Surf lifesaver Ben Willis became the first New Zealander to win world surf lifesaving championship beach sprint and flags titles as the Kiwis enter the last day keen to win the global teams title.
The 21-year-old Paekakariki-raised flyer righted a listing New Zealand ship that was threatening to
capsize completely under an Australian deluge at the world championships, after the Kiwis had built a sizeable lead in the pool rescue events.
Willis won his specialist sprint on the first day of the beach events then, approaching midnight under lights on the Baltic Sea resort of Warnemuende, held off veteran Japanese sprinter Masato Ueki to win the flags.
"I always knew if I won the sprint, I'd win the flags," a jubilant Willis said. "Everything worked out well with the timing and I got so much confidence and belief off the sprint. I was just running on a cloud for most of the day."
The same couldn't be said of his teammates, however, who spent most of the day struggling under a green and gold tide.
On by far their best day of the championship, Australia picked up four individual golds and collected both board rescue titles. Their dominance of the ski and ironman races was so great their second athletes also won silver medals in each division.
But Willis and his fleet feet, along with a stirring sixth in the flags from pool specialist Michael Buck, helped the 12-strong New Zealand team regain the lead by a slim 15 points going into the final day.
Willis is still confident that his double victory can lift his team to their first world title win since 1998.
