Glamour sells ironman brand

Matt Poole wins last year’s Maroochy Surf Classic.

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Which Ironman will win the 2011 Nutri-Grain Ironman series?

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• Hugh Dougherty
• Ali Day
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Matt Poole and Candice Falzon are the Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf of the Nutri-Grain ironman and ironwoman series and are taking the sport to new heights.

That is the view of series director and surf lifesaving legend Guy Leech.

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The pair has been a favourite of the tabloids since stepping out as an item at last year's Australian Surf Life Saving Championships.

Leech said like the famous tennis pairing of Agassi and Graf, the photogenic duo had successfully broken into new sections of the media and introduced the sport to a broader audience.

In March they will be unveiled as the faces of swimwear brand FINZ and feature in a national advertising campaign - a boon for their image.

Leech said Poole and Falzon transcended the sport and were helping to grow the series' brand.

"They bring another element to it, a glamorous side," he said. "They get into other sections of the paper and magazines other than the sporting section - it's great for the sport.

"They transcend the sport. As a promoter you want characters like that. You generally get interest when you have two good-looking people going out in the same sport.

"When you had Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf both competing, they took tennis to a new level. This is the same thing."

The Daily has been given a sneak peak of the FINZ campaign images, which were taken in Sydney last week.

Poole said he was honoured to be asked to do the shoot but admitted his better half was far more adept in front of the camera than him.

"It's great exposure and great for my profile. I just try to stand back and do as best as I can," he said.

"Candice is a natural with all the modelling she's done. I look like Derek Zoolander trying to do blue steel. I only have the one look."

Falzon and Poole will head into this weekend's third round of the series at Newcastle both in fifth spot after their fourth placings at Portsea two weeks ago.

"It's quite funny, getting the same results," Poole said.

"Hopefully when we rock up at Newcastle she comes out and gets first. It will make it a lot easier on me."