Naomi Scott (Manly), Daniel Collins (Redhead) and newcomers to the Sanyo Cup Hannah Minogue (Newport) and Rachel Wood (Umina) all made the journey to Momoshi Beach where they all performed strongly in what was a major international hit-out for the Australian team.
The quartet were part of ten-strong Aussie squad led by coach Craig Holden with the selectors opting for a blend of both youth and experience as they continue their task of ramping up preparations for next season’s World Titles.
Ultimately the green and gold caps would take home their 10th Sanyo Cup finishing with 854 points across the two-day competition, a mighty fine achievement, however the defending champions didn’t have it all their own way.
Japan (A) 711 points, and New Zealand (703) claimed the other positions on the podium while the competition also boasted athletes from South Africa, the United States, the Netherlands and Hong Kong.
There were a number of encouraging performances across the event indicating that the 2018 World Championships to be staged in South Australia late next year will be a spectacular competition.
All the NSW athletes enjoyed podium success which continued their successful summer in the surf.
On the opening day Naomi Scott picked up three golds and a silver. Rachel Wood claimed three golds and a bronze, Hannah Minogue earned two golds and a bronze, while Daniel Collins also won three events and continued the podium blitz with three bronze.
Day two started where the opening day had left off and the NSW athletes might need to consider expanding their trophy cabinets such was there form in the Japanese surf. Scott added another six medals to her haul (3 gold, two silver, one bronze), Rachel Wood picked up five including three goods, while Hannah Minogue also had a successful day out finishing with two golds, two silvers, and a third place finish.
Daniel Collins capped another strong day in the water for NSW with three golds and two second placed finishes.
NSW Surf Sports Development Officer Tim Piper said it was a fantastic competition for Australia.
“Not only does winning this competition show the incredible depth of competitive lifesaving across Australia which augers well ahead of next year’s World Champs, but it does reinforce that there is a development path from ambitious Nipper to an elite athlete.
“It was a great experience for our athletes to be involved with the Australian team and to represent on the world stage, and I would like to congratulate them on not only their selection, but their performance over the weekend,” he said.
Tuesday 27 June 2017