Best of best on beach
marks the first day of the highly anticipated Queensland Surf Life Saving Championships.
The event will feature 1500 of the state’s most competitive surf sport athletes doing battle in the water and on the sand in a bid to be crowned the best in the state.
Broadbeach will be abuzz this weekend as participants contest carnival events designed to test the fitness and lifesaving skills of the state’s finest surf athletes.
Up for grabs will be state titles in the 1km and 2km beach runs, beach flags and sprints, surf race, surf board, board rescue, belt race, single and double ski, tube rescue, and ironman and ironwoman competitions.
Contesting the championships will be athletes ranging from under-17s right through to the masters category of 70plus.
Northcliffe will be out to defend their open title, having secured first place with a lead of 40 points over Alexandra Headland last year.
This year’s youth club champion, Currumbin, finished third in last year’s seniors championships.
Northcliffe director of surf sport Mark Williams revealed just how crucial the titles are.
“As a club, state champs are a real hit-out for us to get our bearings for nationals and see our athletes striving for a spot in Aussies,” he said.
“Northcliffe has taken out
the seniors state championships 14 years in a row now.
“The competition means a lot to our club as a key event that will take us to Aussies, the pinnacle competition for our club on the calendar.”
In particular Williams said he was eager to see Georgia Miller and Maddy Dunn.
These fierce competitors took out first and second in this year’s Nutri-Grain series.
When it comes to the men’s teams, Williams said he’ll have his eye on the Eckstein brothers, Shannon and Caine, as well as Bailey Armstrong, who has just qualified for the Australian open water swimming team.
In the masters competition, Alexandra Headland will be looking to defend their title after claiming last year’s victory by more than 100 points.
No doubt the team will be keeping a close eye on Mooloolaba and North Burleigh who staged a close battle for second and third position.
The championships will attract big crowds to Broadbeach and I’m expecting tough battles between the sport’s stars.
The quality of athletes in Queensland at the moment is incredible and we’re lucky enough to have some of the best from across the world right here in our own state.