Coolangatta Gold: Day, Rogers Create History In Surf Lifesaving Event

At the Coolangatta Gold, history-making feats continue to be accomplished, and undoubtedly the most formidable contender has won yet another title.

At the Coolangatta Gold, history-making feats continue to be accomplished, and undoubtedly the most formidable contender has won yet another title.

Ali Day was the first competitor to cross the finish line on Sunday's long course competition, allowing him to win his ninth Coolangatta Gold in just his ninth attempt.

Day let up a huge cheer in front of a full crowd as he crossed the finish line and grabbed the banner to claim victory. The audience was there to see the moment.

Day remarked that this was one of the most challenging competitions he had ever taken part in.

"They are always hard, and they seem to get harder and harder every year, and someone like Bevi (Matt Bevilacqua) pushed me the whole way today," Day said. "They are always hard."

I believe that it was one of the hottest runs that we have ever completed.

"Today I attempted to separate it into five separate races, and as soon as I got off the ski, I tried to reset the event so that it would be a swim race, a run race, and a board race. However, I was unsuccessful."

"I have great coaches, great mentors, and great support with my family here, and I was able to draw quite a bit of inspiration when Bevi got away from me," she said. "I have got great coaches, great mentors, and great support."

"I take my hat off to the Bevi, to Kendrick (Louis), to Corey (Taylor), and to all the guys who put there hands up to do the race, because they make it what it is, and they make me better."

Before Day overtook Matt Bevilacqua in the swim and gave himself a five-minute advantage, Bevilacqua had led the ski segment and the first leg of the run.

Bevilacqua was able to cut the distance on the third run, shaving two minutes off the clock, but Day crossed the finish line with a time of 4:03:48, which was a total of two minutes and 49 seconds faster than the runner-up position.

Ali Day's father, Rosco Day, was there to watch him cross the finish line for the ninth time, and Rosco was very proud of all the hard work his son has put in to get to this point.

Rosco exclaimed, "It is quite amazing; he joined the surf club many years ago, and back then, he had one goal, and that was to win the Coolangatta Gold and become an Ironman professional."

"He just did all he could to grow stronger, and that is testament to both him and his coaches as well. Year after year, he continued to get stronger on the boards, running, skiing, and swimming.

"I am extremely proud of him, and it is a privilege to listen to how highly other people think of him," she said.

"He has a genuine love for Surf Lifesaving, and he has a genuine love for the people who are involved in the sport as well," so it would be difficult for him to quit.

In the women's competition, Lana Rogers won her second gold medal in Coolangatta after completing the race in a time of 4:29:45, which was just one minute and 24 seconds faster than the runner-up.

With around four kilometers to go, Rogers, Courtney Hancock, and Georgia Miller were all vying for first place. Miller, however, eventually had to stop.

In the heat of competition, Rogers put her fellow competitor's well-being ahead of her own.

Rogers expressed his worry for his friend, saying, "I am just really concerned about her. I want to make sure she is okay because you don't like seeing anyone go through that."

"As you are well aware, our rivalry dates back around 20 years, and we have had some very intense competition with her.

"We had the 20 week training camp together to get up for this race; she has put in so much, and it is really sad to see her go out like that," I said. "We had the camp together to get up for this race."

"It hasn't really hit me yet, but I know for sure that I'll be celebrating this one with my teammate, Georgia Miller," she said. "It hasn't really sunk in yet."

"With that run, she set the pace, and she created that gap between us; it's the wacky thing about this sport that things like that can happen.

"I am writing history for myself; this one is really special, and it was the hardest one to get."

After winning the competition in 2019, Rogers takes home her second gold medal from Coolangatta.

Rogers stated that there are some things that can't be prepared for, even though the competition on Sunday was really difficult and extremely hot for all of the athletes.

"When we got out into the ocean and onto the board leg, that's when it really sank in that it was very hot," Rogers said. "I knew it was going to be very hot, but that's when it really sunk in that it was very hot."

Throughout all of those rapid adjustments, I knew that the most important thing for me to do was to make sure that I stayed hydrated and that I had access to fresh water whenever possible.

"Amy Flood put us through the wringer throughout our twenty weeks of training at BMD Northcliffe. Throughout those weeks, she put us through the hurt locker.

The fact that I no longer live at home and have relocated from the Sunshine Coast to this area demonstrates that I have finally grown up.

"I adore 'Floody' so much because she has educated me in such a short period of time and has taught me so much.

"Being able to share this with Georgia Miller, Floody, and the rest of my team is something that makes this experience truly unforgettable."