When Brisbane welcomes the world for the 2032 Olympic Games, Noah Maggs is due to be entering the prime of his ironman career.
He’d be 24 years old and perfectly positioned to chase history if Surf Lifesaving earns a place on the Olympic program.
It’s an opportunity that has already captured the Bond University Bachelor of Business student’s imagination.
“A couple of us have been talking about the Olympics when we're at carnivals,” Maggs said.
“It’d be amazing for Surf Lifesaving to be featured…I’d try to get selected in the Australian team.
“Even if it doesn’t come in, there’s so many sports that cross over — kayaking and open water swimming, even beach sprinting crossing into the track.”
Last week, Maggs took a major step forward in his Olympic ambitions.
He was named in the Australian junior team for November’s Lifesaving World Championships in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
It’s a just reward for a breakout meet at the Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships where he claimed two gold medals and one silver.
His performances in the ocean made him impossible for selectors to overlook, but Maggs is determined to become a complete lifesaver.
Alongside ocean prowess and blistering speed on the beach, Maggs has invested heavily in pool rescue — a discipline that replicates real-life rescues using mannequins, rescue tubes and fins.
With pool rescue featuring prominently at the World Championships, Maggs recognised its importance early, committing to the discipline five years ago.
“I started pool rescue when I was 13 and stuck with it because I knew it was going to be important in the future,” Maggs said.
“My goal was to get selected in the Australian team, which is about every single component of lifesaving, not just the surf — you've got to do well in the pool.
“The 200 obstacles is my main event but I’ll be doing all of the team events in South Africa, so I’ve been practising my mannequin carries.
“The training for it has actually helped my surf swimming as it involves a lot of kicking, and that’s not usually my strong point.”
The World Championships will be a homecoming for Maggs, who was born in Johannesburg before moving to Australia just before his fifth birthday.
“I haven’t been back to the country since I left but I’m going to make time after the competition to travel,” he said.
“We’re going to go to places where Dad grew up, we’ll just travel up the coast and then head to Cape Town where he was from.”
While Maggs has found a home at Mermaid Beach Surf Lifesaving Club alongside siblings Conner and Sadie, his ambitions stretch well beyond club level.
“I am eligible to race for South Africa, and it would be amazing to race for them at some point,” Maggs said.
“There’s a lot of athletes training in Australia who have the eligibility to race for their home country, and having athletes take that leap would help branch the sport out to different corners of the world.
“I think it would grow the sport even further and show even more people what Surf Lifesaving is all about.”