Surf life-saving: Former world champion siblings ending partnership

St Clair sisters Carla (crew) and Steph Laughton in action at the New Zealand
St Clair sisters Carla (crew) and Steph Laughton in action at the New Zealand
They won a world title and a raft of national titles together, but now sisters Carla and Steph Laughton ''are moving on''.

The sisters, originally from Southland, have competed together for the St Clair club since 2008, but Steph (27) is now based in Scotland and plans to spend the next two years overseas.

She resigned as Otago and Southland surf life-saving club development officer before the world championships in France in August, and has been replaced by Sam Clutterbuck.

Carla and Steph won two silver medals in the IRB mass rescue and tube rescue events in France, their last competitive competition together.

Carla (30), a teacher at Otago Boys' High School, said the sisters were finished competing and would not re-form their winning combination if Steph returned to Dunedin.

''I think we've had a good run. It's quite nice having time after work to do things like washing and marking,'' she said.

The sisters trained at least once a day, seven days a week, in the lead-up to the world championships, something Carla does not miss with more time on her hands.

''It's just nice to have a wee bit of a life, I suppose,'' she said.

While she is not competing any more, Carla is still involved with surf life-saving.

She is on the committee of the St Clair club and is coaching the next crop of talent in IRB life-saving.

Carla singled out Lucy Matehaere as having ''real potential for the future'', and said there was ''lots of good talent emerging'' at the club.

The sisters, who each won more than 20 national titles, won their world IRB women's tube rescue title in Adelaide in 2012.

While they did not manage to defend their crown in August, they finished as the second best crew after finishing second in two races and fourth in another.


 -by Robert van Royen

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