Golden couple shine
Tassie ironman exceeds expectations
THEY are the golden couple of surf lifesaving — but there’s much more to these two than their good looks.
Tasmanian Matt Bevilacqua and girlfriend Brielle Cooper are the toast of the sport after both took victory at the Ironman Series.
Cooper said to win it side-byside was a great moment.
“It’s pretty incredible and I think it makes it so much more special that we get to share it together,” she said.
Bevilacqua said the win had whetted his appetite for more success.
MATT Bevilacqua had one goal when he moved from Tasmania to Queensland in 2011 — to qualify for the Nutri-Grain Ironman Series.
Now, seven years later, he has exceeded his wildest dream, after last weekend becoming the first Tasmanian to be crowned ironman champion.
Bevilacqua left behind friends and family for a move to the Gold Coast — a decision which wasn’t easy for the former Clifton Beach surf lifesaver, but one that has brought a ton of success.
The former St Virgil’s College student has won three straight Molokai 2 Oahu Hawaii titles since 2015, and while Bevilacqua entered the 2017-18 ironman series in hot form, his overall victory in the sixround event surpassed all ex- pectations he had of himself.
“The dream when I left Tassie at 18 was just to make the series,” Bevilacqua said.
“Outside of Tasmania I wasn’t any good. As soon as I came to the Australian titles I didn’t even make it out of round 1.
“I wasn’t even in the top 75 per cent of ironmen.
“I hadn’t dreamt of winning the series, I just wanted to make my mark on the sport and show the rest of the sport that Tassie competitors can mix it with the best.”
While Bevilacqua’s win may be the cherry on top, the three-time world paddleboard champion said he was hungry to taste more glory.
“I still want to just keep ticking the boxes,” Bevilacqua said.
“I’m not the type to get complacent, I just want to keep moving forward and enjoy the sport as much as I can along the way.
“You’ve got to make the most of it while you can. I’m still only 25 — I’d love to have 10 more years in this sport.”
Victory in the Nutri-Grain Ironman Series was sweetened even further when Bevilacqua got to share the win with his girlfriend Brielle Cooper, who took out the ironwoman title for 2018.
Cooper said to win it side- by-side was a great moment.
“It’s pretty incredible, and I think it makes it so much more special that we get to share it together,” Cooper said. “We were just hoping that maybe one of us could clinch a title.”
Bevilacqua’s father Tym said his son’s ironman victory was testament to the 25-yearold’s determined attitude.
“Matt’s self-belief, hard work, and his personal drive