World Surfing Games 2024: Puerto Ricans come down from mainland and mountains to cheer on world’s best at final Olympic qualifier
Championship Tour athletes delivered on expectations despite quick turnaround between competitions, while local spectators came out in full force to show support and learn more about surfing.
Surfing
There are not many households in Puerto Rico where a surfboard is the centrepiece.
That could change now that the country is hosting the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games, the final qualifier for the Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti.
The beachfront of Arecibo, where the World Surfing Games are held from 23 February to 3 March, was buzzing with energy as people came from all parts of the island to cheer on the world’s best surfers.
“Some of them come from the mountains that have never seen the beach,” said Havanna Cabrero, who is representing the Games hosts in the women’s competition. “It's a huge event so everyone's just coming out to see what's going on. It's so big and there's so many countries here, so they really want to know what's happening.”
And there was plenty to see as 30 men’s and 30 women’s round 1 heats played out on the first day of competition, with an Olympic champion and multiple world champions in action.
A milestone for Puerto Rican athletes
As Cabrero walked out to the water with her surfboard, she took a moment to pause and steady her thoughts. In that moment, the local supporters at a packed beachfront seemed to hold their breath together with her.
“It's never been like this. This is very big for us,” Cabrero told Olympics.com. “I definitely was feeling a little bit nervous, but it kind of wore off because I felt just… at home.
“I’m just really happy that everyone showed up,” she continued. “I know they're all taking time off from their own lives and just walking into surfing, which is probably something new for them, so I just want to show my appreciation for them being here.”
Among the spectators was her own father Carlos, who is a national legend of the sport.
Carlos Cabrero took his daughter surfing for the first time when she was three years old. Seventeen years later, father and daughter topped the national rankings together, Carlos in the men’s division and Havanna among the women.
The 2024 World Surfing Games gave Carlos another reason to be proud of his daughter. Havanna represented the home team on stage during the “Sands of the World” ceremony that traditionally follows the athletes’ parade at the annual event.
“I was almost crying in the parade because we had so much support,” Cabrero recalled. “The biggest thing that went through my mind was just the happiness in carrying that flag of your home country and representing it in the biggest platform possible.”
When it came time to compete the following day, Cabrero did not disappoint either. She finished second in her heat and will advance to the second round of the competition.
The spectators erupted in cheers every time she took on a wave, her father among them.
“I've been admiring him my whole life, so I'm just really happy that I'm creating my own path and he's alongside me and we're doing all these things together,” Cabrero said. “In Puerto Rico I feel like that's the one person that we've always looked up to, and to have that be my dad and just have all that knowledge right there for me is definitely really special.”
The elder Cabrero not only passed on surfing skills to his daughter, but also helped to bring international surfing to the Caribbean island.
He has worked alongside the national surfing federation and scouted locations for the ongoing World Surfing Games where six local athletes are now competing. Puerto Rico previously hosted the event in 1988 at Aguadilla.
Cabrero’s teammates, Dwight Pastrana and Ricardo Delgado, have also made it through to the second round. Pastrana scored just 0.47 points lower than Australia’s Ethan Ewing, who was runner-up in the 2023 WSL Championship Tour, while Delgado finished second to current Championship Tour runner-up Jack Robinson.
Mia Calderon and Jolaris Carreras will continue competing in the repechage rounds after finishing third in their heats. Brian Toth is set to compete on Sunday, 25 February when the round 1 heats wrap up.
“Our community is growing and I'm super happy that that's going on,” Cabrero said. “The beaches are our courts. We have so many courts for us that we just want everyone to be a part of it.”
Pack, fly, surf: Championship Tour surfers deliver despite quick turnaround
While Cabrero and the other Puerto Rican athletes enjoyed the comforts and cheers of home, a handful of other contestants had little time to take in the sights around them before jumping into the water.
With Sunset Pro running late and not finishing until 21 February, many of the Championship Tour surfers only arrived in Puerto Rico the day before competition or, in the case of 2023 world champion Caroline Marks, after midnight on competition day.
The late arrival did not seem to affect her in the slightest, however, as Marks finished top of her heat.
Sunset Pro winner Molly Picklum also continued to show strong form with the third-highest score in the women’s competition while Olympic champion Carissa Moore’s 15.53 was the highest overall score of the day among men or women.
The first day of competition unfolded with few surprises as all of the top medal contenders advanced to the next round after topping their heats.
The only major upset was Caity Simmers finishing third in her round 1 heat. The USA youngster, who is currently second in the WSL Championship Tour rankings, hurt her foot after stepping on a sea urchin and could only manage 4.40 as her overall score.
Simmers will continue the competition through the repechage on Sunday. She must now place among the top two in all her heats to avoid elimination..
Her teammate John John Florence will also be in action on Sunday as he begins his campaign to win the individual title and help Team USA earn a third, extra men’s quota.
In the final heats of the women’s round 1, two-time world champion Tyler Wright will face Great Britain’s Sky Brown, who is trying to become the first athlete to qualify in skateboarding and surfing at an Olympic Games.
Follow the competition from anywhere in the world through the Olympic Channel livestreams on Olympics.com and the official Olympics app.