uMhlanga lifesavers shine at Masters world champs

THE UMHLANGA Rocks Surf Lifesaving Club (Rox) put in a stellar performance at the recent Masters Inter-club World Championships held in Australia.

The champs were a number of events held at the same time as the Lifesaving World Championships in Kurrawa Beach, Gold Coast.

The club was represented by a team of seven masters, and all of them won at least one medal at the championships.

The competition also saw two Rox members, Carryl van Bassen and Jeremy Miles, winning gold and being crowned world champions in their respective age categories and events.

Also read: Durban North resident ready for world champs challenge

For local resident Nic Horn, this was his third Masters World Championships where he has medalled.

“The Beach Flags event is my specialty, and I’ve won a bronze and silver but that gold eludes me. I think going to Australia, we all realised we are going to the home and heart of lifesaving, so we knew we had to bring our best performances. When you see the number of competitors in your age group, it’s the most intimidating thing, but I must say, our members were exceptional. It is just an amazing feat for the club, and we pride ourselves on our performances,” he said.

Carryl van Bassen, who won a gold and two silvers, echoed those sentiments.

“We are incredibly proud, and the team were phenomenal. Knowing the level of competition at the event and to think we all came home with a medal is something we will never forget,” she said.

Jeremy Miles, a gold medal winner himself, said he plans on defending his title at the next world championships in two years.

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“It was my first world championships, and I must say, there was no quarter given by my fellow competitors from around the world. My goal was to try and win a medal at one of the events I competed in, but now that I’m a world champion, I plan on defending my title at the next champs in Morocco in two years time,” he said.

Husband and wife competitors, Lisa and Chris Pearson, highlighted the wealth of knowledge at the club as reasons for their success.

“Our passion for lifesaving started with our running coach who introduced us to beach running and then to the club. Since our first meeting, we’ve been accepted by the members as one of the family. There was also such a wealth of experience we tapped into for all the competitions, and you don’t often find that level of support at clubs which helped us both immensely,” Lisa said.

For husband Chris, sharing the moment with his wife was a special one.

“We have all worked hard and trained hard, and it has all paid off. I’m proud of my wife and my fellow teammates who showed character and strength at the champs. This has given me the confidence to keep going for the next champs,” he said.

Summary of results

• Jeremy Miles won one medal: Gold in the men’s Beach Sprints (age category 60–64 years)
• Carryl van Bassen won three medals: Gold in the Women’s 100m Manikin Tow with fins (age category 60–64 years), Silver in the Women’s 100m Manikin Carry with fins (age category 60–64 years) and Silver in the Women’s Line Throw (age category 50–54 years).
• Chris Pearson won Silver in the Men’s 1km Beach Run (age category 65–69 years)
• Nic Horn won one medal: Silver in the Men’s Beach Flags (age category 55–59 years)
• Lisa Pearson won two medals: Bronze in the women’s Beach Flags (age category 55–59 years) and a Bronze in the women’s Beach Sprint Relay.
• Keran Coetzer won one medal: Bronze in the women’s Beach Sprint Relay.
• Tanya Livingstone won six medals: Silver in the Women’s 100m Manikin Tow with fins (age category 50–54 years), Silver in the Women’s 200m Obstacle Swim (age category 50–54 years), Silver in the Women’s Line throw (age category 50–54 years), Bronze in the Women’s 100m Manikin Carry with fins (age category 50–54 years), Bronze in the Women’s Surf Swim age category 50–54 years) and Bronze in the Women’s Beach Sprint Relay.

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