Performance Levels Lift for Day 3 of the 2025 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games

Peru, Australia, and USA Remain Intact in Main Event for Early Team Advantage

Ruben Vitoria (ESP) Joins Spanish Women in Setting the Standard

Eden Walla (USA) Looks to Keep Medal Streak Alive With Confident Start

Surf City El Salvador – September 8, 2025

The world’s best surfers delivered another full day of high-performance action for day three of the 2025 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games (WSG). Clean, three-to-four-foot swell at La Bocana and El Sunzal provided the canvas that saw the event’s highest numbers scored.

Main Round 2 was completed for both men and women, before the first eliminations of the event took place. Repechage Round 1 was run up to Heat 8 for the women, and Heat 19 for the men.

Three of the most successful teams in WSG history were able to keep all members intact in the Main Event headed into Round 3: Peru, Australia, and USA. Multiple further teams still carry all members, but each has at least one surfer in repechage. Dating back to the first WSG in 1996, Australia holds the most team Gold Medals with five, ahead of Peru with four. USA sits equal with Brazil on three each.

Arena Rodriguez (PER) is part of a strong Team Peru, aiming to repeat their 2023 WSG success when the nation was most recently crowned Team World Champion. Rodriguez opened a stacked heat by delivering a series of critical backhand hits to earn a 7.67. The 20-year-old Peruvian held control of the heat over Olympic Bronze Medalist Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN), 2018 U/18 Girls ISA World Junior Champion Rachel Presti (GER), and Sophia Medina (BRA). Presti and Medina were locked in a tight battle for second place, before the Brazilian claimed a buzzer-beater to hold on in the Main Event and send Presti and Tsuzuki into repechage.

“It was really nice to actually get that good start,” Rodriguez said. “I had a tricky start because I let all of them go on nice waves, but I had priority and I wanted to catch a good one. I waited and got a really nice wave and just ripped it apart. I’ve been really confident [in our team]. I think the whole team knows what we’re capable of. There are really good teams out there, so we want to take it one heat at a time, let the surfing do the talking, and just catch good waves and surf out there.”

Rodriguez’ two Olympian teammates Sol Aguirre (PER) and Daniella Rosas (PER) also won their respective heats at La Bocana, while Lucca Mesinas (PER) completed the picture for the men at El Sunzal.

For the Australians, four-time WSG Gold Medalist Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) claimed another victory. Her teammates, Milla Brown (AUS) and Ellie Harrison (AUS), also won but both left it to the final seconds of their heats to find the scores that secured back-to-back heat wins for their nation.

Also finishing strong was Laura Raupp (BRA), who held her rail through a solid forehand carve to earn the first excellent number of the day at La Bocana, an 8.10. Picking up the wave in the last minute, Raupp sealed victory over 2019 U/16 Girls ISA World Junior Champion Noah Klapp (GER). The pair relegated 2024 WSL World Junior Runner-Up Kana Nakashio (JPN) and Olympian Camilla Kemp (GER) into repechage.

Olympians Leilani McGonagle (CRC) and Teresa Bonvalot (POR) were also sent into repechage. Two of the youngest surfers in the draw, Alani Morse (NZL) and Kiara Goold (FRA), were able to hold off the more experienced surfers.

Bonvalot’s teammate Francisca Veselko (POR) had a much different experience, posting the highest women’s numbers for the second day running. The 22-year-old laid down one of the turns of the event with an aggressive frontside layback hack earning her an 8.57. Added to an 8.17 picked up earlier in the heat on her backhand, Veselko’s combined 16.74 was the first excellent two-wave total for the women.

In men’s Main Round 2, José Joaquin López (VEN) claimed another big heat win, as did Callum Robson (AUS), Jorgann Couzinet (FRA), and Guilherme Ribeiro (POR).

Francisca Veselko (POR) Leads Women’s Performances With Searing Forehand Attack

A searing forehand attack on the outside sections of El Sunzal delivered early excellence for Francisca Veselko (POR) with an 8.00. Veselko added a 6.83 to her scoreline for a 14.83 two-wave total, the best of the event so far for the women. Representing Team Portugal alongside two Olympians in Yolanda Hopkins (POR) and Teresa Bonvalot (POR), 22-year-old Veselko is having one of the most successful years of her career on the road to chasing Olympic dreams of her own.

“I’ve been having a really good year. I know that I’m surfing good and I’m feeling confident,” Veselko said. “I love coming into the ISA, representing my country, the colors, and being here with all these other countries. It’s really special. It’s something that doesn’t happen often in sharing waves with so many different people. The waves are firing and I had a really good time. I love going right. Here in El Salvador, that’s like the dream, perfect rights all day long.”

Veselko’s numbers sat just above Hopkins’ round-topping total from day one, while Bonvalot also took the win in her opening heat.

Ruben Vitoria (ESP) Joins Spanish Women in Setting the Standard

European women continued to deliver many of the event’s top performances. Spain’s Olympians Nadia Erostarbe (ESP) and Janire Gonzalez-Extabarri (ESP), along with Janire’s sister Annette Gonzalez-Extabarri (ESP), all contributed to leading the charge with solid heat wins at La Bocana.

Meanwhile, at El Sunzal it was all about their teammate Ruben Vitoria (ESP). Vitoria opened his Main Round 2 heat exceptionally strong with an 8.33. The 26-year-old finished even better however, adding a 9.50 to his scoreline for a 17.83 total, the highest of the event so far. Unloading on a series of forehand hacks, Vitoria left the other three surfers in his heat, Agustin Zanotta (URU), Robertney Barros (CPV), and Patrick Langdon-Dark (GBR), requiring a two-wave combination to defeat him.

“I didn’t expect that start,” Vitoria said. “My goal was to start strong and fast, but not with the 8. So when I got the 8, that was a really good feeling for me. Then I was focused to get a backup, and in the end of the heat came a better backup for me. I was super excited with my surfing and so happy because I could show my surfing. As a team we are not focusing on the gold medals. We are focusing on teamwork, heat-by-heat, showing our surfing and doing the best. You never know, but I think we are doing a good job. We will see what happens.”

Eden Walla (USA) Looks to Keep Medal Streak Alive With Confident Start

Winning two medals in as many ISA World Junior Surfing Championship appearances, Eden Walla (USA) holds a perfect record of reaching ISA Finals. Competing in her first WSG, the 16-year-old looks ready to maintain that status. Walla utilized the full scope of the peak of La Bocana to earn two mid-range 7’s, one from the left and one from the right, and post a 14.90 heat total. A San Clemente, California local, Walla has honed her skills at the LA28 Olympic Games Surfing venue of Lower Trestles, a wave with many similarities to La Bocana.

“[La Bocana] reminds me a lot of Lowers,” Walla said. “I love it here. This is my third time to El Salvador, so it kind of feels like a home away from home. I have all my places to eat and where I sit. So it’s really fun, and yeah, it’s a cool spot.”

Competition will resume tomorrow, Tuesday, September 9, at 7:00 a.m. CST with the continuation of women’s Repechage Round 1 at La Bocana and men’s Repechage Round 1 at El Sunzal.