Published 10 August 2022

After a successful 2018 World Championships campaign in Adelaide and a dominant 2019 international event season, the Australian Team was set to defend the title in 2020.

The last two years has been spent navigating the challenges of COVID, maximising the opportunities for domestic event attendance, and monitoring the world stage to stay at the top of the sport technically and competitively.

Head Coach Kurt Wilson congratulated the athletes on their selection and is excited for what lies ahead for the team.

“To have now locked in our twelve athletes set to represent the Australian Life Saving Team at the 2022 Lifesaving World Championships in Italy, is extremely exciting,” Wilson said.

“I am honoured to be leading this athletic cohort through this campaign. The talent, technical capacity, current form, and potential as a team is a brilliant reflection on all the hard work, sacrifice, outside the box thinking and athlete management that’s gone on all around the country over the last two years by coaches, support networks and clubs to ensure the athletes had every opportunity to be at their best to earn their selection on this team.

“The six males and six females that have been selected have a brilliant balance of youth with three Australian Open team debutantes and an abundance of experience having six of our 2020 Championship winning team returning to defend their title.

“This will provide us with an outstanding platform for performance to take on the anything that is presented to us on the world stage.”

The team is made up of beach, surf, and pool competitors with three debutants including ironwoman Naomi Scott (Northcliff SLSC, formerly Manly LSC), pool competitor Harrison Hynes (Trigg Island SLSC and West Life Saving Club) and beach competitor Sam Zustovich (Mollymook SLSC).

22-year old Scott was delighted to earn her place on the team, particularly as she had a taste of this competition as part of the Australian Youth Team at the 2018 World Championships in Adelaide where she won three gold medals, one silver, and two bronze.

“I’m always proud to put on a green and gold cap but to have a number on it now is just the best feeling ever,” Scott said.

“This is my first capped Australian Team and I didn’t think it would be happening this soon.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have been part of a few different Australian Youth and Pathways Teams, and I was lucky enough to captain a few of them as well and to now step up into the Opens is a really big moment for me, but I really feel like I belong and can’t wait for the competition in Italy.”

The Lifesaving World Championships were originally due to take place in Riccione in 2020 but were postponed due to COVID-19 disruptions.

2022 Australian Lifesaving Team