Henry Whitehead

Where It All Started

For me it all started after my family moved to Manly and Dad signed my sister and I up for Nippers. Honestly, I never took it seriously for the first few years - I was actually scared of the ocean and much preferred the safety of the beach sprints. Over time that changed. I got more comfortable in the water and started training and competing properly. I learned to love the water racing and that's when it really took off for me.

The Journey Nobody Sees

The journey nobody sees is the mental resilience it takes to get up for the early mornings, bounce back after disapointing races, and keep training for a whole season. Also, last season I injured my shoulder playing footy, and that put me out of off-season training for over 3 months. I had to spend lots of time repairing my shoulder in the gym and physio. Once I was finally back into things, it ended up being my best season yet.

Your Greatest Moments

My greatest moments so far were in U15s, where I won the Australian board title, and also won the overall points score at the World Ocean Series for iron, board and swim. Also last season, as a first year U17, winning Australian titles in both iron and board, and winning the overall points score at the World Ocean Series across iron, board and swim for the second year in a row.

Beyond the Sport

Outside the sport, I love to spend time surfing and hanging out with my mates. I’m also a massive Tottenham Hotspur fan, so I spend a lot of time watching the Premier League.