New Zealand finished second on all the major points standings at Riccione 2022 and will be once again looking to make their mark closer to home when the Lifesaving World Championships come to the Gold Coast later this year.
The Black Fins have named a strong team which includes six athletes returning from two years ago where they finished second in the Pool events and second in the Beach and Ocean to place second overall.
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While they were 151 points behind Australia on the Open standings, they were more than 230 clear of third-placed France proving they are one of the superpowers of the competition.
Leading the way in 2022 and returning this year is Gold Coast-based Cory Taylor who was a standout performer two years ago.
Taylor, who competes for Northcliffe SLSC in the Australian summer, teamed up to win the Rescue Tube Rescue for New Zealand in 2022 while also taking out the OceanMan and Board Finals.
As someone who matches it with the best year in, year out at events like the Nutri-Grain Series and Coolangatta Gold, Taylor believes there’s no higher honour than representing his country.
“For me it’s the pinnacle,” he said. “Growing up in New Zealand, seeing the All Blacks in black – that was our thing to try and strive for, to put the black cap on and go and race for New Zealand.
“It’s definitely on the top of my list of things to do, even when I moved over here and continued to race in Australia, racing for New Zealand is still my top priority.”
Tanya Hamilton, SLSNZ High Performance Sport Manager, believes the athletes who have earned selection will provide a a good mix of youth and experience.
“We’ve also had a fantastic sport season here in New Zealand with athletes pulling out some incredible performances,” said Hamiltom. “We know we’ll give our competitors a run for their money, especially Australia – our toughest rivals. We can’t wait to head across the Tasman to compete.”
SLSNZ will name the Black Props (Inflatable Rescue Boat team) for the Lifesaving World Championships, in June.
BLACK FINS
Louis Clark (Mairangi Bay SLSC), Joe Collins (Fitzroy SLSC), Olivia Corrin (Midway SLSC), Zoe Crawford (Mairangi Bay SLSC), Chris Dawson (Midway SLSC), Fergus Eadie (Mairangi SLSC), Briana Irving (Waikanae SLSC), Madison Kidd (Whangamatā SLSC), Rae Kwan (Ōrewa SLSC), Molly Shivnan (Omanu SLSC), Oska Smith (Waikanae SLSC), Cory Taylor (Midway SLSC).
JUNIOR BLACK FINS
Yahni Brown (Midway SLSC), Daniel Callebaut (East End SLSC), Jasper Cornish (Red Beach SLSC), Laine Creighton (Red Beach SLSC), Isaac Gear (Piha SLSC), Zak Johnson (East End SLSC), Zoe Pederson (Red Beach SLSC), Sophie Petro (Midway SLSC), Michaela Pocock (Mairangi Bay SLSC), Tara Shotter (East End SLSC), Milana Tapper (Whangamatā SLSC), Bella Wansbrough (East End SLSC).
The Lifesaving World Championships 2024 is supported by Experience Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
