Surf Lifesaving: Furious Foster denied gold

Morgan Foster. Photo / APN

New Zealand's Morgan Foster was denied an extraordinary beach flags gold medal at the Australian surf lifesaving championships yesterday, on another big day for New Zealand sprinters.

Foster, of South Brighton, was controversially disqualified in the open men's race after tangling with Mooloolaba's Tom Reiken, who then went on to beat another New Zealander, Steve Harris, in the final.

Harris matched the silver medal won by compatriot Chanel Hickman, who was beaten by world champion Australian Melissa Howard in the women's final, while yet another New Zealander, Paul Cracroft-Wilson, was fourth in the men's event.

Triple world champion Foster, a Hamilton firefighter, won the Australian title in 2001 and looked as if he would successfully overcome a decade-long drought by dominating the early rounds. "I had a really good feeling coming into the weekend, with no injuries or sickness, and it was the 10th anniversary of when I last won here," Foster said.

"I just had a little feeling that it was mine - I was clear on the other boys and I was sure I was going to win it so to get disqualified the way I did was unjust and I feel unfairly treated," the New Zealander said.

Even Reiken, who was half a step behind Foster when they tangled, believed the veteran was robbed.

"I would've rather gone back and had a rerun - Morgan was running great all weekend and he didn't deserve to go out like that," the Australian said.

Harris, a former provincial halfback for Taranaki, stunned his more illustrious rivals by making the final and nearly going all the way.

"Poor old Morgan deserved to be there and he deserved the gold and I would've loved to have gone into the final two with him," Harris said.

"It was just surreal how it all panned out.

"I'm a bit gutted to be honest because it was right there for me but I'm stoked to make it this far and to get a silver medal at the Aussies is pretty mind-blowing."

Hickman was also gutted - she had her hand on the flag in the final only for it to be snatched from her grasp by Howard, with the Australian gaining a measure of revenge for losing to her in the New Zealand championships last month.

"I just had a little pause and that was it - I just didn't nail it," Hickman lamented.

"It's only my second year at the Aussies and I'm pretty happy with it overall but I should've won that. I know I can take her, I've done it twice before but she was just lucky today."

It wasn't all silver for the New Zealanders, however, with Papamoa teenager Kodi Harman triumphing in the under-17 beach flags final, a day after a stumble on the line cost him the beach sprint gold.

Australian star Shannon Eckstein won the feature ironman event, the fourth time he has claimed the title, while fellow Northcliffe competitor Courtney Hancock won her first ironwoman crown.

- NZPA