DANIEL Collins started nippers in 2006, followed up with his Bronze Medallion, has been a mainstay of the famed Nutri-Grain series, was last year named NSW top athlete and patrols Newcastle beaches as a lifeguard.
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Now he's taken out surf life saving's blue-ribbon event, claiming the Australian ironman title.
Redhead club member Collins, winning Sunday's final in difficult conditions at Maroochydore, now becomes the first Hunter-based open champion.
"For Dan to come through and win it is amazing. He's the epitome of what you expect an ironman to be, he lives and breaths surf," Hunter Surf Life Saving branch manager Jenny Hicks told the Newcastle Herald.
Collins beat Manly's Kendrick Louis and Newport's Charlie Verco to the line.
"I know that the result has always been there but it's about executing that perfect race. I'm super stoked to have done it today and put it all together for an Aussie title," Collins said during a post-race interview.
Guy Andrews, a top junior in 1988, won the main prize in 1993 after relocating from Swansea-Belmont.
"No other Hunter-based athlete has even medalled [in men's open]," Boyd Conrick said.
Collins joins a star-studded honour roll featuring the likes of Grant Kenny, Trevor Hendy, the Mercer brothers (Dean and Darren), Ky Hurst, Shannon Eckstein and Ali Day.
Also at nationals, Swansea-Belmont's Kaitlin Rees and Cooks Hill's Alex Walker clinched their respective under-17 ironperson crowns for 2024.
Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
