Sam Lee puts on single best world champs performance by any Kiwi lifesaver

Five golds in the pool from Lyall Bay's Samantha Lee has firmly secured her the title of having the single best performance of any New Zealand surf lifesaving athlete at a world championship event.

Lee was just one of the Kiwi clubbies who together claimed 26 world championship medals over the past week at the Interclub competition of the 2016 Lifesaving World Championships that concluded today in The Netherlands.

Representing their Australian clubs, the medal winners also included Natalie Peat, Danielle McKenzie, Chris Dawson, Madi Kidd, Casie Fyall, Paul Cracroft-Wilson, Cory Taylor, Hannah Williams and Marina McCartney.

Individually, Lee took out the Open women's 200m obstacle swim, 100m rescue medley, and 100m manikin carry with fins. And together with her BMD Northcliffe team mates she took out the obstacle relay and also the line throw with Danielle McKenzie. She added silver in the 50m manikin carry and super lifesaver and bronze in the 4x25m manikin relay.

She now has eight world titles at a national team level and five at interclub level. She surpasses lifesaving legends Cory Hutchings, Morgan Foster, Calum Taylor and Anna Ballara.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand Sport Manager Mike Lord says this is an outstanding achievement for Sam, her clubs and the wider surf lifesaving community. "Sam is an amazing athlete and these performances, on top of taking out the national team's title with her fellow Black Fins last week, is quite astonishing," he says.

Papamoa's Natalie Peat claimed two golds; one in the pool with the 100m manikin tow with fins, where she also set a new NZ Record with a time of 59.60, and one on the beach in the tube rescue with Currumbin team mates Prue Davies, Kirstie Hardstaff and Ellie Picken. She also claimed a bronze in the pool with the 100m manikin carry with fins.

Mairangi Bay's Danielle McKenzie took an individual gold in the women's ski race along with two team golds; in the pool with Sam Lee in the line throw and on the beach with her BMD Northcliffe crew in the Oceanwoman relay. She also claimed silver in the board race and tube rescue team.

Some of the other highlights included silver for Midway clubbie and Black Fin Chris Dawson, representing BMD Northcliffe, in the obstacle relay team and bronze in the 50m manikin carry.

Piha's Hannah Williams and Papamoa's Madi Kidd took silver for Currumbin in the women's beach relay team with Hannah taking another silver in the oceanwoman relay.

Waikanae's Casie Fyall claimed gold with her Kurrawa team mates in the women's 4x90m beach relay with Paul Cracroft-Wilson taking silver in the men's event, also for Kurrawa, plus an individual silver in the men's beach flags.

Midway's Cory Taylor took bronze for BMD Northcliffe in the oceanman while Mairangi Bay's Marina McCartney claimed bronze with her Tweed Heads and Coolangatta team mates in the oceanwoman relay.

Success also came in the form of gold for the Papamoa IRB crew of Jason Watts, Hamish Smith, Chad Wheeler, Kirby Wheeler, Jamie Vuglar and patient Kate Debonnets in the men's IRB Teams Rescue and bronze for the Red Beach Boomers Open Men's Surf Boat crew of Jed Wright, Hayden Smith, Charles Graham, Shamus O'Halloran and Shane O'Halloran.

Mr Lord says all of the athletes can be incredibly proud of their achievements and what they have achieved on a world stage.

Results:

Sam Lee
200m obstacle swim, 1st
100m rescue medley, 1st
100m manikin carry with fins, 1st
Obstacle relay, 1st
Line throw, 1st
50m manikin carry, 2nd
Super lifesaver, 2nd
4x25m Manikin relay, 3rd

Natalie Peat
100m manikin tow with fins, 1st (NZ Record, 59.60)
Tube rescue team, 1st
100m manikin carry with fins, 3rd
Obstacle relay, 4th
4x25m manikin relay, 5th
Surf Race, 5th

Danielle McKenzie
Ski race, 1st
Oceanwoman relay, 1st
Line throw, 1st
Board race, 2nd
Tube rescue team, 2nd
4x90m beach relay, 4th
Oceanwoman, 8th

Chris Dawson
Obstacle relay, 2nd
50m manikin carry, 3rd
200m obstacle swim, 6th
4x25m manikin relay, 8th

Madi Kidd
Beach flags, 5th
Beach relay team, 2nd

Casie Fyall
4x90m beach relay, 1st
Beach Flags, 6th
Beach sprint, 7th

Paul Cracroft-Wilson
Beach flags, 2nd
4x90m beach relay, 2nd

Murdoch Finch
Beach Flags, 8th

Cory Taylor
Oceanman, 3rd
Surf ski race, 4th
Board race, 5th

Hannah Williams
Beach relay team, 2nd
Oceanwoman relay, 2nd
Ski race, 9th
Board race, 10th
Oceanwoman, 12th

Max Beattie
Oceanman relay, 4th
Oceanman, 6th

Devon Halligan
Oceanwoman, 6th

Jake Hales
4x25m manikin relay, 6th

Marina McCartney
Oceanwoman relay, 3rd
4x50m medley relay, 5th

For full results from the 2016 Lifesaving World Championships, visit http://livetiming.lifesaving2016.com/

Samantha Lee

For more information, please contact:

Lisa Smith, Media & Communications Manager, SLSNZ
Phone 09 303 9335 or 0276 488 823
Email lisa.smith@surflifesaving.org.nz