Australian Life Saving Team Dominate on Day One in Germany
The Australian Life Saving Team (ALT) have dominated the first day of competition at the 27th International German Cup, setting two world records on one of the most successful days in the programs history.
The morning session saw Bradley Woodward assert dominance upon his return to Pool Rescue competition. Woodward set a new World Record in the 200m Obstacles Swim in a time of 1:53.16, finishing ahead of club and national teammate Jimmy Koch who won silver.
Woodward & Koch then helped teammates Matt Davis and Jake Smith to break the 4x50m Obstacle Swim World Record in a time of 1:35.86, finishing over five seconds clear of Italy (second) and New Zealand (third).
It was a remarkable day for the Australian Life Saving Team, who claimed 10 gold medals in total from a possible 13 events. Aussie Captains Prue Davies and Matt Davis produced some clinical performances, that they have come to be known for over the years.
Davis took out the 50m Manikin Carry while producing some exceptional relay splits, as Davies picked up individual gold medals in the 200m Obstacles and the 100m Manikin Tow. Davies joined female teammates Rachel Eddy, Chelsea Gillett, Mariah Jones and Lani Pallister to pick up another two relay gold medals on day one.
Pallister, an Australian Life Saving Team debutant who has recently been juggling end of school & Olympic aspirations kept pace with Davies throughout day one. The pair were only separated by a hundredth of a second in the 200m Obstacles Swim, and couldn’t be split in the 50m Manikin Carry with a dead heat for second place.
Shelly Beach’s Jimmy Koch was another debutant who shone on the international stage after finishing second to Woodward in 200m Obstacle Swim. Koch also claimed individual gold in the 100m Manikin Tow ahead of fellow ALT member Jake Smith.
Head Coach Kurt Wilson revelled in the teams performances from the first day of competition, saying the dominance across all events from the first race of the day is very promising for the team.
“The athletic firepower we now have across all male and female individual events is very exciting and this was showcased today from the first race,” he said.
“The men claiming a clean sweep of the individual golds on offer, highlights the depth we are building in the program and combining for another three golds and a world record in the relays shines the light on the high level our men are performing at.”
Wilson also said that the performances from the female Aussie athletes are setting an incredible standard in international lifesaving.
“The girls continue to impress on the international stage and having multiple podium finishes in all the events shows our woman are setting the benchmark for international lifesaving at present,” he said.
“The dominant relay performances puts us in a great position for success over the remainder of the German Cup and heading into next week where we will travel to Orange Cup in The Netherlands.
“The vibe amongst the team today was infectious and has set the tone for another action packed day of competition tomorrow, with several podiums and possible world records in sight.”
The Australian Life Saving Team will resume racing in Warendorf for day two on Saturday 23 November, 6:30pm AEDT.
Full results from the 27th International German Cup can be found at dp.dlrg.de
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