Published 7 September 2023
With just days until our Australian National Team takes off to Canada to compete in the Royal Life Saving Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships, we shine a light on some of the stars of the team who’ll be carrying Australia’s hopes for gold.
The ten athletes in the Australian National Team train year-round for the competition, with strength, agility, speed and technical skills all called into play as they compete against some of the world’s best lifesavers at the Commonwealth Games Federation sanctioned and supported event.
Four things unite the team beyond their excellence in the pool: their rigorous training regimes; family support; the young ages at which they started out in the pool; and their desire to save lives.
Riley Brennan, from Ormiston QLD, trains in the water twice a day, with pool life saving specific techniques added in during peak competition prep time.
Riley is joined by his brother Callum Brennan who first took to the water at age five to compete. The brothers are fresh off success at the World Lifesaving Championships in Italy where the Australian Youth Lifesaving Team took out gold.
Another star of the World Championships, Chelsea Jones of Bulli, NSW also has blue line fever – eight swim sessions, plus gym sessions and pool rescue technique sessions every week have kept her ahead of the competition and in the race for gold. Congratulations to Chelsea Jones for receiving a Sport Australia Hall Of Fame Tier 2 scholarship for 2024!
Teammate, Holly Holmesby of Wollongong NSW, has already set herself up as one to watch as a seven-time gold medalist at the Australian Pool Lifesaving Championships in 2022.
From the other side of the country, Harrison Hynes from Perth enters these championships with the fastest time in the 100m manikin carry. While the bright orange plastic head and torso might look easy to manage, looks can be deceiving – it is weighted to mimic an adult and the combination of speed, skill and weight-bearing over the short distance attracts the strongest and fastest racers.
Jacob Loughman from the Gold Coast knows better than most how realistic race conditions at the Commonwealth Championships will be as a full-time lifeguard when he’s not in the water competing.
Fellow competitors from the Sunshine state, Summer Short and Jessica Oates are both expected to make a big impression in the pool. It’s all in the family for Summer; growing up she watched her Dad competing on the international stage in pool lifesaving. Now he’s her coach and biggest supporter.
Jessica is competing in her second Commonwealth Championship, after starting life saving as an under-12 competitor. Her highlight: “‘It's pretty special to be a part of a sport where you are practicing skills that can save a person life and compete at the same time.”
They are joined by experienced competitor Mariah Jones, a serious contender for gold in Canada. As a mentor to many of the women coming through pool lifesaving, Mariah is known for her leadership and generosity in sharing her experience. Mariah is a Minjungbal woman living on Bundjalung country in northern NSW. (Image: Maria Jones and Summer Short).
The sole Victorian team member, Cameron Bladen first entered the water at nine weeks old – and has never looked back. Inspired by the Nutri-Grain Ironman Series, Cameron cites the mentorship from his club as a key factor in his success.
Together these ten outstanding competitors carry Australia’s dreams of gold into Ontario. We’ll be cheering them on with representatives on the pool deck to support them and the well-wishes from Australia. Keep your eye on the Royal Life Saving Society – Australia website for regular updates as they take to the water from 15 September 2023.
A livestream of the championships will be available to view on RecTecTv.ca once competition begins on Sept 15.
