Team Race Brings Drama to Day 6 of the 2025 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship

Thrilling Finish Sees Aysha Ratto (BRA) Join Maria Eduarda (BRA) in Keeping Team Brazil on Top

Jacob Turner (HAW) Sets the Tone, Tiger Abubo (HAW) Follows with Round-Topping Numbers

Samuel Lowe (AUS) Continues Excellent Form as Lukas Skinner (ENG) Rises

Punta Rocas, Peru – December 11, 2025

A huge day of action at the 2025 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship (WJSC) saw team dynamics come into play in a major way. Three-to-four-foot swell at the peak of Punta Rocas and left of El Bosque again set the stage for the world’s best junior surfers to perform.

With Main Round 3 completed across three divisions, the broader team picture came into focus. Brazil broke away in the rankings ahead of Australia, USA, Peru, and Japan. The two most recent Team World Champions, Brazil (2023) and Australia (2024), each remain down only one surfer, though the defending champions have technically not had anyone eliminated yet, as their numbers dropped solely due to an injury withdrawal from returning U/16 Gold Medalist Ziggy Aloha Mackenzie (AUS).

The host nation of Peru may have lost a quarter of their team today, but they also saw multiple strong performances, highlighted in the last minute of the final heat by Brianna Barthelmess (PER). Finding an inside track on a long Punta Rocas right, Barthelmess delivered a vertical backhand two-turn combination that resulted in a 9.00, drawing effusive cheers from the home crowd.

“I’m really happy to have gotten in that last wave because I had two good ones, but I really wanted to show how I surf,” Barthelmess said. “I’m really happy I get to surf World Juniors at my home. I surf this wave almost every day. So yeah, really stoked to have all this support here.”

Thrilling Finish Sees Aysha Ratto (BRA) Join Maria Eduarda (BRA) in Keeping Team Brazil on Top

Following a convincing heat win from Luara Mandelli (BRA) in U/18 Girls Main Round 3, an important heat in the teams race went right down to the wire with her Brazilian teammates. With two Portuguese and two Brazilians in the match-up, Aysha Ratto (BRA) and Maria Eduarda (BRA) split the peak on their opening exchange, each sticking to her forehand. Eduarda picked up a 6.00 from the right, while Ratto posted a 4.33 from the left. On the strength of two mid-range scores, Teresa Pereira (POR) briefly moved into the lead before Eduarda reclaimed it. Lua Escudeiro (POR) continued to build, advancing into second and leaving Ratto in fourth. With less than two minutes remaining, Ratto finally found a wave that let her unleash her backhand on a long wall. The resulting 8.50 moved her straight into first, ahead of Eduarda, and allowed both Brazilians to advance together into Main Round 4.

“I’m very happy, that was very much God’s work,” Ratto said. “I’ve been talking to him a lot, so everything went well, thank God. Brazil got a double win, I’m very happy for Maria [Eduarda], my teammate and friend.”

“It was a difficult heat, the waves are pretty small and a little bit slow, but I’m really happy,” Eduarda said. “I don’t have words to describe what I’m feeling right now. Aysha [Ratto] is one of my best friends, so I’m really happy. I just want to enjoy all this moment.”

Though Team Brazil did lose their first member when Maria Clara (BRA) was knocked out of a tightly contested U/16 girls heat, Meava Guastalla (BRA) narrowly avoided elimination in the same round. Earlier, Carol Bastides (BRA) took the win in a heat that saw New Zealand teammates Alani Morse (NZL) and Poppy Arkle (NZL) separated, with Arkle bowing out.

In a similar scenario for Team USA’s U/18 girls, Sol Borelli (ESP) played spoiler, advancing ahead of Avery Macdonald (USA) and eliminating Kylie Pulcini (USA), the first of the US team to lose out. A second split happened for the USA in U/16 girls, with Victoria Duprat (USA) taking the win and Olivia Storrer (USA) placing fourth. The exact same scenario also played out for France in U/16 girls, when Rose Calvez (FRA) won a heat that featured Lee Ann Boudine (FRA) finishing in fourth.

In U/18 boys, Ren Okano (JPN) and Rio Ono (JPN) got the better of 2024 Copper Medalist Alexis Owen (NZL), while Alberto Barzan (ITA) split teammates Salvador Vala (POR) and Mario Leopoldo (POR), with the latter eliminated. Though Chinese teammates Siqi Yang (CHN) and Jin Shuhan (CHN) advanced together in U/18 girls, Yang’s U/16 run came to an end in one of the day’s most exciting heats that saw Catalina Zariquiey (PER) once again come out on top.

Jacob Turner (HAW) Sets the Tone, Tiger Abubo (HAW) Follows with Round-Topping Numbers

Dropping a tail-high reverse in the middle of a long left, Jacob Turner (HAW) posted the first excellent score of U/18 boys Main Round 3, an 8.23, to win his third consecutive heat. One of the most exciting up-and-coming free-surfers, Turner has already made a name for himself amongst some of the hardest-charging surfers in the world. The 18-year-old has been enjoying being a part of Team Hawaii, even if he’s not convinced a competitive future is on the cards.

“It’s cool, representing Hawaii is sick, all the boys are so cool and it’s a fun trip,” Turner said. Everyone is pushing each other and it’s like, ‘Oh, let’s make this next round,’ and ‘Ahhhh,’ just everyone psyching and it’s sick.”

Though Turner’s sister, Leah Turner (HAW), was eliminated along with good friend Legend Chandler (HAW), another teammate, Tiger Abubo (HAW), claimed the highest single-wave score and heat total of the round. Abubo’s sharp backhand picked up an excellent 8.50 that contributed to his 14.90 heat total.

The returning silver medalist, Hawaii has collected a total of 18 team medals, just one less than the most successful team, Australia. Though dipping down the rankings to No. 7 today, the four-time Team World Champions are still looking strong as the event edges closer to the end.

Samuel Lowe (AUS) Continues Excellent Form as Lukas Skinner (ENG) Rises

Two further excellent scores arrived in U/18 boys today courtesy of Samuel Lowe (AUS) and Lukas Skinner (ENG). For Lowe, it was the third heat in a row to feature a ride in the 8-point range, but the first for Skinner. The back-to-back U/16 boys silver medalist, Skinner, has been stealthily moving through his first U/18 draw, hoping to leave plenty in the bag for later in the event. After a convincing victory in his Round 1 heat, the 17-year-old has now had back-to-back heats of waiting for scores on the sand before taking the win in each.

“Another day of waiting for me, but yeah, now it feels super good to finally have an excellent score on the board,” Skinner said. “I’ve had two heats now where I’ve had real fun waves and had a couple of 6’s, but it was nice to reach out of that zone and go excellent. The weather is nice, the waves are pumping all day. I just feel excited and ready to kind of get scores whenever I need them. I’m feeling super relaxed and I’m feeling good about my surfing and my strategy, so I’m gonna keep going.”

Competition will resume tomorrow, Friday, December 12, at 7:00 a.m. PET with U/18 boys Main Round 4 at Punta Rocas and U/16 boys Main Round 3 at El Bosque.