Team Hawaii triumphs at 2022 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship
Hawaii claimed their fourth title - the first since 2014 - as the world's best junior surfers put on an impressive show in Surf City, El Salvador.
Surfing
After a thrilling nine days of competition, four champions have been crowned at the 2022 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Junior Surfing Championship on Sunday (5 June).
Following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, 419 ripping young athletes from 45 nations showed an impressive skill level as conditions were ideal at surf breaks El Sunzal and La Bocana.
After finishing second in 2019, Hawaii took out the team event thanks to four individual medals. Team Australia were second followed by USA in third.
The Under-18 girls competition was won by Eweleiula Wong: after a loss in round three, the Hawaiian had to fight her way through seven repechage heats to make it to the final, and then the top of the podium.
“I feel like all my hard work has paid off,” Wong said. “I think it all goes to Team Hawaii coaches, Shane Dorian and Chris Martin,” Wong said after the win.
Spain's Lucia Machado and Hina-Maria Conradi of France finished second and third, respectively.
The boys Under-18 was a tighter final as Hawaiians Luke Swanson and Shion Crawford went toe-to-toe. Swanson's aerial surfing is what made the difference though as he secured gold and Crawford silver. South Africa's Luke Thompson rounded out the podium with bronze.
Swanson was elated with the win, telling the ISA, "I just can’t believe I won. It was my goal, I wrote it down, but the fact that I actually achieved that, I don’t know what to say. I guess it’s just a testament to believing in yourself.”
Despite having little competition experience, Canada's Erin Brooks was in fine form the entire event. The talented 14-year-old claimed the gold medal in the Under-16 competition ahead of USA's Bella Kenworthy and Japan's Mirai Ikeda.
Brooks said, “All of the coaches were telling me that no matter what I was getting the first Canadian medal, but I wanted to get gold.”
Hans Odriozola of Spain was the favourite heading into the boys Under-16 final, but it was Australia's Willis Droomer who claimed the gold. French surfer Inigo Madina won silver followed by Luke Tema who helped round out a very successful competition for Hawaii.
The competition is recognised as a milestone event for junior surfers in the early stage of their international careers.
Former ISA World junior winners include three-time world champion Gabriel Medina, seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore and two-time world champion Tyler Wright.
Other junior champs include Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Owen Wright and fellow Olympians, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Sally Fitzgibbons, Jordy Smith, Leonardo Fioravanti, Brisa Hennessy and Caroline Marks.