For immediate release
22 September 2022
From: Surfing New Zealand
Sport: International Surfing
Event: 2022 ISA World Surfing Games
Divisions: Open Men’s and Women’s
Date: 16-24 September 2022
Location: Huntington Beach, California, USA,
Websites and Social: ISA and Surfing New Zealand #ISAWorlds
Success and heartbreak for remaining kiwi surfers in Huntington
As Day 5 of the ISA World Surfing Games dawned some of the best conditions of the whole event greeted the competitors. 1.0 to 2.0-meter waves and early morning conditions made for a dreamy lineup. It was make or break for the three remaining kiwi surfers left in the competition, Caleb Cutmore, Daniel Farr and Ariana Shewry all to surf their last chance repechage heats at Huntington Beach.
Caleb Cutmore was up first for the men. Paddling out in clean conditions he got to work quickly getting on the board with a 6.0 ride. Backing it up with a .57 his competitors were close on his heels all scoring waves in the 4–5-point range. As the clock ran down and with only 2 waves under his belt the tide was about to turn for Caleb with a big left hander peaking in the middle of the beach, a combination of turns and a huge close out turn impressed the judges awarding a 7.17. Tao Rodriguez of Panama came in second with 7 waves and Giorgio Gomez third with 4 waves showing it was not the quantity but the quality that was key in these tricky conditions.” I was stoked to get some decent waves in my first heat, I felt like I surfed with a lot more confidence and got some good scores this time round” Caleb said of his first heat this morning.
Daniel Farr Hit the water soon after in heat 5 starting off the heat with a 4.5 he began to gather momentum throughout the heat adding a 6.83 to his top two, this put him in contention for the win as his opponents struggled to find any waves of significance. With confidence grown and the ocean finally on his side another good wave came through where he was able to belt a few big turns on the outside earning an 8.33. He secured the win with a 15.16 heat total.
Heading to the next heat in repechage 4 it was Calebs time to shine again, putting a few good scores on the board throughout the heat it was unfortunately not enough as the other competitors found waves with just a little more scoring potential which the judges rewarded.“I was hoping to push a bit harder in this heat, however the heat was won through wave selection and I struggled to find the waves with multiple sections. “I am stoked with the experience and have been really proud to represent New Zealand here at the World Surfing Games in 2022”.
Daniel got underway soon after with a low five, however with high 5s across the boards the Taranaki local would need something special to get him out of 4th position, – unfortunately unlike his previous heat the waves were not in his favour. “I think today was a very good example of what competitions look like for most competitors, the day started off great for myself and Caleb with a solid performance from both of us in the morning. After that first heat, I was full of confidence and looking forward to getting back in the water ready to do it again. But unfortunately, we didn’t do enough to get ourselves into the next round, but hey, that’s surfing for ya. Win or lose, it’s still a learning opportunity we can take into our next events and all of us in the team can be proud of the good performance and fight we put into each heat!”.
Last to surf was Ariana Shewry of Taranaki. Unfortunately, the glassy calm conditions of the morning had all but disappeared for the women with 1.0 waves and strong onshore breezes. A slower heat than the previous Ariana got on the board just 5 minutes into the heat with a 4.0 only just behind Costa Rican Rachel Aguero. Ariana, needing just a 1.3 took off on a left hander, executing a wrapping turn the wave then sped up and closed out leaving her with little room to move. She was awarded a 2.47 which would have put her into first had it not been for Mia Calderon of Puerto Rico scoring a 3.1 and a 4.6 in quick succession pushing Ariana into third. Not to go down without a fight Ariana picked a left out of the messy Huntington conditions however it turned out be a fast one allowing for only one quick turn out the back before racing through the inside and closing out on the shore where Ariana was able to perform a small end section snap.
With 5 minutes to go the ocean went quiet, a small lump came through but with no scoring potential Ariana’s World Surfing Games campaign was over” I am gutted I couldn’t pull through for the team she said. “I felt like I put up a good fight, I now know what level I am at and can make improvements to get a better result next time round”.
With all members of the New Zealand Surfing Team out of the competition New Zealand finishes in 19th position at the time of writing.
When asked about her World Surfing Games experience Ariana said, “It has been amazing, Matt has been an amazing coach and has been so helpful in fine tuning my surfing to get me to where I got today. Khan has also brought an amazing energy to the team with team chants and the positive vibes which really helped settle the nerves, I am so thankful to have this opportunity and join such an amazing team to represent New Zealand.
We now look to 2023 with the ISA announcing today that the World Surfing Games will take place in El Salvador May 30 to June 7, 2023 at the beaches of El Sunzal and La Bocana. The Games will serve as the second event in the Olympic Qualification process, with four (4) slots up for grabs for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games (to be held in Tahiti). In El Salvador, the four top ranked surfers by continent for each gender will qualify 1 place each by name.
Olympic Qualification
The ISA World Surfing Games is an important event for many teams hoping to get into the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.” In a significant innovation to the Olympic Surfing Qualification System, the winning men’s and women’s National Teams at these World Surfing Games will be allocated one Olympic slot each for their respective country/National Olympic Committee (NOC).
This qualification slot will be in addition to the maximum quota of 2 athletes per country for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Fierce competition is expected for this potential third slot for the top teams.”
About International Surfing Association (ISA)
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for surfing, bodyboarding, SUP and surfriding. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964, and the Junior World Championships since 1980.
The Live Stream can be found Here https://isasurf.org/event/2022-isa-world-surfing-games/
The schedule can be found Here https://isasurf.org/event/2022-isa-world-surfing-games/
The event is being broadcast live over the net via www.isasurf.org.
For further information regarding the New Zealand Surfing Team please contact Ben Kennings at Surfing New Zealand 07 8250018, 0212278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.
Imagery
High resolution action images of team members will be available to media free of charge upon request.
Follow Surfing New Zealand
Follow Surfing New Zealand via all social media platforms – @surfingnz.
Surfing New Zealand are proudly partnered by
Arepa
Skinnies
Volkswagen
Sport New Zealand
Ends
