Former Bundaberg life saver Matt Davis is taking on Europe in his position as captain for the Australian Life Saving Team at the German Cup.
The ex-Shalom College student and Moore Park Beach nipper (in his very early days) is leading the team, alongside female captain Prue Davies, who will start defending their German Cup crown from today.
The duo return to the pool in Warendorf, Germany, where they both respectively broke records in 2017 and will be looking for similar results at the 27th International German Cup.
“To be named captain of the Australian team is a huge honour and a privilege considering the names of people who have captained the team before myself in the likes of Shannon Eckstien, Tim Schofield and Kristy Munroe to name a few,” he said.
“Being part of the Australian team is pretty big in our sport and it is a big representation of not only your athletic ability but your ability to work as a team even though it is an individual sport once you race for Australia it is all about the team.
“The team this year is fairly young so it’s such a privilege to lead some of the finest young athletes into these new experiences to help them move into,hopefully, the position I’m in in the coming years.”
Matt Davis trained in Bundaberg
Matt Davis made his international lifesaving debut at the 2013 German Cup as a 17-year-old.
“I started off training under Craig Holden and Paul Sims in Bundaberg before moving to the Gold Coast to pursue my career further down there,” he said.
Over the past few years Matt has gone on to become one of the premier pool rescue athletes internationally.
Claiming the 100 metre Medley Rescue World Record at German Cup 2017, Matt also led Australia to overall male teams pointscore while being named Male Athlete of the Meet.
As a Lifesaving World Championship Adelaide 2018 gold medallist and world champion, along with recent strong performances at the FINA World Cup meet in Doha, Matt is primed to push Australia toward another overall point-score title.
It will all kick off from today, when Matt gears up for his first event.
“It’s Friday morning here in Germany and the first event kicks off in a couple of hours time,” Matt said.
“To amp myself up, I like to listen to some music specifically Led Zeppelin or even Bob Marley but the atmosphere around these events in Europe are enough to get you pretty pumped anyway.”
Aside from an obvious talent in surf life saving, Matt said it was the support of his friends and family back home in Bundaberg that really pushed him through.
“My whole family still lives in Bundaberg and my wider surf life saving family from when I grew up are still there and very much involved in the sport,” he said.
“The unwavering support I receive from them is a huge part of what keeps me striving to do my best.
“I think those core family values have shaped me into becoming the athlete and person I am.
“It keeps me grounded and appreciative of how far I’ve come since the Moore Park Nipper days.”
