Fergus Eadie, 24 years old, has already reached the very top of the tree in the sport of Life Saving. “The Carry events are my forte, particularly the 50m Manikin Carry, which was also my first individual World Record. I rely on strength and speed to move heavy weights swiftly through the water,” he tells; he also holds the World Record (WR) for 100m Carry. Both records were achieved at the second World Championships he attended, in 2024 at the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Eadie’s WR time for 50m Carry is 27.22 seconds; in the 2024 race he improved by almost 1 second on his 2022 Championship time when he finished third.
Started as a seven-year-old!
“I was raised on the black sands of Muriwai Beach, one of New Zealand’s premier surf destinations. At seven, I began lifesaving as a nipper, and by 14, I was competing,” tells Eadie. “Although early competitions yielded no victories, my perseverance paid off at 21.”
Eadie had started on a journey in the only sport whose skills are first learned for humanitarian purposes, and which combines the grace and style of underwater swimming, the sheer haste of freestyle, and the brute strength needed to carry an awkward burden whilst swimming as fast as possible.
“In 2021, I was honoured to be selected for the New Zealand High-Performance Squad, training alongside the Blackfins team. My international debut came at the 2022 Lifesaving World Championships in Riccione, Italy,” continues Eadie. “By 2024, I had represented New Zealand for three consecutive years.”
Rigorous training regime, in and out of the water
Eadie’s favourite discipline is the 50m Manikin Carry, where he swims 25m freestyle and then dives to recover a submerged manikin to the surface within 5m of a pick-up line. He then has to swim, carrying the manikin, all the way back to the finish edge of the pool. As a WR holder, he has honed his technique to the utmost, to get the absolute best from the strength and speed achieved through his rigorous training.
“Currently, I train over 20 hours weekly across the pool, gym, and cycling disciplines,” says Eadie. “My regimen includes seven pool sessions, four gym workouts, and two cycling sessions each week, with Mondays being my most intensive training day. Interestingly, I focus less on pool rescue training — only two sessions per week during peak season and none during the off-season.”
“I train full-time with fellow New Zealand National Team members Madi Kidd and Zoe Crawford,” continues Eadie.
But he has other pressures on his time, too: “Concurrently, I am completing my university degree and anticipate entering the workforce upon its conclusion in June.”
Entered for four disciplines at The World Games
Eadie is entered for the 100 m Manikin Tow and 100m Rescue Medley as well as the two Carry distances. In each event at The World Games there are 8 competitors.
Rescue Medley – fascinating tussle with Italian world champion in prospect
Eadie took the 100m Rescue Medley silver medal in the 2024 World Championships in a time of 58.06 seconds, just 0.08 seconds behind the world champion, Francesco Ippolito (ITA). There’s no doubt at all that Eadie will be striving to reverse that result in Chengdu! In the 2024 Championships race, he improved his 2022 Championships time by 2.16 seconds, so a win here is certainly within his grasp.
Final preparations for Chengdu
Once his university degree is complete, Eadie will be able to concentrate more fully on his preparations for Chengdu.
“My preparation for The World Games follows a structured approach, beginning with a rigorous training block in both the pool and gym, transitioning to a power-based program as the competition approaches,” he says.
As well as Ippolito, who additionally is entered for 50m Carry, Eadie will be racing against others who raced close to his time in last year’s World Championships. His strongest challengers will likely be the Australian pair Harrison Hynes and Jake Smith, together with Tim Brang from Germany. Brang was TWG champion in 100 m Manikin Tow in 2022, but this year will be an opponent of Eadie in 100 m Carry.