Wanda surf club is the Overall Point Score winner of the 2026 NSW Surf Life Saving Age Championships, proudly presented by Your local club, after an action-packed four days of competition at Blacksmiths Beach in Lake Macquarie.
The Bate Bay club, which has finished second many times, including last year, edged out Manly LSC and hosts, Swansea Belmont SLSC who rounded out the podium. For their part, Swansea leapt four spots up the Overall Point Score from last year and nearly doubled their 2025 point score.
The final day of competition at Swansea – livestreamed via YouTube – saw hundreds of talented athletes contest a catalogue of surf sports biggest events, including the Irons, Camerons and Beach Flags, to earn gold medals and vital points for their clubs.
Kicking the day off with the Swims, Wanda put points on the board early with Max Pyper in the U11 Male and Zara Zammit-Mayer in the U13 Female. but rivals Manly answered back in the U12 Male with young gun, Joseva Ranatawake.
Thomas Penny of Bronte SLSC won his third straight state title in the swim event, doing so this time in the U14s.
Moving into the Board races, North Wollongong SLSC had a huge win through James Rutty in the U14 Male category (1:16:51), while Swansea Belmont’s Liam Blair won the second of his fourgold medals in the U13 Male (1:03:58). He would also later win the Iron (1:54:51) and Cameron, and earlier won the Swim.
Port Macquarie SLSC’s Tully Kippax won the U13 Female Board, Swansea’s Indi Hoetzer won the U12 Female Board, and Lucy Whitehead from Manly was too strong in the U14 Female Board (1:12:38).
Local club, Redhead SLSC had a winner in the U11 Female Iron (1:32:08), with Lillian Clark finishing quickest ahead of Ella Jenkins of Coogee SLSC and Lola Jimenez of Warilla Barrack Point SLSC. Molly Young of Newport, who had earlier won the Swim, beat out Mia Hoo (North Bondi SLSC) and Lucy Whitehead (Manly) in the U14 Female Iron (2:10:20).
Jackson Swingler (Cronulla SLSC) was the only new winner in the Male Irons, doing so in the U14 race.
In the Cameron Relays which wrapped the carnival in the water, Jessica Edwards, Sophie Maley, and runner, Makayla Kondilios (South Maroubra SLSC) picked up the gold in the U14 Female, while Emerson Hoo, Angus Gladstone and Emmeline Henrici (North Bondi) won the U12 Mixed.
In the flag pit, Mostyn Brown from Yamba edged out last year’s champion, Dominic De la Torre (Long Reef SLSC) in the U14 Male Flags (4:49:23), Takumi Golvers (Cooks Hill SLSC) had a hugely impressive win in the U13 Male Flags (4:58:51).
Jasmine Shardlow (Cronulla), a previous winner of the Flags, picked up the U12 Female Flags gold, and Mali Lalauze (North Steyne) was the U11 Female winner.
The 2026 NSW Surf Life Saving Championships, proudly presented by Your local club, will continue from 25-26 February with the Masters Championships, before moving on to the Open and Surf Boat Championships from 27 February to 1 March.
AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS POINT SCORE TOP CLUBS
Wanda – 287
Manly – 242
Swansea Belmont – 226
North Bondi – 217
Coogee – 176
Cronulla – 172
Avoca Beach – 157
North Curl Curl – 151
South Maroubra – 139
Elouera – 86
Lennox Head Alstonville – 78
Cooks Hill – 72
Redhead – 72
Warilla Barrack Point – 70
Yamba – 68
Sunday 22 February 2026