Warilla’s Storm Balmain has led a successful weeekend for the Illawarra’s surf lifesavers at the NSW Junior Championships on the Central Coast.
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The Warilla Barrack Point Surf Lifesaving Club member was one of 21 Illawarra athletes to win a medal at the championships.
Balmain successfully defended his 2017 title to claim the under 10 board final. He also won silver in the surf final and was a member of Warilla’s silver medal-winning board relay team, along with Lucas Krstecski and Ashton Moran.
“It was very exciting and emotional,” Balmain’s mother Donna said. “You see all the hard work he puts in, it’s nice to see it finish like that. It was a hard race, he had some tough competition.”
“The club have been so helpful, Ross Day, Ali Day’s father, comes up and trains the kids along with Damien Sheedy. They’re passionate trainers that come and give up their time to help them.”
Balmain’s Warilla teammate Montana Doubell also won a medal at the championships, finishing second in the under 14 one kilometre beach run.
Helensburgh-Stanwell Park SLSC boasts a group of promising beach sprinters and they were on display throughout the weekend. Sabina Rogers and Madison Agnew finished second and third respectively in the beach sprint, with Rogers adding a silver in the flags.
The duo then combined with Abby Bailey and Mia Corliss to claim gold in the under 13 female beach relay.
Towradgi’s Emma Walsh also excelled in the beach events, finishing second in the under 12 beach sprint. Her teammate Beau Anderson came second in the under 12 boys flags, while Ashton Neall finished second in the under 13 beach sprint.
Wollongong City’s Tobias Delaney claimed silver in the under 13 flags.
Bulli’s under 14 mixed Cameron relay and male surf relay teams both claimed bronze medals, with Lucas Ottoway and Chelsea Jones also taking home individual medals. North Wollongong’s Amelia Poulos, silver, and Kiama Downs’ Emma Trudgett, bronze, also won medals.