Redhead's Daniel Collins made a strong start to the national ironman series with his best-ever race finish on Saturday in a mixed opening weekend of competition at Manly beach.
The 26-year-old, who has been competing on the series since 2017, placed fourth in the opening round endurance race on Saturday then 14th in the round-two survival event on Sunday.
Collins finished the weekend 10th overall in the pointscore with four rounds left in the 2022-23 series.
Round one was a punishing endurance test, where athletes completed two circuits of an ironman race taking around 40 minutes in duration. Collins was in 10th position as competitors entered the final board leg and stormed home for fourth place.
His previous best was fifth in last summer's series, when he finished fourth overall and automatically requalified for another campaign.
The format for Sunday's race was three 12-minute races with short rests in between. The last six competitors in the first two races races are eliminated.
Collins was seventh in the opening race on Sunday then 14th in race two.
Leading into this year's series, Collins told the Newcastle Herald he was targeting a breakthrough podium placing this summer.
Rounds three and four will be staged at Maroubra on January 14 (sprint) and 15 (survival).
The series is completed in Queensland with rounds five and six at Kurrawa beach on February 4 (specialist) and 5 (survival).
Northcliffe's Matt Bevilacqua and Jackson Borg (Newport) won rounds one and two respectively. Newport's Lizzie Welborn (round one) and Northcliffe's Georgia Miller (round two) were the women's winners over the weekend.
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