Latest news with #TahitiPro
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Meet the tiny 12-year-old set to debut at pro-surfing's heaviest wave
Twelve-year-old Tahitian local Kelia Mehani Gallina will become the youngest pro-surfer in competitive history when she debuts next month at Teahupo'o - the heaviest wave on the championship tour. Gallina - whose self-styled 'Miss Teahupo'o' Instagram page has already gained a significant following - booked a Tahiti Pro showdown with Australian title hope and world No.1 Molly Picklum by taking out the local trials earlier this week. Gallina's victory secured the first of two women's wildcards to surf the Teahupo'o event from August 7, with the youngster's 13th birthday falling a few days later on August 10. Gallina first surfed Teahupo'o - which loosely translates to 'place of skulls' in the local dialect - when she was just four years old and has regularly pushed herself into waves twice her size at the feared break. 'I have no words. I'm so happy. I can't believe it,' Gallina said on the WSL broadcast, adding that a first-up Tahiti Pro heat against Picklum is a dream come true. Gallina's Instagram page - run by her father Ryan - chronicles a childhood spent navigating the left-hand barrels over infamously shallow reef. In an interview with Stab Magazine following Gallina breakthrough Tahiti trials win, her father said: 'when Kelia was only a little girl, she was always the only girl out there [surfing Teahupo'o],' in reference to the WSL mothballing the women's championship event from 2006 to 2022 because it was deemed too dangerous for them. Since the women's event returned to Teahupo'o, women's surfing in waves of consequence on the WCT has shot to unprecedented levels.
The Age
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Meet the tiny 12-year-old set to debut at pro-surfing's heaviest wave
Twelve-year-old Tahitian local Kelia Mehani Gallina will become the youngest pro-surfer in competitive history when she debuts next month at Teahupo'o - the heaviest wave on the championship tour. Gallina - whose self-styled 'Miss Teahupo'o' Instagram page has already gained a significant following - booked a Tahiti Pro showdown with Australian title hope and world No.1 Molly Picklum by taking out the local trials earlier this week. Gallina's victory secured the first of two women's wildcards to surf the Teahupo'o event from August 7, with the youngster's 13th birthday falling a few days later on August 10. Gallina first surfed Teahupo'o - which loosely translates to 'place of skulls' in the local dialect - when she was just four years old and has regularly pushed herself into waves twice her size at the feared break. 'I have no words. I'm so happy. I can't believe it,' Gallina said on the WSL broadcast, adding that a first-up Tahiti Pro heat against Picklum is a dream come true. Gallina's Instagram page - run by her father Ryan - chronicles a childhood spent navigating the left-hand barrels over infamously shallow reef. In an interview with Stab Magazine following Gallina breakthrough Tahiti trials win, her father said: 'when Kelia was only a little girl, she was always the only girl out there [surfing Teahupo'o],' in reference to the WSL mothballing the women's championship event from 2006 to 2022 because it was deemed too dangerous for them. Since the women's event returned to Teahupo'o, women's surfing in waves of consequence on the WCT has shot to unprecedented levels.
Straits Times
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Dora takes aerial route to Trestles triumph
FILE PHOTO: Surfing - World Surf League - Tahiti Pro - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - May 30, 2024 Brazil's Yago Dora in action during the round of 16 heat 3 REUTERS/Thomas Bevilacqua/File Photo High-flying Brazilian Yago Dora soared to victory over Japan's Kanoa Igarashi in the final of the Lexus Trestles Pro in Southern California on Saturday, while Hawaii's Bettylou Sakura Johnson took out her second event of surfing's 2025 world tour. Lower Trestles, the surfing venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, provided an ideal canvas for the world's best surfers to showcase their high-performance surfing, and Dora's aerial antics proved unstoppable. Concentrating on the left-handers of the Lower's peak, Dora landed a dizzying array of spins and grabs as he took down event favourites Ethan Ewing of Australia in the quarterfinals and hometown hero Griffin Colapinto in the semis. Just seconds into the final against Igarashi, Dora stomped a giant air reverse on an overhead left, combining it with some sharp turns for a near-perfect 9.53 out of 10. The 29-year-old kept with the winning formula, racking up three more excellent scores on the lefts, the best of which, an 8.37, gave him a two-wave total of 17.9 out of a possible 20. Igarashi, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, stayed in contention with some stylish and high-risk rides of his own, but could not get ahead of the Brazilian and ended with a two-wave total of 16.07. Lower Trestles has for the past four years hosted the World Surf League's one-day winner-takes-all Final's day for the top five surfers at the end of the regular season. It was moved to event number eight on this year's tour, giving Dora the chance to surf Trestles in competition for the first time. "I've been watching the Finals from home the last few years and just dreaming about this little left here. I finally had the opportunity, and to come out with the win is very special," said Dora, who also won in Portugal this year. Johnson, on the women's side, took a different approach to Dora, focusing on the long right-handers on the cobblestone point and getting her best scores throughout the final day of competition with sharp carves and critical turns in the lip. The 20-year-old from Oahu's North Shore took down former world and Olympic champion Caroline Marks in their quarterfinal and Californian Sawyer Lindblad in the semis to meet Australia's Molly Picklum in the final. Johnson started with an excellent 8 for two huge turns, improving to a 9 for a series of carves and a big vertical re-entry. With the waves taking a breather late in the final, Johnson's 17 point total was too much for Picklum, who finished with a two-wave score of 14.23. "I came up top today, and I'm super grateful. We got to surf amazing waves today, so I'm super happy to bring it home," said Johnson, who moves up to number 4 in the world rankings. The tour next heads to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil later this month for stop number nine of 11. The top five men and women will then compete for the world title in Fiji. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
15-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Surfing-Dora takes aerial route to Trestles triumph
FILE PHOTO: Surfing - World Surf League - Tahiti Pro - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - May 30, 2024 Brazil's Yago Dora in action during the round of 16 heat 3 REUTERS/Thomas Bevilacqua/File Photo (Reuters) -High-flying Brazilian Yago Dora soared to victory over Japan's Kanoa Igarashi in the final of the Lexus Trestles Pro in Southern California on Saturday, while Hawaii's Bettylou Sakura Johnson took out her second event of surfing's 2025 world tour. Lower Trestles, the surfing venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, provided an ideal canvas for the world's best surfers to showcase their high-performance surfing, and Dora's aerial antics proved unstoppable. Concentrating on the left-handers of the Lower's peak, Dora landed a dizzying array of spins and grabs as he took down event favourites Ethan Ewing of Australia in the quarterfinals and hometown hero Griffin Colapinto in the semis. Just seconds into the final against Igarashi, Dora stomped a giant air reverse on an overhead left, combining it with some sharp turns for a near-perfect 9.53 out of 10. The 29-year-old kept with the winning formula, racking up three more excellent scores on the lefts, the best of which, an 8.37, gave him a two-wave total of 17.9 out of a possible 20. Igarashi, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, stayed in contention with some stylish and high-risk rides of his own, but could not get ahead of the Brazilian and ended with a two-wave total of 16.07. Lower Trestles has for the past four years hosted the World Surf League's one-day winner-takes-all Final's day for the top five surfers at the end of the regular season. It was moved to event number eight on this year's tour, giving Dora the chance to surf Trestles in competition for the first time. "I've been watching the Finals from home the last few years and just dreaming about this little left here. I finally had the opportunity, and to come out with the win is very special," said Dora, who also won in Portugal this year. Johnson, on the women's side, took a different approach to Dora, focusing on the long right-handers on the cobblestone point and getting her best scores throughout the final day of competition with sharp carves and critical turns in the lip. The 20-year-old from Oahu's North Shore took down former world and Olympic champion Caroline Marks in their quarterfinal and Californian Sawyer Lindblad in the semis to meet Australia's Molly Picklum in the final. Johnson started with an excellent 8 for two huge turns, improving to a 9 for a series of carves and a big vertical re-entry. With the waves taking a breather late in the final, Johnson's 17 point total was too much for Picklum, who finished with a two-wave score of 14.23. "I came up top today, and I'm super grateful. We got to surf amazing waves today, so I'm super happy to bring it home," said Johnson, who moves up to number 4 in the world rankings. The tour next heads to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil later this month for stop number nine of 11. The top five men and women will then compete for the world title in Fiji. (Reporting by Lincoln Feast in Sydney; Editing by William Mallard)
The South African
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The South African
The RISE of South Africa's Jordy Smith to No 1 in the world in 2025
When South Africa's Jordy Smith paddles out at Lower Trestles in California next week, he will be wearing the WSL no. 1 rank yellow jersey. With two event wins in 2025 – the only time he's achieved the feat in a single season – the 37-year old is surfing the best he's ever done. And he even snagged himself a brand-new SUV for winning the 'Aussie Treble' last month. In fact, the last time he wore the coveted no. 1 yellow jersey was way back in 2017. The Durban-born surfer currently sits on 36 130 Championship Tour points. With the next best competitor, Brazil's Italo Ferreira, on 31 290. South Africa's Jordy Smith is a two-time WSL tour Runner-Up, never a world champion. Is this the year the big bru converts? All you need to know about Jordy's record-breaking run so far in 2025. Video: WSL on YouTube Nevertheless, if you haven't been following South Africa's Jordy Smith in 2025, don't worry, we'll catch you up. The WSL crafted a brilliant recap of his record-breaking season so far, that's taken him to the yellow jersey (watch above) in 2025. Included are his best waves surfed in key heats. And his all-important victories in Punta Roca, El Salvador, and Margaret River, Western Australia, of course. The event window for the Trestles Pro next week, on Monday 9 June 2025. Not only has South Africa's Jordy Smith won at this high-performance wave before, but he even relocated to San Clemente for a period of time. As such, he considers it a home away from home and will hope to bank another good haul of points in yellow. You can watch all the action live on the WSL YouTube channel. It's been eight years since South Africa'a Jordy Smith donned the yellow jersey. Can he convert his no. 1 position into a world title in 2025? Image: WSL on Facebook From California, the tour goes to Brazil in late June, before the circus pulls into J-Bay from 11-20 July 2025. A two-time winner, the world-class right-hand point-break is unarguably Smith's favourite event (and many other competitors'). At the end the Tahiti Pro in August, the top five competitors on the world rankings will battle it out for a world title in man-on-man heats at the WSL Finals in Fiji. Be sure to diarise the last five events of the 2025 season to keep track of South Africa's Jordy Smith as he strives for his first world title: June 9-17 – Trestles Pro (USA) June 21-29 – Vivo Rio Pro (Brazil) July 11-20 – J-Bay Open (SA) August 7-16 – Tahiti Pro (Tahiti) August 27-September 4 – WSL Finals Fiji (Fiji) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
