Four New World Champions Crowned on Day 5 of the 2024 ISA World Para Surfing Championship

Catalina Castro (CHI) becomes first Chilean Para Surfing World Champion

Cass Eckroth (USA), Guillaume Colin (FRA), and Shingo Kato (JPN) continue strong national legacies

Davi Teixeira (BRA) takes control in World Champion superheat

Huntington Beach, California – November 8, 2024

A stunning day of waves in Surf City USA, Huntington Beach, saw four brand new World Champions crowned on the penultimate day of the 2024 ISA World Para Surfing Championship (WPSC). Clean, two-to-three foot swell provided ideal conditions to determine champions and lock in finalists for the remaining divisions.

The team’s race continued strong as medal counts were confirmed across the board. Defending Team World Champion France carries the lead with 10 medalists guaranteed, followed by USA and Australia with eight apiece. Four medals were assigned today for three-time Team World Champion USA, including one Gold Medal, two Silvers and a Copper, while France won one Gold and one Copper. Meanwhile, Australia are happy to be in the race and hopeful to claim their first WPSC team medal since 2017.

It was an historic day for Chile after Women’s Stand 1 winner Catalina Castro (CHI) became the first Chilean woman to claim an ISA World Title. As only the second-ever athlete from the nation to win an ISA Gold Medal, the 19-year-old was thrilled to finally claim the victory.

“I’ve had the chance to win several medals,” Castro said. “But I’ve been fighting for the second and third place here in the World Championships in recent years and finally, after a long time, the first Gold Medal in the World Championships happened. I’m so happy that we can continue to add medals for the country and also for my city.”

Another former medalist to break through for a first win was Guillaume Colin (FRA). The 40-year-old was the standout in previous rounds of men’s Sit, but saved his best for last. Halfway through the Final, Colin had left his fellow finalists in need of a combination of two scores to beat him. Beginning with a 7.50, Colin added an 8.50 to put himself nearly out of reach. It was his third and final wave that came through as the highest score of the event, however. A 9.93 added to the 8.50 provided Colin with a massive 18.43 total to definitively claim his first Gold Medal.

“I’m so happy, very, very happy to win this one,” Colin said. “I’ve been in the ISA for the third time this year. Here is very special with the ISA, with all the French team, all the other country teams. It’s a very special atmosphere and I’m so glad to win here today. I’m very proud of myself and I’m very glad to bring the points to the team. Hopefully we will keep the title tomorrow.”

The student becomes the master as Cass Eckroth (USA) dethrones three-time World Champion Alana Nichols (USA)

For the first time ever, the women’s Sit division crowned a new World Champion. Until now, three-time World Champion Alana Nichols (USA) had remained undefeated. After claiming the Silver Medal in her first event in 2023, Nichols’ protege Cass Eckroth (USA) has now surpassed her mentor to win her first World Title. A relative newcomer to the sport, Eckroth began wave-skiing in late-2022 after sustaining a spinal cord injury while surfing in Hawaii in 2021. The 24-year-old was ecstatic to finally beat Nichols.

“It’s just so incredible,” Eckroth said. “It was such an amazing surf session, the conditions out there are just awesome. Alana is my biggest mentor. She got me into wave skiing, has coached me. Until now, she’s been my fiercest competitor. It’s been my goal for the past two years to at some point be able to catch up to her on scores and to be able to beat her. So it’s very exciting to be out here right now.”

In the Final, Nichols got straight to work, opening with a 5.33. Eckroth found a 4.83 early on, but it was a late exchange that saw her take the lead after posting a 5.33 of her own. Directly behind, Nichols delivered the most critical maneuver of the Final, but on a smaller wave, only receiving a 4.73, 0.10 short of the lead. Eckroth then increased again however, earning a 6.27 for a two-turn combo on a speedy pier-bowl left. Nichols found a wave with 30 seconds to go, stringing together multiple turns on the opening section and shooting the pier, but the 5.67 score arrived short of the requirement.

2023 Silver Medalist Shingo Kato (JPN) goes one better in 2024

Having won the Silver Medal in his first WPSC in 2023, Shingo Kato (JPN) today became the 2024 Stand 1 World Champion. In a highly competitive Final, three of the four finalists opened with rides in the 6-point range, with Kato’s 6.63 providing the lead. The goofy-footer stuck to his strengths, locking in an even higher 8.17 after punching out two solid turns on the pier-bowl left. But, late in the heat, 2022 World Champion Camilo Abdula (POR) posted an 8.17 of his own, leaving just 0.30 separating the two. Abdula was unable to improve on his initial 6.33 however, leaving Kato to claim victory.

“Last year I won the Silver Medal,” Kato said. “When I came to Huntington this year, there were times when I couldn’t ride the waves very well. A Japanese friend told me that I should just laugh. I was able to win the Gold Medal by laughing no matter what happened.”

Abdula’s Silver Medal completes a full collection that includes Gold, Bronze and Copper. Maxime Clarkin (FRA) improved on his 2023 Copper Medal to take the Bronze, and Suguru Nara (JPN) won his first medal, the Copper.

Davi Teixeira (BRA) takes control in World Champion superheat

A World Champion superheat played out in the Prone 2 Semifinals, featuring three-time World Champion Davi Teixeira (BRA), two-time World Champion Jesse Billauer (USA) and 2021 World Champion Jose Martinez (USA). After opening with a 5.17, Teixera waited for much of the heat to post a second score. Meanwhile, the USA teammates, Martinez and Billauer, accrued higher numbers to leave Teixiera in third. Coming to the final minutes, Teixeira pulled the trigger on a pier-bowl left that allowed him to execute a vertical hit in the critical opening section. The 19-year-old’s giant smile could be seen for miles as he finished on the inside, an excellent 8.33 arriving to send him into the Final to continue his pursuit of a fourth Gold Medal, along with Martinez.

“A great surfer has to train in all the conditions of the waves. In the smaller, in the biggest, in the bad, good, every condition we have to train. In the better conditions, I took a lot of barrels, I sent air, and that helped me a lot to get great in other maneuvers. But in the bad conditions, I have to train too, because it’s helped me in waves like this, like no energy, no power, and I have to, like B.B. says, fabricar a onda, to make the wave good, even if it’s bad, you know.”

The remaining World Champion in the Prone 2 draw, Freddy Marimon (COL), also progressed into the Final, along with newcomer Cliff Gralton (AUS).

The 2024 WPSC will continue tomorrow with men’s Visual Impairment 2 Final at 7:00am, PST, at Southside Huntington Beach Pier.

RESULTS

Men’s Stand 1
Gold – Shingo Kato (JPN)
Silver – Camilo Abdula (POR)
Bronze – Maxime Clarkin (FRA)
Copper – Suguru Nara (JPN)

Women’s Stand 1
Gold – Catalina Castro (CHI)
Silver – Chikako Takao (JPN)
Bronze – Anne-Marie Paquet (CAN)

Men’s Sit
Gold – Guillaume Colin (FRA)
Silver – Chris Oberle (USA)
Bronze – Juan Manuel Camacho (CRC)
Copper – Jeff Munson (USA)

Women’s Sit
Gold – Cass Eckroth (USA)
Silver – Alana Nichols (USA)
Bronze – Lisa Franks (CAN)
Copper – Alina Garbuzov (HAW)