It’s a sweep! Australia Wins International Surf Rescue Challenge Eight Years in a row

It was a crowning success for the Australian Life Saving Team following three days of competition at North Beach in Durban, South Africa.  The 14-person squad, including Newport SLSC members Max Brooks, Blake Drysdale, Lizzie Welborn & Zach Morris, faced challenging conditions of four-foot waves and 10-15 knot winds.

Despite feeling unwell, current Australian Ironman Champion Max Brooks managed to win gold with Lizzie Welbourn in the Board Rescue.  For Lizzie it was her second ISRC appearance and commented on the event as “the most exciting international racing I have ever seen”.

For his part, Blake Drysdale walked away with a silver in the Beach Flags event and Zach Morris shared in the success of the Youth International Surf Rescue Challenge team by securing an impressive 45-point lead over closest rival New Zealand.

The Australian Life Saving Team (ALT) secured all three trophies including the International Surf Rescue Challenge, the Trans-Tasman Test and the Tri-Nations Test.

International Surf Rescue Challenge – Overall Point Score

• 1st Australia (311)
• 2nd New Zealand (285)
• 3rd South Africa (219)
• 4th USA (161)
• 5th Japan (124)
• 6th Spain (114)