The Australian Life Saving Team have become the first nation to win both Open and Youth Overall Pointscores at the same Lifesaving World Championships after comprehensive performances by both teams at the 2022 Lifesaving World Championships in Riccione, Italy.

Since the inception of the competition at the Lifesaving World Championships in 2012, no nation has been able to claim both Open and Youth titles at the same event.

The Open team won its second consecutive World Championships by a margin of 150 points over rival New Zealand, following a 37 points victory at Lifesaving World Championships 2018 in Adelaide, the last World Championships prior to COVID disruptions.

A four year wait, and lack of significant international competition, presented plenty of challenges to the Australian Lifesaving Team in the lead up to the World Championships 2022, however the Aussies produced one of the most dominant performances at a World Championship event, winning eight gold medals across Pool Rescue Events and collecting a further 13 gold across ocean and beach events.

Day six finished off with three gold medals for Australia with an incredible 1-2 finish in both the female and male surf races.

Lani Pallister (Alexandra Headland SLSC) added another gold to her impressive week, leading from start to finish with teammate Naomi Scott (Northcliffe SLSC) claiming silver.

James Koch (Bondi SBLSC / Mingara Lifesaving Club) had a similarly dominant performance adding a fifth gold medal to his LWC 2022 tally with Ben Carberry (Currumbin SLSC) finishing fast in second place.

Pallister will head back to Australia with nine total medals, including seven gold after teaming up with Scott, Kendrick Louis (Manly LSC) and Sam Zustovich (Mollymook) winning the Mixed Taplin as the final event of the Championships.

Amassing an incredible 951 total points, Australian Life Saving Team Head Coach Kurt Wilson was elated with the teams ability to consistently produce across key moments.

“The key for us it not just the will to win, everyone in this team wearing the green and gold has that, it is the will to prepare to win that is important and as this team has prepared outstandingly for their events paired with a focus on team events has been a priority for us”, Mr Wilson said.

“The work of these 12 athletes across the past week has been best in class and the results are a real reflection of the commitment in this space.”

“To go back to back wins after navigating the past four years is an incredible feeling for everyone involved and a true reward for the growth and development across this athlete cohort with the work done at home by coaches and clubs across a number of states.”

The Australian Youth Life Saving Team completed their own dominant campaign in Riccione, finishing with their largest margin of victory at World Championships with a 278-point lead over second place New Zealand.

Accumulating 977 points over six days of competition, the Youth Team won 17 gold medals, led by a dominant group of female athletes who claimed eleven of those golds and a Youth World Record in the pool.

Lily O’Sullivan (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park SLSC) collected eight gold medals at the World Championships, including seven gold from seven events across the first three days of competition at the beach events.

Carrying the biggest workload across the Championships, Claudia Bailey (Northcliffe SLSC) competed in 13 of the possible 22 events, winning five gold and six silver medals, the most of any athlete at the Championships.

Bailey and O’Sullivan, along with youth team co-captain Chelsea Jones (Bulli SLSC / Royal Lifesaving NSW) and Cyra Bender (Northcliffe SLSC) will return home to Australia with a World Record under their belt after shaving time off the previous best in the 4 x 50m Manikin Relay.

Callum Brennan (Currumbin SLSC / Sunshine Coast Grammar Pool Lifesaving Club) won six silver medals in a Pool Rescue events, often just behind a strong Italian contingent who broke four Youth world records at the Championships.

Australian Youth Lifesaving Team Head Coach Craig Holden expressed his pleasure with consistent performers across the entire team.

“We came into these World Championships with a well-rounded group that we were really confident in,” Mr Holden said.

“There was always some risk with so much disruption there has been over the past few years, particularly with a young group of athletes but our group here stepped up on every occasion.”

“This really is a group to be proud of, not just from a performance and results standpoint but everyone in this squad has upheld the values of the ALT and should be commended on their attitude across the past week.”

The Lifesaving World Championships will next be held in 2024, where over 40 nations will compete on the Gold Coast, Australia.

All Results from the World Lifesaving Championships 2022 can be found here bit.ly/LWC-2022-Results