Foster signals title hat-trick target

After a decade of competing at the top internationally, Morgan Foster has got the theatrics of beach flags down to a fine art _ the preening, posturing and posing, strutting across the sand like a peacock on heat.
And that's just as Foster makes his way to the start line.
But don't be fooled. While he comes across as buff and bravado, the 32-year-old Cantabrian, who is domiciled for most of the year in Japan, is far from all show and no go.
He's out to reassert himself on the international stage next week, chasing an unprecedented third consecutive beach flags title at the world lifesaving championships in Melbourne.
Foster will captain the New Zealand team to the world champs and typically leaves high on confidence after two top-three finishes at the Lion Foundation surf league at Mount Maunganui at the weekend.
The professional athlete has only in the past few weeks dared to let himself dream about another world title.
"I've been telling myself ``one at a time, one at a time'', but three world titles in a row would be cool _ right up there with the likes of (retired ironman) Cory Hutchings, although he won gold in other events too."
While Hutchings is a household name through his commercial endorsements and a glittering surf sports career, Foster trots out a handful of times each summer, does his stuff and disappears again.
Beach flags might be something of a sideshow in New Zealand but in Japan it's headline news.
"In Japan, if you say 'lifesaving', or `ironman', most people don't know it. But if you say `beach flags', everyone knows," Foster explains.
Japanese competitors have medalled at five of the last seven beach flags world championships. Foster moved there eight years ago specifically to train with former world champion Kujirai Yashutoshi.
"They love the flags _ the speed and the battle to get to the baton first," said Foster, who won his sixth Japan national title before Christmas. He teaches English at Kanagami, near Tokyo, and supplements his income by appearing in television commercials.
"I'm not a model as such but if a company wants a (European) guy who can run and jump and do a bit of martial arts then my agency contacts me.
"My beach flags profile has helped. While my English teaching pays the bills, the money I make from any promotional work gets put away as a bit of a nest egg."
Foster has only recently started to think about life after Japan and will apply to join the New Zealand Fire Service when he gets back from the world champs.
He took out the flags at the surf league on Saturday in a physical tussle with Taranaki's Paul Cracroft-Wilson but was cleaned out on Sunday, finishing third behind his `Naki rival and Gisborne's Danny Harris.
"The biggest problem I've had since I got back from Japan in December is that I've been training mainly with juniors. I arrived at the Mount a fraction off the pace.
"Paul's been racing in Australia and dusted me on Sunday, but overall the weekend was perfect in giving me that platform to get to the worlds. Another couple of weeks of training should really sharpen things."
Contrasting his big workload for Canterbury at the weekend, Foster will start in just three events at the world championships _ the flags, beach sprint and beach relay, where New Zealand will also defend their world title.
He admitted it would take something special to topple Australia, the perennial world champions.
"They'll be tough, but it's up to us to create pressure and make them crack. We'll have to race perfectly to beat them, while they'll need a couple of average days."