Nicola Mansel and Steve Williamson have returned home to a proud Ōpōtiki Surf Life Saving club after their impressive performance at the World Championships in Australia last week.

The Gold Coast hosted the championships, which included pool rescue challenges and beach races.

Mansel said the aquatic centre used for the pool rescue events “phenomenal”.

“There were 250 metres of outdoor pools, one for training with a moving bulkhead, and a 5m dice pool for warm-up and cool-down,” she said.

The 50m competition pool was surrounded by tier seating, ideal for spectators.

“The atmosphere was unreal. There was more foreign language heard than we could actually understand,” she said.

At the competition, the Ōpōtiki surf lifesavers met up with New Zealanders from the Mairangi Bay club in Auckand, New Brighton club from Christchurch, and the Omanu club from Mt Maunganui. The Omanu team included Cat Manning from the Whakatāne Surf Lifesaving Club.

“We stayed at Fraser Taylor’s house, who is now an orthopaedic surgeon and grew up in Ōpōtiki. He was an awesome host with a lovely family, two cats and three guinea pigs that shared quarters with Steve,” Mansel said.

At the pool rescue competition, Mansel and Williamsson both achieved personal bests.

They came eighth in their respective 100-metre mannikin carry with fins event, with Mansel having earlier won her heat.

“Wishing to finish top 10 in my swimming events and then winning one of my heats against top international athletes was super,” she said.

Williamson placed nineth in the 200m obstacle swim, Mansel was sixth in her 200m obstacle swim, and nineth in the 50m mannikin carry.

She was disqualified with a false start from her 100m manikin tow with fins race.

“But I would have got third overall if I didn’t,” she said.

Next up for Mansel was the beach races, where she came nineth in the surf swim, 11^thin the beach flags and fifth in the sprints.

“In my beach sprint, coming second in my heat and fifth in the final was awesome,” she said.

Next up for the pair is the nationals in Auckland at the start of October.

“Both Steve and I are looking at committing to purchasing rocket fins – which are three-to-four times the price of the fins we’re currently using, but they will help knock three-to-five seconds off a race,” Mansel said.

Mansel is grateful for the support of the Ōpōtiki Surf Lifesaving Club and particularly Troy Petersen.

“Having my wonderful Troy alongside me the whole way in support and keeping me focused was incredible, as I’ve often done these things alone,” she said.

In Australia she bumped into her former Rotorua swimming coach and, by coincidence, her best friend who was holidaying in the area at the same time.

“It just shows the world is such a small place and I’m so thankful and fortunate to get out there and chase these opportunities that I get,” she said.