Day 4 Vissla ISA World Junior Champs

Kirsty McGillivray Produces Standout Performance on Day 4 of VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championships

- Joshe Faulkner, Jordy Maree, Max Elkington, Sebastian Williams & Kirsty McGillivray Reach Round 3 of Main Event
- 10 SA Team Members Still in Contention

Five more members of the 12-person South African team competing in the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in the Azores advanced to Round 3 of the Main event in their respective divisions after a day of booming surf on Day 4 of the world’s biggest junior surfing event

Wild 1.5-2.5 metre waves, with occasional 3 metre sets, rumbled into the venue at Praia de Monte Verde from the North Atlantic, tested both the endurance and skill of the competitors, with many earning one good score and then struggling to find a second.

In Round 2 of U18 Boys division, Jordy Maree (Kommetjie) won his heat convincingly and Joshe Faulkner (Jeffreys Bay) secured second place in his match-up as the pair advanced to Main Event Round 3. Adin Masencamp (Strand) narrowly missed out, finishing less than point out of second place and he will be joined by Bevan Willis (Salt Rock), who placed fourth in his heat in the Repercharge Round 2 heats today.

Those in Repecharge Round 2 get a final chance to remain in the competition by placing first or second in their heat and advancing back into the Main Event stream. From Round 3 onwards all the surfers finishing third or lower in heats are eliminated from the event.

Max Elkington (Kommetjie) got the team off to great start in Round 2 of the U16 Boys by winning his heat with a dynamic display, and was joined in advancing to Round 3 by Sebastian Williams (Durban) who was runner-up in his encounter. Angelo Faulkner (Jeffreys Bay) struggled yesterday, but will have another opportunity to get back into contention via the Repercharge today, while Koby Oberholzer has yet to contest his Round 2 clash.

Kirsty McGillivray produced the performance of the day for South Africa in her U16 Girls Repercharge Round 2 heat, delivering scores of 6.0 and 5.67 to leave her three opponents in a combination situation. McGillivray joined fellow Jeffreys Bay resident Kai Woolf in Main Event Round 3.

Sophie Bell (Salt Rock) was the only South African casualty on the day, dropping out of the event after finishing fourth in her U18 Girls Repercharge Round 2 heat. Bell and fellow U18 girl Crystal Hulett (Cape St Francis), who was eliminated on Monday, will spend the rest of the event motivating and encouraging their teammates.

As the event approaches the halfway point, the South African team still has 10 team members in contention and is in 13th position among the 38 national teams. Australia, France, Hawaii, Japan and reigning ISA team champions USA still have all 12 surfers in the event, while Portugal, Costa Rica, Peru, Brazil and Spain have 11 and Great Britain is marginally ahead of South Africa with 10.

Due to the large swell predicted for today, the organisers will only be using one podium where the boys’ heats will be run. Koby Oberholzer will be the first South African in action in the U16 Boys Round 2, followed Adin Masencamp and Bevan Willis in the do-or-die U18 Boys Repercharge Round 2, and then Angelo Faulkner in a similar position in U16 Boys Repercharge Round 2.
Surfline, the official forecaster, is calling for a strong Northwest swell to fill in on Wednesday with well overhead surf. This strong swell will slowly fade over the remainder of the contest period, providing solid waves for the competition.

The action at the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship can be watched LIVE at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za starting at approximately 11am SA time daily. The latest news, results, photographs and video footage are also available on the website.

Press release from Surfing SA