The thrill of the ride: Recap of the best moments and highlights of the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games
Whether looking out at the ocean or weaving through a throng of surfers on the boardwalk, there was no shortage of sights that piqued our interest at the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games. Motivation, grit, and puppies - Olympics.com narrowed the list down to the most memorable.
Surfing
From chilli peppers to mid-surf dislocated shoulders, ‘ice-breaker’ ice baths, and eight tickets to the Olympics, the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador were packed with memorable moments in and out of the water.
It was all live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and here are some of the key moments that caught our eye.
Carlos Munoz: Dislocated shoulder, no problem
There was plenty of bravery shown on the waves of La Bocana and El Sunzal during the eight-day competition, but even among a field of the most fiesty surfers on the planet, Carlos Munoz stood out for his sheer grit.
The Costa Rican performed a massive air in the men’s repechage round on day 6, but when he emerged from the foam, it was clear he was in pain.
Munoz had dislocated his shoulder during the landing. Undaunted, he snapped it back in to return to competition and win the heat.
The world in a glass jar
The Opening Ceremony of the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games was a colourful mosaic of national jerseys, but no matter which of the 63 nations the delegations were from, there was one accessory in common: they were all carrying a jar of sand.
There is a simple explanation for this unusual styling choice. It comes from the tradition of the ISA World Surfing Games called “Sands of the World” where athletes bring sand from the beaches in their countries and then pour them into a shared jar during team presentations.
The gesture is meant to showcase the unity of the world through surfing - and also creates a one-of-a-kind souvenier we'd all love to have.
Welcoming new surfing nations
The 2023 ISA World Surfing Games made history even before they got underway.
This year's edition had a record number of nations participating, with Czech Republic, India, Latvia, and Mauritius joining the community and bringing the total to 63.
The traditional surfing powers welcomed the new nations with open arms. The Indian team was particularly star-struck with Brazil's Gabriel Medina running up to the surfers after his heat and USA's John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto meeting the Indian during a training surf session.
Foreign relations and ice baths
There are many parties in Surf City El Salvador, but none quite like the ice bath get-togethers Costa Rica’s Leilani Mcgonangle hosted at the team hotel.
Surfers from Ecuador, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico were among the guests who showed up to take the plunge into the ice buckets, laugh, chat, and occasionally share a dare with the Olympics.com team on-site.
Tatiana Weston-Webb winning her title in the last seconds
Drama, drama, drama…Tatiana Weston-Webb had spectators on the edge until the last waves of the women’s final where she narrowly squeezed in two back-to-back 7.50 scores.
With that, the Brazilian surfer jumped from fourth place to World Surfing Games champion, and made all our hearts beat a little bit faster.
Finding motivation: Chilli peppers and puppies
How do you motivate an athlete to be like Tatiana Weston-Webb? The Dutch and Canadian teams have a few suggestions.
The Netherlands squad developed a fail-proof method for motivating its athletes. If the surfer committs to surfing the lip - the hardest part of the wave - they get a chocolate. If they don't commit, they have to eat a chili pepper.
This groundbreaking motivation technique seemed to work on 16-year-old Tiara van der Huls who went viral for a 9.03-scoring air she landed on Day 3 of competition and for her fearless surfing after.
Canada’s Erin Brooks also had more motivation than simply winning a medal. Her father had promised that she could get a puppy if she made the final.
Just to make sure he stuck to his word, Brooks also took the silver medal.
The rise of the underdog
Sticking with the canine theme, Mexico's Alan Cleland knew he was the ultimate underdog coming into a competition with the likes of Gabriel Medina, John John Florence, Filipe Toledo, and Kanoa Igarashi in the mix.
But if there was a way to make a statement and show the world that he did not end up in the final by accident, it was the one he made. The 21-year-old won the men's title by beating defending champion Igarashi and also nailing the highest-scoring wave of the entire competition, a hefty 9.73 points.
Paris 2024 qualifier: Eight Olympic tickets awarded
The flights to Tahiti will be packed with surfboards in a year’s time, and now we know another eight athletes who will be filling up the luggage hold with their prized possessions on their flight to the Olympic Games.
South Africa’s Jordy Smith and Sarah Baum, France’s Kauli Vaast and Vahine Fierro, Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi and Shino Matsuda, and New Zealand’s Billy Stairmand and Saffi Vette all sealed automatic qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympics through the competition in El Salvador. Many other surfers took steps towards their own Olympic qualification by competing at the event in La Bocana and El Sunzal.
What's up next? Tackling the infamous Teahupo'o.