Finn Askew (Surfers Paradise) and Maddie Spencer (Newport) have finished top of the male and female qualifiers respectively at the Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman Series trial event held at Tugun on the Gold Coast on Saturday and Sunday.
The final day of qualification saw 20 males and 20 females battle it out across three races for seven qualifying positions, to join the 11 already qualified for the 2021/22 Series which kicks off in North Bondi, NSW on January 14.
Fresh off taking out the 2021 Coolangatta Gold Short Course, Askew looked comfortable throughout the weekend and was the most consistent male competitor over the two days, never finishing outside of the top four in all six qualifying races.
“Today I just wanted to keep the momentum rolling from yesterday and I think I did that pretty well,” he said.
“I’m super stoked to qualify again for the Series and now I just can’t wait to compete against the best at North Bondi in January.”
Sydney’s Spencer finished first, second and third in Sunday’s three races earning her place as the top female qualifier after a challenging off-season.
“I am definitely excited to be back in the Series, it has been a really challenging and tough off-season down in Sydney,” Spencer said.
“We were only allowed to train in groups of two for a while, but fortunately for me I had Lizzie Wellborn (automatic qualifier) as a training partner, so she made sure I was nice and fit leading into this weekend.
“The racing and competition was really tough and I am just really glad that I was able to pull it all together for this weekend and I can now focus and look forward to the Series.”
2019/2020 Nutri-Grain IronMan Champion Kendrick Louis (Manly) returns to the Series with a third place overall having missed last season due to injury while 2021 Coolangatta Gold Champion Courtney Hancock (Surfers Paradise) finished second overall to secure a place in her 16th Series.
TJ Hendy (Surfers Paradise), Ben Carberry (Currumbin) and Wes Gould (Kurrawa ) in the men’s field along with Brielle Cooper (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park) and Hannah Sculley (Northcliffe) in the women’s all return from the 2020/21 Series, while Wanda’s Brittney Pierce returns for her second Series having missed last season’s qualification event due to illness.
The 2021/22 Series will have four debutants, Maroochydore’s Hayden Cotter and Adam Palmer in the men’s with young guns Lily Finati (North Bondi) and Lily O’Sullivan (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park) in the women’s.
Trial results take the Iron Series field to 18 competitors with the final two male and female positions in the Series to be filled by Wild Cards, determined and announced next week.
Click here for the athletes that have qualified.
The Nutri-Grain Iron Series Trial saw over 145 athletes battle it out across six races over the two-days with the top seven finishers across males and females, earning a place in the prestigious Series beginning on January 14, 2022, at the iconic North Bondi Beach.
The athletes competed across three races and formats – short and sharp (8-10 mins), longer traditional format (12-14min) and an M Shape (20-25min) with a progressive point score to determine the overall results and qualifiers.
The top seven athletes who have qualified for the Series are as follows:
Male qualifiers:
Place | Last Name | First Name | Club | Points |
1 | Askew | Finn | Surfers Paradise | 8 |
2 | Hendy | TJ | Surfers Paradise | 12 |
3 | Louis | Kendrick | Manly | 17 |
4 | Palmer | Adam | Maroochydore | 17 |
5 | Carberry | Ben | Currumbin | 18 |
6 | Gould | Wesley | Kurrawa | 18 |
7 | Cotter | Hayden | Maroochydore | 21 |
Female qualifiers:
Place | Last Name | First Name | Club | Points |
1 | Spencer | Madison | Newport | 6 |
2 | Hancock | Courtney | Surfers Paradise | 11 |
3 | Cooper | Brielle | Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park | 13 |
4 | Pierce | Britney | Wanda | 16 |
5 | Finati | Lily | North Bondi | 16 |
6 | Scully | Hannah | Northcliffe | 17 |
7 | O’Sullivan | Lily | Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park | 21 |
The dates and locations for the 2021/22 Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman Series are as follows:
- Round 1-3 – Nutri-Grain Series – 14-16 January 2022 – North Bondi, NSW
- Round 4-6 – Nutri-Grain Series – 5-7 February 2022 – Kurrawa, QLD
All rounds of the 2021/22 Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman Series will be broadcast LIVE on the Channel 9 Network from 12pm-2pm (AEDT).
There is a total of $200,000 on offer for athletes, with both men and women offered an equal $100,000 prize money across the 2021/22 Nutri-Grain Series.
In conjunction with the Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman Series, Surf Life Saving Australia will also run the Nutri-Grain Next-Gen Series for males and females aged U17 and U19 as a curtain raiser event as well as the Super Surf Teams League event.
For further information on the Nutri-Grain Iron Series, please visit www.ironseries.com.au
Male Point Score:
Place | Last Name | First Name | Club | Points |
8 | Fletcher | Corey | Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park | 22 |
9 | Beattie | Max | Surfers Paradise | 24 |
10 | Johns | Bailey | Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park | 27 |
11 | Middleton | Nicholas | Wanda | 28 |
12 | Furniss | Jay | Cronulla | 40 |
13 | Morris | Jake | Newport | 40 |
14 | Palmer | Matthew | Maroochydore | 43 |
15 | Lyndon | Tanyn | Kurrawa | 43 |
16 | Verco | Charlie | North Bondi | 48 |
17 | Maxwell | Luther | Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park | 49 |
19 | Kinsela | Ky | Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park | 51 |
20 | Savage | Will | Trigg Island | 51 |
Female Point Score:
Place | Last Name | First Name | Club | Points |
8 | Corrin | Olivia | Northcliffe | 26 |
9 | Williams | Bella | Swansea | 32 |
10 | Papac | Carla | Wanda | 33 |
11 | Doyle | Emily | Newport | 36 |
12 | Outram | Electra | Noosa Heads | 36 |
13 | Coleman | Tara | Maroubra | 37 |
14 | Higginson | Kirsty | Currumbin | 38 |
15 | Goodwin | Miranda | Currumbin | 38 |
16 | Harris | Grace | Alexandra Headland | 46 |
17 | Meehan | Ruby | Northcliffe | 46 |
19 | Brown | Ella | Maroochydore | 53 |
20 | Cross | Charlotte | Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park | 54 |