Buzzer-Beaters Highlight Exciting Day 4 of the 2025 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship

Excellence from 2024 Medalist Thiago Passeri (ARG) Leads a Strong Argentina Team

Goofy-footers Ocea Green (CAN), Clémence Schorsch (FRA), and Lanea Mons (USA) Thrive at El Bosque

With Seconds Remaining, Ocean Lancaster (AUS) and Aditya Somiya (INA) Flip the Script

Punta Rocas, Peru – December 9, 2025

Multiple heats went down to the wire as excellent conditions continued into Day 4 of the 2025 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship (WJSC). Four-to-six-feet of swell lined the peak of Punta Rocas and provided long lefts at El Bosque. Main Round 2 was completed in U/16 boys at Punta Rocas, along with U/16 girls Repechage Round 1, while the first 18 heats of U/18 girls followed the completion of U/18 boys Repechage Round 1 at El Bosque.

Sixteen nations started the day with full teams intact. By day’s end, that number had been whittled down to four. As the teams race starts to shape up, the host nation of Peru is joined by Brazil, Portugal, and the USA on top of the leaderboard. In U/16 boys, Pol Huguet (PER) delivered his second standout moment of the event with a buzzer-beater sending the Punta Rocas local from fourth to first. After redeeming himself in repechage, Bastián Arevalo (PER) claimed a solid heat win. Urpi Torres (PER) accomplished the same in U/18 girls, with Camila Sanday (PER) also progressing through the same round.

In the 18 months since Thiago Passeri (ARG) claimed the U/16 boys bronze medal in the 2024 WJSC. Today, Passeri’s critical approach to the lip at Punta Rocas earned a division-topping 16.16 heat total that included the highest single-wave score, a 9.33. The son of team coach and World Surfing Games veteran Martin Passeri, Thiago is already appearing in his fourth WJSC, ready to once again go the distance to the Final.

“I’m feeling great being here with all my teammates and my family, my sister, my dad. It’s amazing,” Passeri said. “Finally, I got to surf Punta Rocas. Today was an amazing day for all the team, not just for me. I’m starting to get into the rhythm of the competition. I’ve come here to Peru a lot of times in my life, I always get to surf here in Punta Roca, so this week before the event, I just dedicated my time to El Bosque because it’s a pretty hard wave, but I’m just happy. The energy that all the team is vibing, it’s amazing. I feel great.”

Passeri’s teammate Facundo Ruggiero (ARG) set the high mark of the morning with an 8.17, while Tahiel Sosa (ARG) also progressed through his heat. Though losing the two U/18 girls to surf today, Ayla Daian (ARG) and Albertina Torre (ARG), Argentina retains each of their surfers in U/18 boys and U/16 girls as they look to earn their first WJSC team medal.

Goofy-footers Ocea Green (CAN), Clémence Schorsch (FRA), and Lanea Mons (USA) Thrive at El Bosque

The majority of high scores in U/18 girls came from goofy-footers. Ocea Green (CAN) topped a list that included former medalists Clémence Schorsch (FRA) and Lanea Mons (USA). Green drove through multiple aggressive forehand turns into a strong finish to post a 7.60 as the high mark of her Main Round 2 heat win. Having placed just outside the Final in U/16 girls for two years running, the 16-year-old is enjoying another opportunity to represent her country as she aims for her first medal.

“It’s the dream to come to a left,” Green said. “I feel like lots of comp waves are all at rights, so coming to the left is like the best thing ever. It feels really good, especially to get a wave like that in a contest. I feel like you get those in the free-surfs and then a contest happens and there’s nerves and pressure and everything, so it was good to get that. I love team events. It’s definitely my favorite because everyone’s so supportive. Everyone’s cheering on the beach for everybody’s heat and it’s just so awesome.”

The U/16 silver medalists in respective years, Mons (2023) and Schorsch (2024) both delivered big forehand hits of their own to also earn rides in the 7-point range. Despite moving up a division for 2025, Mons carries confidence from her past WJSC experiences.

“It’s such a big event, so of course it’s always a little nervous to get your first heats going,” Mons said. “The first year I did this, I made the Final and got the silver medal, so I’m definitely going to have full confidence from that because it’s not easy to do. It’s a lot of heats, but knowing that I can push through those heats and slowly climb my way through a super-stacked field definitely brings a little confidence, and of course I’m so stoked to be back.”

Two other finalists from 2024, Gold Medalist Ziggy Mackenzie (AUS) and Bronze Medalist Louise Lepront (RSA) bowed out of competition today. While Lepront was eliminated, Mackenzie was forced to withdraw due to an MCL injury. As the only ISA World Junior Champion in the women’s draw, Mackenzie’s exit guarantees new winners in both girls divisions.

With Seconds Remaining, Ocean Lancaster (AUS) and Aditya Somiya (INA) Flip the Script

On a day filled with buzzer-beaters, none was quite as intense as Heat 20 of U/16 boys, which finished with a near-total flip in placings. Having sat for over half the heat without catching a single wave, Ocean Lancaster (AUS) delivered a masterclass of precision on a long Punta Rocas right to earn an 8.50. Falling off his second wave with barely 30 seconds left, Lancaster scratched into the only wave he could catch. Having previously only needed a 0.37 to advance, the Australian knew he would need more. With Luca Thompson (NZL) in the lead, Lancaster sitting in second and Aditya Somiya (INA) sitting in third, the Indonesian took off with five seconds on the clock. When the final scores arrived, Lancaster had done enough to take the lead, Somiya had also improved to take second just 0.07 ahead of Thompson, who was eliminated alongside Kamiel Deraeve (BEL). Having come within striking distance of the Final in 2024, Lancaster was extremely relieved to keep his campaign alive.

“I’m actually lost for words from that heat,” Lancaster said. “I went out there and I was so hyped. I was watching all the heats leading up to it, and there were just so many good-looking waves. I was like, alright, I’m just going to go out there and give it my best and catch a bunch of waves and got out there and sat for the first half of the heat. And then I got that one, and it was such a good wave. And I was like, alright, I’ve got eight minutes, I should be able to find one in the next eight minutes and get a backup. And then just paddled from left to right trying to find something, and nothing came to me. At the end, I took off on one and my foot slipped on my first turn and I was like, ‘Oh my god, is this it? Am I gone?’ And then I managed to scratch into one that didn’t even look like a wave and somehow pulled off one turn on it and got the job done. It was crazy.”

Competition will resume tomorrow, Wednesday, December 10, at 7:00 a.m. PET with U/18 boys Main Round 2 at Punta Rocas and the continuation of U/18 girls Main Round 2 at El Bosque.