He’s the golden boy from the South Coast, turning over sand on the sprint track and leaving most in his wake to watch.
And after the floods brought Age Championships to a halt last year before he could hit the beach, Miller Siasat is gearing up for a big run at the 2023 NSW Surf Life Saving Championships, proudly supported by Your local club.
Along with his sister, Ginger – two years his junior – the Gerringong SLSC pair have been the king and queen of the beach at State Champs since their respective Under 10 seasons, with a combined nine of a possible ten Beach Flags and Beach Sprint events to their name.
Only Lachlan Byrnes of Mona Vale SLSC can attest to having ever pipped a Siasat to the post in that time, doing so in a dramatic U12 Sprint final two years ago at Redhead Beach.
While Ginger was able to do the double that’s become so familiar with the family name in the early stages of Age Championships last year, Miller never even had the chance to hit the sand before extreme rainfall, hazardous surf and the need for volunteers to travel north for flood relief efforts brought an early end to the 2022 Championships.
Without the chance to right the wrongs of 2021 when he was upset in the Hunter, Miller’s eyes are now firmly set on delivering in what will manifest as a ‘take two’ on the Northern Beaches.
“Obviously I’m looking forward to that,” he said.
“I’m keen to get back on the sand and race against the boys, it’s going to be a good year.”
He will make the trip up the coast in white hot form, taking to the beach just under a month after claiming his fifth straight Country Championships Flags and Sprint double at Cape Hawke on the Lower North Coast.
His performance in the sprints, in particular, was a reminder of just how dominant he can be. Even under the beating sun and in near-30-degree temperatures, Miller barely broke a sweat across a series of heats, quarters, a semi and the final – crossing the line each time with a sizeable gap to second and an air of nonchalance that had nothing to do with ego and everything to do with the devastating athlete he has become.
That sunny Saturday in Cape Hawke at the end of January will serve as a platform to build from and a warning to those lining up beside him at State this year.
The Siasat’s goal, no doubt, is to claim their two favourite events once again at Queenscliff beach, but Miller says the drive and support they feel from the club will make the 2023 NSW Surf Life Saving Championships a success no matter what.
“I moved to Gerringong and it’s just such a big community there,” he said.
“Everyone is there for each other, everyone supports each other, I just love running for them.”
Tuesday 21 February 2023