Iron lady Cooper out to finish on a high

LAST year she made history as the youngest surf ironwoman to win a professional crown.

This year Brielle Cooper just wants to crack her first win of the Nutri-Grain season. The 19-year old lifesaver admits she found herself ill-equipped to deal with the burden of being defending Nutri-Grain ironwoman series champion and it has showed on her results.

But Cooper says she has been ecstatic to find she is a far more consistent performer than last season despite being in third place overall heading into the finale of the 2018-2019 series at Sydney’s Wanda Beach.

“Dealing with the hype and everything was quite hard,” said Cooper, who with partner Matt Bevilacqua from Tasmania became the first surf couple to win the ironwoman and ironman titles on the same day last year.

“I hadn’t been in the series for long and I felt like I was expected to win all the time.

“I am still learning about it all. The pressure to perform was something that I haven’t got my head around.’’

Cooper, about to start a degree in primary school teaching, said her goal is to end the series with a win and make the podium overall.

Fellow Gold Coaster Maddy Dunn, the only ironwoman with two wins this season, is in the box seat to secure the women’s honours with early series leader Georgia Miller also in with a shot.

Bevilacqua, who has only made top three once this series, shares the same goal of Cooper to win the finale.

Ali Day, Matt Poole and Corey Taylor are set to battle for the series crown.