Aussie girls tops for dash and toughness

IRONWOMAN Georgia Miller won the world title but Australian teammate Harriett Brown has won the award for courage at the lifesaving world championships in Adelaide.

And, in a double for the host nation, Australian champion and Northern Beaches ironman Kendrick Louis claimed the ocean man crown.

Louis defeated New Zea- lander Cory Taylor with defending Nutri-Grain Ironman series champion Matt Bevilacqua third.

New Zealand defending world champion Max Beattie claimed fourth place in the swim, ski, board racing.

In choppy, windy and chilly conditions, the Australian women finished first and third in a series of gruelling ocean woman races with New Zealander Danielle Mc- Kenzie winning silver and her teammate Olivia Koren fourth.

In obvious pain from a foot injured a day earlier in competition, Brown limped badly in every transition stage of the ocean woman racing at the world championships.

But instead of giving up, Brown battled through 70 minutes of racing over an M-shape course in a display of determination and grit.

“She was an absolute warrior out there, she was in so much pain,’’ said Miller, who in October also won the Coolangatta Gold crown and is running second overall in the professional ironwoman series.

“She hurt her foot literally in the very first race yesterday and has just battled through.’’

It also delivered the famous Northcliffe club on the Gold Coast the top four with both the Australians.

It was the end of a gruelling few days of racing for Miller and Brown who contested many other events in the leadin to the ocean woman race.

Miller completed her racing for Australia with an extraordinary haul of six gold medals, which included one with Brown in the board rescue.

The Australians will return to their Northcliffe club now for the interclub component of the world championships.