Share

De Morny, Notten without equal in SA lifesaving

accreditation

Cape Town - Ryle de Morny confirmed his status as the fastest beach sprinter in the country at the recent General Tire Lifesaving South Africa Surf Interprovincials at Cape Town’s Clifton beach.

De Morny beat KZN’s Jonathan Rorke to finally exact revenge from his two defeats to Rorke at the 2017 and 2018 National Club Championships. De Morny won gold at this year’s National Club Championships after Rorke was disqualified in the semi-finals for a false start.

If there was any sense De Morny felt a hollowness in the Port Elizabeth success, this time the feeling could only be elation as he completed the National Club and Interprovincial double sprint gold with Rorke in the final.

Western Cape’s world champion Nicholas Notten had no equal in the male senior division.

Notten’s exploits in winning several golds influenced the Western Cape being crowned champions from KwaZulu-Natal. The Western Cape took overall first and also won the senior division. The Western Cape 'B' side was third overall.

KwaZulu-Natal took first in the juniors from the Western Cape but the hosts reversed the score in the Nippers section to edge KZN into second place.

The core of South Africa’s best elite senior, junior and nipper lifesavers were on show and there was none more brilliant than Notten, who won gold in the prestigious iron, run/swim/run and also in the board race and the single ski.

Notten is the current single ski world champion and was dominant at the General Tire Lifesaving South Africa National Interclub Championships in Port Elizabeth, where he won the award for top senior male competitor.

It was a brilliant day for the Notten family, with brother Dominic in the medals and sister Anna again as inspirational for her province as she was for her Fish Hoek club in Port Elizabeth.

(Nic) Notten beat Dominic into second place for the iron title and the two combined later to celebrate gold.

KZN’s Carmel Billson typically took gold when it mattered most. Billson has been near unstoppable this year, be it in stillwater, pool or surf competitions. She added golds in the iron senior women and single ski to her rich harvest of golds in 2019. She also combined with sister Natalie to add to KZN’s coming so close to winning the senior title.

The Nottens and Billsons aside, the brother and sister duo of Connor and Tatum Botha also prospered in the junior men and women divisions. The Bothas, son of the iconic South African lifesaver Dylan, consistently placed in the medals with (Connor) Botha winning the coveted iron race.

Regular winners Kira Bester, Paige Horn, Cheyne Haupt, Kim van Gysen and Sasha-Lee Nordengen were again among the medals.

Notten

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE