Elmira teen heading to Lifesaving World Championships

An Elmira teen is heading to Australia to compete in the Lifesaving World Championships.

The 17-year-old spoke with CTV News before she left to compete for Canada’s National Youth Lifesaving team.

"It feels great,” said Izzy Speiran. “I worked really hard for it. It's a hard sport to get selected in. There's only six girls who go from all across Canada, so I feel pretty lucky to be picked."

"I'm so excited for her,” said her mother Cheryl.

Speiran is the only girl from Ontario on the starting roster for the youth team.

At the championships, athletes will perform various lifeguard tasks.

Speiran competes in the craft or surf discipline, where she simulates a rescue on open water and return to the beach.

Izzy Speiran picks up a lifesaving practice dummy at the Woolwich Memorial Centre on Aug. 16, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV News)

"I do a lot of work with the boards and the skis. Skis are kind of similar to kayaks," she explained.

Speiran has always been a talented swimmer. The teen works as a lifeguard and holds multiple records with the Woolwich Wave Swim Team.

She was exposed to lifesaving sports when her family took a trip to Port Elgin to see the provincial finals.

"We went over to watch with her and her brother, and they were both hooked on it," Cheryl recalled.

Izzy Speiran in the water. (Courtesy: Scott Speiran)

Speiran took up lifesaving sports as a way to cross-train for tennis, but then started winning lifesaving competitions and moved up the ranks. Most recently, she won three gold medals and three silver medals in the open division at provincials.

Because her sport requires big equipment, she spends her summers training on the open water in Port Elgin.

"It's a pretty small sport,” she said. “It's definitely bigger on the coast where you have the oceans, so big in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, British Columbia, that sort of thing, and obviously very big in Australia. So yeah, it's hard to come by in Ontario."

Speiran will take part in eight competitions over five days at the world championships, which start on Aug. 20. She’s heading out a little early to Australia, in hopes of getting some experience in the ocean before the races start.

"You're going up against Australians, New Zealanders. It's pretty tough, but I'm just hoping to do my best, make a couple of finals basically, which is like top eight or top 16.”

Izzy Speiran dives into the water. (Courtesy: Scott Speiran)

Outside of lifesaving sports, Speiran has a busy life. She was on her school council, was a lifeguard in town and played tennis and badminton. The teen also just graduated from Elmira District Secondary School and is enrolled at McMaster University for the Midwifery program in the fall.

"It's pretty cool. I'm not surprised that she is entering into a health care field because health and wellness and helping people is a big part of her makeup," Cheryl said.

Speiran gets back from the world championships on Labour Day, and then starts school the next day.

"There's a few hoops we have to jump through with McMaster in order to be able to do that,” Cheryl explained. “My husband and I are moving her in and getting her student card. Classes literally start on the Tuesday after Labour Day. She's going to hit the ground running. So if we can make her life a little easier, why not?"

Next year, Speiran is hoping to make Canada’s National Open Team.

"Just doing my best to get selected again," she said.