Power Surfing Prevails on Day 2 of the 2025 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games

Big numbers from Callum Robson (AUS) and Luke Guinaldo (USA) Seal Clean Sweep of Opening Round Victories for Australia and USA

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

Taking His Olympic Status in Stride, El Salvador’s Bryan Perez (ESA) Opens Strong

Surf City El Salvador – September 7, 2025

The incredible conditions continued for day two of the 2025 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games (WSG). Four-to-six-foot of swell once again lit up the event’s two podiums, La Bocana and El Sunzal.

Men’s Main Round 1 was completed at La Bocana, while women’s Main Round 1 wrapped up at El Sunzal, before the first 16 heats of men’s Main Round 2 continued the day’s action at the long right point.

Furthering the success of surfers on their forehand on the lefts of La Bocana, Luke Guinaldo (USA) made an explosive WSG debut, posting an 8.17 on his very first wave in ISA competition. The 20-year-old then added a second 8.00 for a 16.17 heat total, the first excellent two-wave total of the event. Guinaldo’s win made it a clean sweep of Main Round 1 victories for Team USA with Owen Moss (USA) and Jabe Swierkocki (USA) claiming wins at La Bocana on day one. Eden Walla (USA), Reid Van Wagoner (USA) and Ella McCaffray (USA) did the same at El Sunzal. All three men also found progression into Main Round 3 by day’s end.

“I was super nervous before the heat,” Guinaldo said. “It’s literally been my dream since I was a little kid. It’s such an honor to represent my country. It’s probably one of the greatest honors to do the sport that I love and represent the country that I’m from. I was in the flow. I’m just performing, I’m not really trying to compete. I want to surf how I would want to surf normally in a free surf. I just felt really good out there.”

Australia’s Callum Robson (AUS) posted two scores in the 8-point range in his opening heat for a 16.67 heat total, the highest of the event so far. Teammate Dane Henry (AUS), the reigning ISA U/18 Boys World Junior Champion, landed one of the event’s first major airs to earn an 8.00 of his own. Following the success of Australia’s three women on day one, Henry’s win completed the picture for Australia’s first round victories. At nearly the same time, Morgan Cibilic (AUS) progressed through his Main Round 2 heat at El Sunzal, along with Rafael Pereira (VEN).

Pereira’s teammate José Joaquin López (VEN) won a tight Main Round 1 battle over Lenni Jensen (GER). Jensen found the best of the heat, however, displaying patience off the bottom while delivering a clean two-turn combo to earn the first excellent score awarded to a backhand wave on the left of La Bocana, an 8.33.

As men’s Main Round 2 kicked off at El Sunzal, Maximiliano Sáenz (ECU) and Alonso Correa (PER) also broke into the excellent range, earning an 8.50 and 8.67 on their forehand and backhand, respectively, to move into Main Round 3 with heat wins.

Last appearing in an ISA event in El Salvador in 2021, when he qualified for Tokyo 2020, Japan’s Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) claimed a convincing Main Round 1 win. Fellow Olympians Leilani McGonagle (CRC), Bryan Perez (ESA), Teresa Bonvalot (POR), Reo Inaba (JPN), Daniella Rosas (PER), Tim Elter (GER), and Lucca Messinas (PER) also progressed in the Main Round, along with Olympic Gold Medalist Kauli Vaast (FRA).

Vaast claimed a heat win and second place today to move through to Main Round 3, while his sister, Aelan Vaast (FRA), also won her first heat in Main Round 1. Having previously appeared on Team France together in two editions of the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship (WJSC), it is the first time for the siblings to compete alongside each other in the WSG.

France’s Kiara Goold (FRA), one of the youngest competitors in the draw at 15-years-old, also won her heat with one of the highest totals of the day for the women. Also finding some of the day’s best numbers, Annette Gonzalez-Extabarri (ESP) followed in the footsteps of her sister’s day one performance.

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.

Taking His Olympic Status in Stride, El Salvador’s Bryan Perez (ESA) Opens Strong

Hometown hero Bryan Perez (ESA) returned to ISA competition for the first time since appearing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The 25-year-old opened his campaign with a heat win in a tight battle that featured two U/18 Boys medalists from the 2017 ISA WJSC, Gold Medalist Nacho Gundesen (ARG) and Bronze Medalist Cody Young (CAN). Despite some first-heat jitters, Perez looked as comfortable and confident as ever in his surfing, with his star continuing to rise both at home and on the international stage.

“I’ve been kind of nervous because it’s the first heat,” Perez said. “I was just focused on catching two of the best waves and having fun in the water. I am now an Olympic surfer, so to be here in my country, to represent my country, with these beautiful waves, with these beautiful people, all my team here, and my family, it’s a blessing. Super stoked to be here again in El Salvador with good waves, good people, good food and good vibes.”

Competition will resume tomorrow, Monday, September 8, at 7:00 a.m. CST with Women’s Main Round 2 at La Bocana and Men’s Main Round 2 at El Sunzal.