West Australian IronMan Will Savage (Trigg Island) and Queensland’s Charlotte Cross (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park) have taken out round two of the U19 Nutri-Grain Next Gen male and female races at Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast.
The six-foot conditions combined with a southerly wind and sweep certainly tested the surf skills of the countries rising elite surf lifesavers, who are fighting it out for automatic qualification into 2022/23 Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman Series.
The athletes competed in a traditional iron final with Cross dominating from start to finish to easily claim the victory while Savage took the lead in the second swim leg and further extended his lead to claim victory. Both races saw several competitors lose their craft and longer transitions due to the tricky conditions.
“It was pretty tough out there, especially in those conditions, so I am really happy and now need to get ready for tomorrow,” said Savage who heads into the final round as the equal leader.
“It was really important for me to stay calm and make smart decisions out there, the surf isn’t normally this big at Trigg Island, but I am training here with Surfers Paradise so that certainly helped me prepare well for today’s race and conditions,” added Savage.
Cross said she was excited when she saw the conditions upon arriving at the beach and certainly showed her class when she managed to get out in front early in the opening ski leg.
“It was so tough out there in those conditions, but I am not going to lie, I was a bit excited when I saw the waves,” said Cross. “I got hit a bit at the start and got a bit nervous, but I just stayed calm and tried not to get flustered.
“I just knew that I needed to hold on and fortunately I was able to do that, I’m really happy with that race and result and can now look forward to the last race tomorrow,” added Cross who is in equal third place heading into the final round.
The third and final round of the Nutri-Grain Next Gen will take place tomorrow, Sunday 6 February ahead of the final round of the Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman Series.
The top competitors with the lowest point score at the end of the third and final round will earn automatic qualification into the 2022/23 Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman Series. The leading competitors leading into the last round are:
Males: Will Savage (Trigg Island, WA – 5 points), Noah Steiner (Wanda, NSW – 5 points), Auden Parish (Northcliffe – 7 points).
Females: Sarah Perkins (Alexandra Headland – 5 points), Grace Otto (Sunshine Beach – 6 points), Charlotte Cross (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park – 8 points), Dominique Stitt (Maroochydore – 8 points)
Tune in on Sunday 6 February 2022 for the Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman Series, 12-2PM nationally on Channel 9 and 2-4PM on Sky Sports in New Zealand.
For the full results from today see here.