Surf the news that saves Georgia Miller
Georgia Miller knows all too well the unpredictable nature of the competitive surfing life – it’s what helped her land her first IronWoman title four years ago.
Now, with the roles reversed, she hopes she doesn’t fall into the same trap as she leads the field ahead of the final two rounds of this weekend’s Iron Series at Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast.
“I would never lead the show until I won my first title in the 2018-19 season,” she told Nine’s. Vast world of sports.
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“I wasn’t in the lead at all and in the last moto I had to win the race and the girl leading had to be eighth or worse. [for me to win].
“She finished eighth, that’s how I won my first title.
“You never know how you’re going to do, which is scary and nerve-wracking, but when it all falls into place, it’s such a relief.”
This season, however, the hunter is now the hunted.
“It’s very, very different to direct the show and to arrive [to the final] at the top of the ranking. So, I’m crossing my fingers that it doesn’t happen to me – which I did four years ago.”
Winning three of four rounds so far, Miller has dominated the field this summer.
“The work isn’t done yet, but it’s been a great streak and it’s also great to be part of such an amazing girl group,” she said.
“The score is so tight it has to come down to the last race on Sunday. So it’s great to be a part of it and hopefully I can get the job done.”
Miller said going into the final ahead of the pack brings “a different feeling,” but that, she says, isn’t a hindrance.
“Some would say the pressure is on me, but I see it differently,” she said.
“I see it as I’m not the one looking for the results anymore, I just have to go out there and stick to my race plan and do what I’ve been doing for the last two weeks because it seems to be working.
“So that’s what I’ll do on the weekend, I’ll go there to win the races and not get too carried away thinking about the overall results – it’s just another weekend where I can do something that I like.”
Heading into the fifth and sixth rounds, the title is still anyone’s game. Just six points separate Miller from her good pal Lizzie Welborn in second, then another 10 points from her sparring partner Danielle McKenzie in third.
Remarkably, anyone in the top five is within reach.
“It’s great to be in such a tight peloton and to race so well and so fast. It’s a privilege to be part of it – and to lead this group, it’s really cool,” he said. she declared.
The 26-year-old has been involved in life-saving surfing for most of her life – starting in the under-sixes at Freshwater SLSC – and couldn’t be a prouder ambassador for the sport.
Coming full circle, Miller now works for Northcliffe SLSC where she runs their gripper program.
With lifestyle at the core of who they are, Miller talked about how special it is to be alongside the next generation of IronMen and women and to be able to show them firsthand what they can accomplish in the sport.
“I just tell the claws, ‘I’m a big claw at the end of the day.’ I run around and do what they do.
“It’s very eye-opening to see them having fun and it makes me very, very happy.
“I hope I can inspire this next generation to continue saving lives through surfing – it’s such a great sport, such a great community and we also have the opportunity to give back by patrolling the beaches, which no other sport does.”
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