Five NSW athletes have progressed to the final weekend of the new-look Iron Series after a huge weekend in Newcastle also saw Newport SLSC’s Lizzie Welborn outlast a stacked field to win the Eliminator event on Sunday.
While the point accumulator system across the two days of racing on the weekend of 11-12 January saw Sunshine Beach SLSC’s Elektra Outram claim the overall round win, arguably the most impressive showing of Round 2 came from one of NSW’s finest.
Welborn was always somewhere among the lead pack in each of the first two Sunday races – which would eliminate six competitors at a time. A final Iron comprising 10 athletes was run – and she was a virtual start-to-finish leader of the final race, coming out of the opening swim leg jostling for position with Northcliffe SLSC’s Lana Rogers and Georgia Fitzsimmons before overtaking and never looking back during the board leg.
It was a masterful showing from the Newport athlete, with searing heat and just four-minute breaks between each Iron making her eventual victory – crossing the line without a runner up in sight – all the more impressive.
“I’m so happy – wins in our sport are really hard to come by,” Lizzie said.
“I think in nine series and 10 years I’ve only had two race wins so to get a third under my belt means the world to me and I feel very grateful today to be able to do it.
“Newcastle is such an amazing beach so when you’re coming in you can see all the crowd on the beach and in the stands up there and it’s a feeling I will never take for granted.”
While unable to qualify for the final Iron on Sunday, strong weekends from fellow Newport competitors, Analise Kibble and Jemma Smith ensured they earned their ticket to the final weekend at North Burleigh in February, while clubmate Pipi Te Pania just missed the cut.
On the men’s side, a testing weekend for Newport’s Jackson Borg and hometown hero, Dan Collins of Redhead SLSC saw both finish Saturday’s racing in the cut zone, however Jackson turned up in a big way on Sunday to make sure he will compete alongside Conner Maggs in Queensland next month.
Unfortunately, Dan couldn’t make up the points required to avoid elimination and his Iron Series journey for this season came to an end. It did little to upset the crowd though – a huge turnout for the local legend at Newcastle was one of the highlights of the weekend.
Wednesday 15 January 2025