CHAMPION’S LEAGUE

Cooper out to finish on high note

BRIELLE Cooper made history last year as the youngest surf ironwoman to win a professional crown.

This year the Kurrawa ironwoman 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 (pictured) says she is pleased to find she is a more consistent performer than last season despite being in third place overall heading into this weekend’s finale of the 2018-19 series at Wanda in Sydney.

“Dealing with the hype and everything was quite hard,” said Cooper, who with partner Matt Bevilacqua 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 was to end the series with a round 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 ironman series crown.