Teams Race Intensifies on Day 6 of the 2025 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games

Australia and Peru Share Team Rankings Lead

Nanaho Tsuzuki (JPN) Leads the Charge for Japan, While Australian Women Hold Strong

Repechage Action Continues with National Records Set

Surf City El Salvador – September 11, 2025

The teams race intensified on day six of the 2025 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games (WSG). A change in direction of the three-to-four-foot swell saw action primarily taking place on the right of La Bocana, while El Sunzal’s long rights continued to deliver.

Men’s Main Round 5 was held at La Bocana, along with women’s Main Round 4 and Repechage Rounds 4-6. At El Sunzal, men’s Repechage Rounds 3 and 4 were completed.

As the only teams to retain all six members in the draw, Australia and Peru are now tied for number one on the rankings. Australia holds five of the 14 competitors left in the Main Round. Peru carries three, while France is the only other nation to have more than one surfer remaining outside of the repechage with their two leading men. France currently sit at No. 10 on the rankings. Brazil, Spain, and USA round out the current top 5.

Across three rounds, France’s Kauli Vaast (FRA) and Jorgann Couzinet (FRA) have won heats back-to-back. In Main Round 3 and 4, Vaast won first, before Couzinet backed it up. Today, in Main Round 5, Couzinet won first and discovered just how intensely Vaast, the Olympic Gold Medalist, narrows his focus heading into a heat.

“I was in the heat after Jorgann [Couzinet] and he did a little handshake before my heat,” Vaast said. “I didn’t really respond because I was like, I need to make the heat. So my eyebrow went like the Tahitian style. I was like, please, I need to calm down. And I had fun in the heat. I’m really, really stoked to make it in the heats with him. So yeah, keep going, let’s go.”

Prior to France’s success, Brazil’s Douglas Silva (BRA) claimed the first of the three heats in the round. A solid start from Peruvian Olympian Alonso Correa (PER) included an excellent 8.00. Meanwhile, Silva struggled to find a score of note until late in the heat. The Brazilian’s backhand attack on La Bocana’s left was notched nearly half a point better than Correa’s version of the same, earning an 8.47. Not done yet, Silva found his second counting score nearly on the buzzer. With matching 13.30 heat totals between the two, Silva took the win thanks to his higher single wave score.

“I’m really focused on my goal, which is to leave here with that gold medal,” Silva said. “One step at a time, and that’s it. Thank you to my team, Brazil.”

Rounding out the draw for Main Round 6, Australia’s Morgan Cibilic (AUS) and Dane Henry (AUS) both progressed in second place behind the two Frenchmen.

Nanaho Tsuzuki (JPN) Leads the Charge for Japan, While Australian Women Hold Strong

Nanaho Tsuzuki (JPN) has been turning heads as she continues as the last remaining Japanese team member in the draw. A three-turn backhand combo on La Bocana’s left saw the 22-year-old collect the highest single wave score of women’s Main Round 4, an 8.00. Previously competing in the 2019 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship, Tsuzuki is enjoying the experience of representing her nation at the WSG for the first time.

“I was competing against some really tough opponents, so I was really nervous,” Tsuzuki said. “But on the other hand, it forced me to push myself. I focused on myself, and I was able to win. I think I was able to create a really good flow, and I’m looking forward to the next round. The last time I competed in the ISA was in 2019 as a junior, but then COVID-19 canceled all the tournaments for about two years, which was a really tough time. But looking back now, I think that time made me even stronger. I’m really happy to be back, and I’ll do my best to show the world that I’ve improved even more.”

A tense battle for second place played out around Tsuzuki. Sitting with priority needing a 2.11 with less than 40 seconds left, Milla Brown (AUS) paddled and missed a wave. Having lost her priority, Brown hustled for a second time, stroking into a near-closeout with 20 seconds left. A check-turn under the lip of a solid wave was enough for a 2.13 and the advancing position for the Australian. Event standouts Francisca Veselko (POR) and Annette Gonzalez-Etxabarri (ESP) were sent into repechage, where Veselko was eliminated and Gonzalez-Etxabarri continues on.

The defending women’s champion, four-time WSG Gold Medalist Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), claimed yet another heat win. With Ellie Harrison (AUS) also progressing, Australia remains the only nation to have three surfers still in the Main Round in either division, with no country managing the same on the men’s side.

Portugal’s Yolanda Hopkins (POR) also took her fourth heat win of the event, with Janire Gonzalez-Etxabarri (ESP) joining her in progressing in the first heat of Main Round 4. Also moving into Main Round 5 was Peru’s Daniella Rosas (PER) and Arena Rodriguez (PER).

Repechage Action Continues with National Records Set

After a frustrating loss in Main Round 3, Bryan Perez (ESA) unloaded his powerful forehand on the long wall of El Sunzal in his first repechage heat. An 8.33 and 7.17 provided the host nation’s Olympian with a 15.50 heat total, the day’s highest. Perez’s teammate Julissa Moody (ESA) was pipped at the buzzer by two-time ISA World Junior medalist Clemence Scorsch (FRA) to finish third in her Repechage Round 5 heat. Regardless, 18-year-old Moody’s placing in 25th equalled the best result for a Salvadoran woman in the WSG set by Noemi Centeno (ESA) in 2011.

Multiple surfers in Repechage Round 4 collected historical best WSG results for men from their nations, including Chia-Chi Yu (TPE) in 49th, and Timoci Tuitavuki (FIJ) and Liam Wilson (ASA) in 61st. Already guaranteed the best placing ever for Greece, Levi Epenetos (GRE) won his heat to continue forward in the draw.

After getting knocked into repechage in back-to-back heats in Main Round 2, Olympians Leilani McGonagle (CRC) and Teresa Bonvalot (POR) managed to battle through three rounds together. Repechage Round 5 saw them share their second heat of the event. An excellent 8.50 from Noah Klapp (GER) let her run away with the heat. Bonvalot maintained the advancing second position for much of the heat, but McGonagle snatched it away from her with a score in the final 90 seconds to stay alive in the draw. By day’s end, Klapp had also been eliminated, while McGonagle moved forward with another convincing heat win.

Competition will resume tomorrow, Friday, September 12, at 7:00 a.m. CST with men’s Repechage Round 5 at La Bocana.