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No Pressure for Allum - 2008/03/06 09:19
ALLUM FEELS NO PRESSURE FOR BACK TO BACK TITLES
Cronulla’s Chris Allum says he is under no pressure to win back-to-back open iron man titles at this weekend’s Allphones NSW State Surf Lifesaving Championships at Blacksmith’s, Swansea Belmont, beginning today.
His 27-year-old club mate Nathan Smith went down in the history books in 2006, becoming the first man to win four successive NSW championships but in 2007 Allum put an end to his reign, crushing his hopes of a record fifth title in a race up the beach.
Allum has been a long-time fixture in the sport winning an under 16 Australian Ironman Title in 2002 but six years on and the 22-year-old says he is under no pressure to win back-to-back titles.
“I’m not really feeling any pressure, we’ve (Allum and Smith) been the best in the State all season and we both have our eyes on “The Aussies” and making the Australian team,” Allum said.
“Nathan (Smith) is in the best form he’s ever been in and it’s his last year of racing so he is really fired up; for me he will be the guy to beat, but if I stay with him as long as I can and work hard I’m in with a chance.”
Winning back-to-back titles in any sport is no easy task, but successive titles in a sport where “mother nature” can play a major part is exceedingly difficult and if Allum does win he will join an elite group of surf life saving legends including Darren and Dean Robert Chapman, John Holt and Smith to defend their titles.
A back-to-back title will also mean the Allum name continues its dominance in surf sports.
Chris’s father is Wanda stalwart Greg Allum, who is also one of the few elite surf life saving greats to have won four NSW State Ironman Championships and an Australian Ironman title, who has won over 100 medals at State and National level.
“It is nice to have someone out there looking over my shoulder...he is a great handler and support for me and my brother Hayden,” says Chris.
Funnily enough it’s not the Ironman title young Allum wants the most, the three-times NSW State open surf race champion lost his pet race last year after a wave swept through the pack and saw Ben Allen outsprint Daniel McLellan to the line.
“I want it back so I’m hoping there won’t be too many waves and luck won’t play a part like last year, I really want to win it,” he said.
“I wasn’t happy last year, I’d won it three years in a row and I don’t think anyone has won it four times, so that’s the one I want.
“I'm swimming as good as I have ever swum, and I’m back to the form I was in about three years ago...knowing my strongest leg is back to where it was gives me a lot of confidence.”
The former Wanda SLSC member who joined the reigning NSW champions Cronulla SLSC in 2005 will be striving to win not only the ironman and surf races at the NSW Championships, the club will be vying for a stunning fourth consecutive title in the Taplin relay.
“We’re going for four Taplin’s in a row which is exactly the reason why I came to Cronulla,” he said, “for the team events.”
“To win the Taplin four times in a row, we’d really love to do that.
“Being a part of a team is more important to me at State than my individual performance.”
And he is anticipating it will be a huge weekend for him and his Cronulla team mates as they strive to carry on their title-winning form at the Championships.
“I’ll be doing a lot; we’ve lost ski paddler Tony Schumacher to the Olympic kayak trials so I’ll be in the ski relay,” he said.
“They’re the reigning NSW champions; they’ve won it three years in a row so I’m pretty excited to be in that.”
Allum said is looking forward to having a good hit-out against NSW’s best surf lifesavers before he heads to Perth in April to compete at the Australian Titles, where he is hoping to gain a selection in the Australian team.
“State should be a good test to see where we are at,” he said.
“My biggest goal of the season is to represent Australia at the World Titles,” he said.
“I really love representing my county and to represent Australia in Germany would be amazing.”
Ian Hanson
Media Manager
2008 NSW Allphones State Surf Lifesaving Championships
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