sandstrom and Douglas in all four teams.
  • Freshwater Maroon's "Golden Oldies" (Alan Burns, Ian Donald, Wayne Freakley, Peter Obern and Chris Tyrrell) won the Five Man R and R for the second time since 2005 from defending champions Wanda with Bondi third.