Maria Martin-Granizo wins gold at the ISA Para World Surfing Championship. Photo: Pablo Franco
Day five of the 2022 Pismo Beach ISA World Para Surfing Championships was action packed. Four world champions have already been crowned in Pismo Beach, California. Of the four, two were back-to-back gold medalists and two won world titles for the first time.
Both 2021 gold medalists, Jimena Ruíz (CRC) and Marta Paço (POR) for Women’s Stand 2 and Women’s Vision Impairment 1, headed into their final looking to go back to back. Each rose to the challenge, scoring waves in the 9.0 range, exactly what they needed to secure second world titles.
In the women’s Prone 2 final, Emma Dieters came out of the gates strong, landing an 8.33 on her first wave and quickly backing it up with an 8.93. Her fellow competitors Sarah Almagro (ESP), Celine Rouillard (FRA), and Jocelyn Neumueller (AUS) needed a combination of two waves to take the win. Dieters’s teammate and defending champ Neumueller secured a 9.0 for a close finish, but in the end, Dieter came away victorious with Neumeuller earning silver, Almagro, bronze, and Rouillard, copper.
“I can’t believe that this has just happened,” Dieters told the ISA. “It’s an incredible feeling. To go one and two for Australia is just amazing.”
The women’s Stand 3 final came down to Spanish teammates Mireia Cabanes and Maria Martin-Granizo. In the final moments of the heat, Martin-Granizo caught a wave that earned her just enough points to secure the win.
“I was so stressed while waiting for the scores,” Martin-Granizo said. “I put so much training into this championship and I wanted everything to go well. Finally, they gave me the score and I won and it’s the greatest thing in the world!”
Stay tuned for upcoming results and new champions to be crowned as the competition continues. Follow all of the action here.
