Gouws stars at Lifesaving SA's National Champs | Sport

24 Mar 2019

ihle Trevor Xaba of Durban Surf Lifesaving Club finishes his ski race in the 40-44 years age group Single Ski Race. Trevor is a legend in lifesaving circles and has been on television as an actor in the well known Durban Beach Rescue series. Image shot at General Tire Lifesaving South Africa National Championships 2019 being held in Port Elizabeth. (topfoto.net)

Port Elizabeth - Summerstrand’s Tracy Gouws, so impressive a year ago, was again the star on Sunday at the General Tire Lifesaving South Africa's National Championships.

Gouws took four medals, including three golds, in the surf swim, board race and swim/tun/swim.

Summerstrand and host club Kings Beach hogged the podium as the week-long festival of lifesaving started with the Masters surf competition.

Lifesaving’s National Club Championships will see 1700 athletes battle for pool, surf and sand supremacy in a seven-day festival that combines the Masters, Nippers, Seniors and Juniors in the surf and pool championships respectively.

Gouws, in the 40-44 female category, was without comparison and her Summerstrand club teammate Natalie Goedhuls also took four medals, in two first places in the run/swim/run and the single ski and second place in the board race and surf swim. Goedhuls competed in the 30-34 age category.

The Masters’ starts in category age 30-34 and finishes age 70-plus. In the latter category Bruce Darbyshire-Roberts won two first places and Ant Foster finished in the medals in all three male categories.

Sihle Trevor Xaba of Durban Surf was a popular finisher in the ski race, aged 40-44. Xaba, a television actor in the Durban Beach Rescue series, showed he could transfer his on-screen skills to the water.

Durban Pro’s Siyanda Ngexe finished first in the 30-34 run/swim/run.

Other veterans who enjoyed success included Summerstrand’s Rob Smith, Kings Beach Terry Billson, Ken Richard, Christian Callebaunt, Andre van Rooyen, Antje Hockley, Brent Challenor, Nina Loftus, Gina McCelland and the Ethekwini duo of Mluleki Mthethwa and Mfana Mkhizi.

The surf action stays at Kings Beach today when the Nippers compete for glory until Wednesday. The Masters, Seniors and Juniors take to the pool from today (Subs Monday) and also finish on Wednesday. The week’s proceedings reach a climax with the seniors and juniors surf championship from Thursday to Saturday. The Nippers will complete their pool championship during the same time.

For all the results visit

https://southafrica.carnival.sls.com.au/eventmgr/results/report/public/140/1

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