Kiama’s Ali Day continues to reign supreme at 34 over much younger ironman competitors, cruising to his fourth Australian crown at the 2025 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships.

The five-leg race includes a board, run, swim, run and ski. Day was at least 30 metres in front of all competitors as he hopped out of his surf ski and ran the last stretch to the finish line, fist raised to the sky as he realised he had done it again.

Day at 34 says he relishes every event as he comes to the end of his career.

“I wanted to seize the moment and not leave anything out there,” Day told Surf Lifesaving Australia.

Last October, Day claimed his 10th Shaw and Partners Coolangatta Gold Ironman, and he credits his long career experience as a main reason why he continues to be so successful.

“The Aussies finals are different,” he said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s not necessarily faster than your semis and it’s definitely harder, but it’s just another pressure situation. You got to stand up and deliver.

“I guess that’s experience for me now being in things, that’s my 10th or 11th Australian Ironman final I know how to stick to the race plan.”

The Australian Surf Life Saving Championships were held at North Kirra, and Day was racing out of the Surfers Paradise SLSC. The beach holds a special place in his memories.

“North Kirra is a lucky beach for me. I came down here as like a 15-year-old and marvelled at Shannon Eckstein, Zane Holmes and Ky Hurst and thought, you know, how cool would that be to one day be in the same arena… and now I’m mentioned in the same sentence as them, it’s really special,” he says.

At 34, there has to be a couple of SLSC Ironman competitors dreaming about the time Day decides to give it a rest, but he assured Surf Life Saving Australia that he will be back next year to do it again.

“I’ll definitely be back next year. I think there’s a bit of pressure going in today, looking at that under 19 age group coming up, and they get harder and harder to win. To win another one today, I’m over the moon,” he says.

This may have been the Kiama local’s fourth Australian open ironman win, but it remains to be seen whether it will be his last.

For now, Day's grip on the competition remains strong, and his passion for the sport shows no signs of waning.