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Port Elizabeth - Durban Surf's Tannah Smith dazzled at the General Tire Lifesaving South Africa NippersSurf National Club Championships.
Smith, competing in the female under-14 category was a star on day one and on day two she was a superstar.
Smith claimed gold in the toughest challenge, the iron nipper, and also added two other golds in the surf swim and run/swim/run. Suncoast Pirates’ Tayla Haslam was as impressive as Smith in the female under-13s.
Haslam won three golds, including the big one of female iron nipper and Smith also took first in the iron nipper in her respective age group. She added another two golds to complete a splendid day.
Hannah de Necker, outstanding in the most junior age group, also won three golds in the female under nine group.
Other Nippers to take to the podium more than once included Boksburg’s Aiden Bornman in the male under-14 group, Fish Hoek’s Wade Beukes in the male under-12s, Marine’s Zoe Hughes in the female under-11s, Plett’s Liam Stephenson in the male under-10s and Fish Hoek’s Thomas Wiltshire in the male under-13s.
Luke van Neel (Monwabisi Surf) won the gold in the male u14 beach sprint and in one of the day’s most exciting finishes, Umhlanga Rocks’ Matthew Coetzer edged Llandudno’s Lee Anderson for the sough after Iron Nipper title. Clifton Surf’s Holly Brand finished first in the female under-14 beach sprint.
Mighty Milan Erasmus replicated his World Championship form in the line throw to take gold among the elite juniors at the General Tire Lifesaving South Africa National Club Pool Championships in Port Elizabeth.
Lifesaving’s two premier competitions, Surf and Pool, are being held simultaneously at Kings Beach and Newton Park.
More than 1 700 athletes, from age nine to 70-plus are competing in the week-long festival of Lifesaving, but only a select number have taken on the challenge of the Pool and Surf.
Erasmus, along with Connor Botha, broke the line throw record at last year’s world championships in Adelaide, Australia. Then it was country first and they doubled up for an incredible performance.
In Port Elizabeth, in the colours of their respective clubs, Erasmus triumphed when the two met as club foes and not national allies.
Erasmus’s performance in the Pool was among the highlights, while Smith and Haslam were sensational in the Surf.
*General Tire has been the primary sponsor of Lifesaving South Africa for the past three years.
