Ironwoman shows lifesaving instinct
Courtney Hancock feels lucky to have a lifesaving instinct she describes as a gift.
Oozing the type of glamour that would not be out of place on the world's most exclusive catwalks, Hancock is far more at home crashing through the most gruelling event in surf sports.
But while the 26-year-old will today start her hunt for a third Australian Surf Life Saving Championships ironwoman title at Scarborough, it is the lives she has saved while on beach patrol which keeps her humble.
Hancock, who competes for Queensland's surf lifesaving powerhouse Northcliffe, once rescued one of her high school teachers from a rip at her NSW home town of Sawtell.
Another time at a canal close to the same beach, an eight-year-old girl in a blow-up ring was lucky Hancock was nearby.
"I ran down and jumped off the rocks, a local surfer came with me and we both went and got her," Subiaco-born Hancock recalled.
"It's nice knowing in the back of your mind that you have that gift when you're going to a beach.
"If I wasn't able to do it, I'd be standing, watching and feeling guilty for not having those skills to get out there."
An ironwoman win on Sunday will allow Hancock to join four-time champion and her childhood idol Karla Gilbert as the only women who have won three or more titles.
