The New Zealand Surfing Team has ended their ISA World Surfing Games campaign finishing 21st overall in El Salvador as the event nears the climax with only the finals day of action remaining.
The young six-strong team of surfers bowed out of the event on day six with Raglan’s Alani Morse securing the top placing of 33rd with Will Hardie (Piha) finishing as the top male in 49th overall.
The youthful team which averaged just 18 years of age battled almost 300 athletes from 61 countries at the event on their way to their overall team position.
Alani Morse, the second youngest team member at 15 years of age was competing at the event for the first time having represented New Zealand twice at a junior level. By the time the natural footer reached the fourth round, she was up against exceptional talent and seasoned campaigners and knew she had complete something extraordinary to advance.
“I really like to surf to my strengths in competition and I have much more experience on my backhand since I live at Raglan. I also wanted to show off my backhand to the world. I know that lefts were being scored higher than some of the rights because of the angle the judges were facing which made the lefts look way better,” said Morse who finished third in her heat behind Teresa Bonvalot (POR) and Aelan Vaast (FRA).
“It’s been awesome reflecting on this campaign, especially as this is my first time in the Open Women’s Division. It was inspiring watching all the girls from different countries surf and it gave me some really good things to work on leading up to the World Junior Champs in Peru later this year.”
“One thing that has really stuck out for me this campaign which I will carry over to the Juniors is that there are things I can control and things I can’t control during heats, I need to control what I can, and prepare for the things I can’t. Sometimes it’s just about taking a risk and seeing if it goes my way and most of all trust in my ability and that I have done all the hard work to perform well, I just need to get the job done,” added Morse as she looked toward the ISA World Junior Championships in less than three months time.
Will Hardie was competing at the El Sunzal podium at the opposite end of the bay, a long right hand point that, while hard to read, offers up some great scoring opportunities. Hardie was in the mix until the end needing a mid-range score to advance but ultimately finishing third to Luc Lepront (ZAF) and Lucas Silveira (BRA).
“Yeah it was pretty tricky reading which waves were going to provide multiple sections. It definitely looked like it (his last wave) had a few points in it when I was taking off. I fell on my second turn, the wave definitely had potential to be the score,” said Hardie.
“It’s been such an honour to represent New Zealand for the first time. I hope there are more opportunities in the future. This whole trip has been a highlight, the wins and the learnings taken from the losses.”
Theo Morse was also eliminated from the event the round before Hardie after his opponent pipped him in the last minute of his heat.
“It was an incredibly close heat—I missed out by just 0.2 in the final minutes—but I take a lot of confidence from my performance. I always thought of my backhand as my greatest strength, so when I put up a couple of strong scores at El Sunzal on the world stage, it gave me a huge confidence boost and made me think differently about my forehand surfing,” said Morse.
“I found that at this level, everyone has what it takes to win. The biggest point of difference was having the confidence and the right mental state to perform under the pressure of the moment and to keep pushing through the losses,” he added.
Taranaki surfer Ariana Shewry bowed out of the event in the same round as Alani Morse finishing 41st overall. Shewry’s run through the repechage rounds came to a conclusion at the hands of Zoie Zietz (NED) and Julissa Garcia (ESP). Shewry was a late replacement for the team and a welcomed addition with her strong performances through the early rounds.
Team members Alani Morse and Lola Groube now turn their attention to the World Junior Championships which will take place from the 5-14 December in Peru where they will be part of a twelve surfer Kiwi line up for the event.
Overall Results
Open Men
Will Hardie – 49th
Theo Morse – 73rd
Christian Fougere – 97th
Open Women
Alani Morse – 33rd
Ariana Shewry – 41st
Lola Groube – 65th
Live webcast, full results and content can be viewed at – https://isasurf.org/event/2025-isa-world-surfing-games/
About the ISA World Surfing Games
Organised by the International Surfing Association (ISA), the World Surfing Games are the premier team event in global surfing. First held in 1964, the event has played a vital role in showcasing emerging talent and contributing to surfing’s Olympic journey.
For Further Information:
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Surfing New Zealand
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