BEN’S IRON GRIP
HE’S the part-time ironman, full-time f ll chippie h i with a plan to end the reign of one of the most dominant surf sports athletes ever. A maiden Nutri-grain Ironman title awaits unsung Burleigh Heads ironman Ben Carberry on Sunday, if he dares to dream.
Standing between he and glory are two gruelling rounds at Kurrawa and two men who have tasted the sweet success of a series title before.
Defending champion and four-time victor Ali Day was a last-start winner at Maroubra and sits just three points off the pace set by Carberry, with 2017-18 winner and perennial challenger Matt Bevilacqua a further four points adrift.
“I didn’t really expect to be leading it at this point, only hoping to be up there near the pointy end,” Carberry said.
“I’m expecting p g him (Day) y) to come out all guns blazing. I’m excited d about b that h and d at the h same time, hopefully having those three points on him will be to my advantage. I know he’ll be stressing, too.”
With 40 points up for grabs on the Gold Coast this weekend it’s anyone’s title but Carberry holds the best hand, having featured on the podium in each of the four races.
To dethrone Day will take a mammoth effort but it’s one the 28-year-old finally believes he has in his locker, after an offseason swap from Currumbin to Burleigh helped him rediscover his love for the sport.
“It felt like I wasn’t going anywhere. I wasn’t really achieving anything in the sport anymore,” Carberry reflected.
“I decided to come to Burleigh to train under Kingy (Michael King) again and it’s made life so much easier having a good relationship with your coach. I was struggling gg g with training consistency, now I’m training with h mates and d just enjoying it a lot more. When you’re doing long sessions it can be draining, so it’s always good to have someone there to have a laugh and talk s--t with.
“(Winning the series) would mean the world. I’ve been doing clubbies since I was a nipper. Coming from the South Coast, it would mean a lot to me and my family as well, who have supported me the whole way.”
A familiar face leads the women’s field after four rounds but it’s a new feeling for Northcliffe superstar Georgia Miller.
Twelve months is a long time in sport and that especially rings true for Miller, who last year was forced to sit out crucial rounds in the series on medical advice after heart complications brought on by Covid-19.
One of the few to earn the Triple Crown – an Iron Series, Aussies and Coolangatta Gold victory y in the single g season – Miller won her first and only series title l in 2018-19. 2018 19
That season Miller won the final race of the series to leapfrog Maddy Dunn for the overall lead and despite boasting many race victories in her career, she has never led going into the final weekend.
“I’ve never really been in this position before – I’m a little nervous, I won’t lie,” Miller said.
“To have what happened last year was very out of the blue for me. It was quite scary, but in saying that recovery has gone really well and I’m back to my normal self.”
Since her maiden title she has finished runner-up twice before Covid’s claws took hold.
A hamstring injury late last year threatened to once again hamper her title charge, but Miller is made of tough stuff.
Miller, 26, leads Newport’s Lizzie Welborn by six points.