It was an extremely successful 2025 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships for NSW athletes with a gluttony of gold medals across the ages and two overall club point score victories marking a wonderful week for the Blues in North Kirra.
Hot on the heels of the NSW Championships which finished with a bang at Queenscliff beach just over three weeks ago, competitors made the trip across the border to the Gold Coast between March 29 and April 6, culminating in a bumper Opens program that saw legacies born and cemented for some of our best.
Swansea Belmont SLSC’s Katy Rees continues to go from strength to strength – she nearly ran the slate during Sunday’s finals package in the U17 water events, with wins in the Iron, Board and Swim and a tight second place finish in the Ski.
The Iron, in particular, showcased just how well some of the state’s best and brightest athletes are developing – Cudgen Headland SLSC’s Isabella Tate and Newport SLSC’s Pipi Te Pania ran second and third, while Wanda SLSC’s Charlotte Bowmer and Warilla Barrack Point SLSC’s Kyah Shipley crossed the line in fourth and sixth.
The U17 Male Iron was also a fantastic representation of NSW’s strength in surf sports, with Wanda’s Dane Sutton finishing ahead of North Curl Curl SLSC’s Sam Davis and Newport SLSC’s Noah Maggs to complete a sky-blue podium.
Jasmine Locke of Newport and Natalia Drobot of Avoca Beach SLSC raced an excellent Open Female Single Ski final, with line judge video footage required to separate the pair. The gold would eventually fall to Locke, a result perhaps easier to stomach for Drobot after she teamed up with Ella Beere to win the Open Double Ski earlier in the program.
In the Youth Championships, few results were bigger than Black Head SLSC’s win in the U15 Female Cameron Relay – the club’s first ever Youth Australian title.
Amaya Cross, Bronte Kippax, and Ash and Ella Pegrum – the latter managing a remarkable sprint up the beach to confirm the win – finished ahead of teams from Newport and Cudgen Headland.
North Bondi SLSC’s U13 competitor, Bart Carmody was one of three NSW winners in the Board Race – Manly LSC’s Henry Whitehead in the U15 Male and U13 Female, Sophie Maley from South Maroubra SLSC the others – while a pair of Billy’s – McCarthy from Avoca Beach and Holford from South Maroubra – won the U14 and U13 Male Swims.
On the beach, Coogee SLSC’s Marnie Laurence and South Maroubra’s Rory Muldowney won the U13 Female and U15 Male Sprints, while North Bondi’s Connor Colquhoun, Spencer Jordan-Booth, Jensen Lee and Joshua Raymond were quickest across the track in the U14 Male Relay.
North Bondi would be crowned the Youth Championships overall club point score winners, while Bondi SBLSC won an eighth consecutive Masters Championships title.
Wednesday 9 April 2025