On Sunday, the ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador concluded with pumping surf and high stakes as those left standing after seven days of surfing competed for ISA gold and Olympic qualification. Finals Day (day eight) took place at La Bocana, a (mostly) left-handed and punchy river-mouth break that had plenty of size and clean conditions for the last day of competition.
Sally Fitzgibbons won the ISA World Surfing Games for the third time, coming out of the repechage rounds to claim gold. Photo: ISA/Pablo Franco
All eyes were on Australian Sally Fitzgibbons, who claimed gold after a rocky start that put her in the repechage rounds. That left her with no choice but to make seven heats in a row to claw her way back to the final, which she won as well, making her the first individual surfer to win three ISA gold medals (2008, 2018, and now 2021). She had already qualified for the Olympics through her standing in the 2019 WSL Championship Tour. Just two weeks prior, Fitzgibbons won the Rip Curl Rottnest Search, giving her a bit of a hot streak going into the Olympics, currently set to start July 23 in Japan. Portugal’s Yolanda Sequeira and Teresa Bonvalot took silver and bronze, respectively, and the copper went to Peru’s Daniella Rosas. These performances earned Portugal the team bronze medal and Peru the copper, behind France and Japan.
Joan Duru takes to the air to seal the deal on the men’s gold medal as well as the team gold medal for France. Photo: ISA/Ben Reed
On the men’s side, the struggle for team gold came down to the final heat which saw France’s Joan Duru and Jeremy Flores up against Japan’s Hiroto Ohhara and Kanoa Igarashi. Joan Duru put on a power surfing masterclass (as well as a clean backside air) to push Team France over Team Japan for the gold medal, as well as earning a gold medal of his own. Igarashi took home the silver, Flores the bronze, and Ohhara the copper, as well as the final Olympic spot, which he nabbed from his teammate, Shun Murakami the heat prior.
The list of 40 men and women headed to Tokyo 2020 has now been finalized. Photo: ISA/Ben Reed
The complete list of athletes headed to Tokyo 2020 is now set, pending any injuries or last-minute withdrawals of course, and includes five men and seven women who qualified through the 2021 WSG.
Women:
Yolanda Sequeria (Portugal)
Teresa Bonvalot (Portugal)
Daniella Rosas (Peru)
Leilani McGonagle (Costa Rica)
Mahina Maeda (Japan)
Amuro Tsuzuki (Japan)
Pauline Ado (France)
Men:
Leon Glatzer (Germany)
Miguel Tudela (Peru)
Lucca Mesinas (Peru)
Manuel Selman (Chile)
Hiroto Ohhara (Japan)
They will join those who have already qualified through other means such as the 2019 WSL Championship Tour, 2019 World Surfing Games and the 2019 Pan Am Games.
Women:
2019 WSL Championship Tour
Carissa Moore (USA)
Caroline Marks (USA)
Tatiana Weston-Webb (Brazil)
Silvana Lima (Brazil)
Brisa Hennessy (Costa Rica)
Sally Fitzgibbons (Australia)
Stephanie Gilmore (Australia)
Johanne Defay (France)
2019 World Surfing Games
Anat Lelior (Israel)
Bianca Buitendag (South Africa)
Ella Williams (New Zealand)
Sofia Mulanovich (Peru)
2019 Pan Am Games
Dominic Barona (Ecuador)
Men:
2019 WSL Championship Tour
Gabriel Medina (Brazil)
Italo Ferreira (Brazil)
Kolohe Andino (USA)
John John Florence (USA)
Owen Wright (Australia)
Julian Wilson (Australia)
Jeremy Flores (France)
Michel Bourez (France)
Kanoa Igarashi (Japan)
Jordy Smith (South Africa)
2019 World Surfing Games
Rio Waida (Indonesia)
Frederico Morais (Portugal)
Billy Stairmand (New Zealand)
Ramzi Boukhiam (Morocco)
2019 Pan Am Games
Leandro Usuna (Argentina)
Tune into the full webcast replays here on the ISA website.
