Student Ruth wins world lifesaving title in Australia

By day, she studies childcare at West Nottinghamshire College in Mansfield. But in her spare time, she saves lives!
Lifesaver Ruth Moore with her gold medal.Lifesaver Ruth Moore with her gold medal.
Lifesaver Ruth Moore with her gold medal.

That’s the intriguing double life of teenager Ruth Moore, whose extracurricular skills have won her a gold medal this winter.

Sixteen-year-old Ruth, who hails from Retford, travelled to Australia to compete in The Lifesaving World Championships.

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And she was part of a team that won gold in the Simulated Emergency Response Competition (SERC), which is considered to be the premier lifesaving skill event.

Along with teammates, she had to rescue a number of people from different emergencies, all against the clock, and they beat teams from all over the world.

In addition, Ruth and fellow swimmer Jessica Newton finished first in the line throw competition with a time of 13.26 seconds.

This secured them a place in the final, as well as a new British record for a youth female team in the event, which involves competitors throwing an unweighted line to a fellow team member about 12 metres away and pulling them back to the shoreline.

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Australia is considered to be the home of surf lifesaving, and this competition attracted more than 7,000 talented competitors from across the globe.

The world championships take place every two years, showcasing excellence in surf sports and rescue.

Ruth joined teammates Jessica, Ben Tomlinson and Jordan Ferguson from the Retford and District Lifesavers Club, based at Retford Leisure Centre.

They jetted off to Adelaide for two weeks of training, competing and a bit of holidaying too, and enjoyed a string of successes.

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As well as the firsts picked up by Ruth, the male line throw team of Ben and Jordan also reached the final and also broke the British record for their age group with a time of 10.51 seconds to win a gold medal.

Ruth said: “We all had a great time with lots of personal bests in all the events.

“Our club is only a small one, compared to some around the world, so we feel we have put Retford and lifesaving on the map. We are all very proud.

“We are so thankful to our head coach, Pete Moyes, and our trainer, Dave Morton, as well as our parents who take us to training each week.”

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Ruth’s tutor at West Notts College, Melanie Stirland, said: “Ruth has done incredibly well in her competitions.

“Her success reflects her dedication and enthusiasm, which she displays equally in the classroom.

“To reach this level of competing is awe-inspiring and we are all incredibly proud.”

The Retford club, which is dedicated to essential lifesaving skills, first aid, rescue and personal survival skills in and around the aater, meets every Saturday morning.