Competition Heats Up on Day 4 of the 2025 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games

Australia Retains Team Advantage as Only Nation With All Members in Main Round

Back-to-back heat wins for France’s Kauli Vaast (FRA) and Jorgann Couzinet (FRA)

2024 ISA Junior Medalist Louise Lepront (RSA) Bounces Back in Repechage

Surf City El Salvador – September 9, 2025

Day four of the 2025 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games (WSG) may have featured a slightly stormier ocean, but the competition still sizzled in the Salvadoran heat. The three-to-four foot of swell on offer cleaned up throughout the day, steadily increasing along with the rising tide.

Women’s Repechage Round 1 and men’s Main Round 3 were completed at La Bocana. At El Sunzal, men’s Repechage Round 1 and women’s Repechage Round 2 were finalized.

Peru and USA saw their first surfers relegated to repechage. Australia remains the sole nation with a full team of six members in the Main Round after their three men advanced into Main Round 4 today.

All but two of the twelve heats in men’s Main Round 3 were won by a representative of a different nation. France proved to be the exception with back-to-back heat wins for Kauli Vaast (FRA) and Jorgann Couzinet (FRA). A solid backhand two-turn combo earned Vaast, the Olympic Gold Medalist, one of the highest single wave scores of the day, a 7.57. Couzinet upped the ante in the following heat however, posting the only excellent score of the day for the men. The powerful forehand attack of the Reunion Islander collected an 8.00 and the heat win.

“I heard [Kauli Vaast] got a 7.50 and I was like, okay, well, I got to do better,” Couzinet said. “Just before the heat, we checked and we were like, okay, man, we’re going to make it together, let’s do it. It’s all about teams here. We want the gold medal as a team, so we want to go as far as we can.”

Taking off with 20 seconds left on the clock, Oliver Zietz (NED) found an exciting buzzer-beater. Needing a 5.10, Zietz unleashed on his backhand to earn a 5.73 and progress behind Kian Martin (SWE). The 19-year-old knocked former WSL Championship Tour surfer Frederico Morais (POR) from an advancing position into repechage, along with Venezuelan veteran Rafael Pereira (VEN).

A similar situation played out when Samuel Reidy (CRC) went tail-high within the final minutes of his heat. Facing a requirement to match his existing high-score of 5.17, Reidy earned a 5.60. The Costa Rican nabbed the advancing position away from Luke Guinaldo (USA), sending a USA surfer into repechage for the first time in the event.

Winning the heat over Reidy was another former WSL Championship Tour surfer, Michael Rodrigues (BRA). The Brazilian used his trademark speed to fly through the sections on La Bocana’s right, adding scores from both solid railwork and the air. Appearing in the World Surfing Games for the first time since 2011, Rodrigues is enjoying his time in Surf City El Salvador and hoping to lead his team to defend their gold medal.

“My first international trip was to the ISA Games in Panama, so yeah, feeling real good to be back,” Rodrigues said. “Everything is way bigger than at the time. I’m feeling at home. This place is a different vibe. Everybody here is just super happy. Before the heat I was watching the rights and the wind is just against the board, it’s just perfect. I was feeling super good, very confident on my equipment. I’m here with all the team. We have been working a lot. They wake up early morning, have a session here before the event starts. So yeah, the confidence level goes up.”

Taking off with 20 seconds left on the clock, Oliver Zietz (NED) found an exciting buzzer-beater. Needing a 5.10, Zietz unleashed on his backhand to earn a 5.73 and progress behind Kian Martin (SWE). The 19-year-old knocked former WSL Championship Tour surfer Frederico Morais (POR) from an advancing position into repechage, along with Venezuelan veteran Rafael Pereira (VEN).

A similar situation played out when Samuel Reidy (CRC) went tail-high within the final minutes of his heat. Facing a requirement to match his existing high-score of 5.17, Reidy earned a 5.60. The Costa Rican nabbed the advancing position away from Luke Guinaldo (USA), sending a USA surfer into repechage for the first time in the event.

Winning the heat over Reidy was another former WSL Championship Tour surfer, Michael Rodrigues (BRA). The Brazilian used his trademark speed to fly through the sections on La Bocana’s right, adding scores from both solid railwork and the air. Appearing in the World Surfing Games for the first time since 2011, Rodrigues is enjoying his time in Surf City El Salvador and hoping to lead his team to defend their gold medal.

“My first international trip was to the ISA Games in Panama, so yeah, feeling real good to be back,” Rodrigues said. “Everything is way bigger than at the time. I’m feeling at home. This place is a different vibe. Everybody here is just super happy. Before the heat I was watching the rights and the wind is just against the board, it’s just perfect. I was feeling super good, very confident on my equipment. I’m here with all the team. We have been working a lot. They wake up early morning, have a session here before the event starts. So yeah, the confidence level goes up.”

Japan’s Kana Nakashio (JPN) found the best of the waves at El Sunzal, topping women’s Repechage Round 2 numbers with a 14.10 heat total. Alys Barton (GBR) and Louise Lepront (RSA) both broke into the excellent range. Lepront’s 8.17 from Repechage Round 1 for a huge backhand end-section hit at La Bocana landed as the highest single wave score of the day for the women. The first of two heat wins today for Lepront was a big confidence boost for the 2024 ISA U/16 Girls World Junior Surfing Championship Bronze Medalist.

“This morning I was feeling a bit sick, so I held back on the freesurf and I told myself to go easy in that heat because all I had to do was get through,” Lepront said. “But I couldn’t help myself, so I was going all out. I wanted to get some excellent scores. Two days ago, I was feeling really good. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a backup score, so it was really hard letting that happen. I’m still in the contest, so I’m just going to try to go all the way through and try to make my country proud.

Repechage Round 2 saw Lepront’s teammate Natasha van Gruenen (RSA) progressing behind Rafaella Montesi (CHI) in a high scoring affair that included a 7.50 from the South African.

Showcasing the increased level of competition in 2025, half of the 14 Olympians in the women’s field appeared in Repechage Round 2. Five held on in the draw, with China’s Siqi Yang (CHN) claiming the best scores. Two of the seven, Dominic Barona (ECU) and Anat Lelior (ISR), were eliminated, Lelior due to injury.

Competition will resume tomorrow, Wednesday, September 10, at 7:00 a.m. CST with women’s Main Round 3 at La Bocana and men’s Repechage Round 2 at El Sunzal.