WA surf life saving clubs enjoy success at State beach championships on Sorrento Beach

Sorrento Beach hosted more than 1700 surf life saving athletes from across the State for the 2024 WA Surf Life Saving surf and beach championships.

More than 500 nippers and 400 youth and open athletes from 27 life saving clubs took on the beach flags and sprint event on Saturday.

North Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club’s Matthew Lloyd won the beach sprint event for the third year running while also defending his beach flag title and winning the open male beach relay.

His win of the beach sprint and beach flag title means he successfully won the “double” in consecutive years.

“I was really glad I could do that double; once you win, you chase that feeling, so glad I did it,” he said.

In the open female arena, Sydney Rafferty from Sorrento SLSC won her first open beach flag title and on her club’s home beach, much to her astonishment.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting it this year, big surprise,” she said.

To add to the home advantage, current U17 female Australian champion Amelia Rowe from Sorrento SLSC won her first open championship by taking gold in the open beach sprint and also winning the U17 beach sprint and flag double.

The action continued at Sorrento Beach on Sunday with 15 country clubs competing for champion country club honours, while Monday saw nearly 300 masters athletes taking on the beach and surf events.

Surf Life Saving WA president Heidi Gan said the championships were the pinnacle of WA’s surf sport season.

“These championships are the culmination of many months of hard work, not only from the athletes but also the coaches, team managers and all involved in getting to this point in the season, and we wish them all the best of luck,” she said.

The championship events will continue with surf championships for nippers Trigg Beach this weekend, while next weekend — March 16-17 — youth, open and masters athletes will close out their surf championship events at Scarborough Beach.