VIDEO & PHOTOS: Final Day Dakine ISA WJSC 2012

Teams & Flags © ISA / Shawn Parkin

 

Dakine ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Presented by Billabong

International Surfing Association
Playa Venao, Panama
14 - 22 April 2012

Live Coverage | Results/Photos/Videos | Slideshow

Team Hawaii Wins ISA World Junior Championship
Two Individual Gold Medals Lead to IOC President’s Trophy and First ISA Team Gold Since 2005

Young Hawaiians Dax McGill and Kalani David Win Back-to-Back Gold Medals
Brazilian Matheus Navarro Narrowly Wins Gold Over Teammate Deivid Silva

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 23 April, 2012 : - - There’s quite a lot of Aloha spirit spreading through Panama at this time. In a thrilling final day of competition at the DAKINE ISA World Junior Surfing Championship Presented by Billabong, which was run in ultra-fun waves at the Playa Venao beachbreak, Team Hawaii won two of three individual Gold Medals and managed to win its first Team Gold Medal since 2005.

Two of the youngest Hawaiians on the team, 14-year-old Dax McGill (competing in Girls Under-18) and 14-year-old Kalani David (Boys Under-16) carried the Aloha State flag proudly as they were chaired up the beach by teammates after winning their respective divisions. Brazil’s Matheus Navarro, one of the most dynamic, entertaining and innovative surfers of the event, won the Gold Medal in Boys Under-18.

Under sunny skies and with light onshore winds blowing, athletes from the 31 nations found a spot on the beach to watch the best 24 surfers remaining in the event on the last day of competition. Many wore their country colors and waved their nation’s flags, even if they no longer had an athlete competing.

 

 

 

 

ISA President Fernando Aguerre was all over the event site, greeting athletes, speaking on the webcast, shaking hands with coaches and cheering for the top-level surfing happening in the water. When he wasn’t on the sand, the ISA President was sharing conversations with the distinguished guests in attendance: Panama’s President, Ricardo Martinelli; Salomon Shamah, the country’s Minister of Tourism; and Ricardo Fabrega, the Minister of Government and one of the country’s first surfers. President Martinelli spent much of the day watching from the judges tower and even made an appearance on the live webcast, both in English and Spanish, which was being viewed in 144 countries.

After eight days of competition featuring the best junior surfers in the largest and most important under-18 surfing event in the world, Hawaii’s coach, Rainos Hayes, stood at the shoreline mid-day beside his other coaches. A flag pole leaned against his shoulder, and the red, white and blue of the Hawaiian flag waved in the onshore winds above him. All he could do was watch the action in the water and smile. And why wouldn’t he? In the Girls division, which had begun the week with 81 athletes, three of the four surfers competing for a medal were representing Hawaii.

Any nerves that may have been present for the Hawaiian trio of Mahina Maeda, Dax McGill and Tatiana Weston-Webb weren’t noticeable. The three surfers spread across the lineup and caught wave after wave. A Hawaiian sweep wasn’t a given, however, since the other competitor was the only undefeated surfer in the event, Ellie-Jean Coffey of Australia.

With a minute left in the heat, Coffey caught a mid-sized left and completed a series of top turns, and threw a claim when she completed the ride. The score moved her into the first position. Seconds later, McGill – an ISA first-timer and the youngest surfer in the Final – found a left of her own and the first maneuver set the tone.

 

 

 

 

She rode the whitewater into the shore, where her Hawaiian teammates were already waiting. Four of the guys went diving into the water to meet her. When the 6.93 score was announced, she was hoisted onto their shoulders and given the champions chair ride all the way to the podium. Coffey ended up with the Silver Medal. McGill’s teammates, Weston-Webb and Maeda, ended up with the Bronze and Copper Medals, respectively.

The Aloha pride continued in the next Final, with two more Hawaiians surfing for medals in the Boys Under-16 division. In the last two days, Kalani David really began to display the array of aerial maneuvers that has made him one of the most talked-about surfers of his generation. Wave after wave, aerial after aerial he built the foundation of a Gold Medal-winning score (13.50).

David’s Gold Medal performance, along with Josh Moniz’s Copper Medal solidified Team Hawaii’s position atop the standings. Japan’s Takumi Nakamura finished in second to win the Silver Medal, while Costa Rica’s Noe Mar McGonagle won the Bronze.

In the final heat of the day and the eight-day event, the last celebration was reserved for Team Brazil. Fighting for position in the team standings, the Brazilians had two surfers aiming for Gold in Boys Under-18. It just so happened that the two surfers, Matheus Navarro and Deivid Silva, were among the most dynamic surfers in the event.

 

 

Gold medal winners Dax McGill, Kalani David  and Matheus Navarro © ISA / Parkin

 

 

While Portugal’s Vasco Ribeiro (Bronze Medal) and Australia’s Joshua Hay (Copper Medal), put up a noble effort, the Final was an all-star performance by the two Brazilians, exchanging first and second position on several occasions. With the final minutes of the clock ticking away, the two had an exchange that represented the type of surfing they’d done all week. On a right-hand wave, Silva found speed in unexpected places, floating over multiple closeout sections before landing a backside reverse with no grab, for a 9.33.

A short while later, the regular-footed Navarro – who needed an 8.3 to catch Silva – found a long right and executed every maneuver he could think of. He mixed vertical snaps with polished, swooping turns and closed the wave with a two-hand first-pump. His excitement, and that of the Brazilian team – which went running down the beach toward Navarro – were justified. The judges awarded him an 8.43, which was just enough to move him into the Gold Medal position, with a two-wave total of 16.90. Silva finished in the Silver Medal spot with a 16.80.

Following the final heat of the day, the festivities transitioned to the medal podium and the Closing Ceremony. Each of the four finalists received their medals, and it was announced that Hawaii had won the Team Gold. In the seven years since its last Team Gold, the Hawaiians had won Silver twice, Bronze twice and Copper twice. They were due.

With all 31 nations surrounding the stage, and photographers and videographers packing the press area, the ISA President shared some words expressing his overwhelming joy after a picture-perfect event.

 

 

Matheus Navarro © ISA / Gonzalez

 

 

“Surfing and the ISA love Panama. I want to thank the organizers of the event, Tuti de León and Patrick Castagnet. They have organized three wonderful events for the ISA in 20 months. [President Martinelli] has confirmed that he wants us back next year with one of the ISA major events, so we may meet each other again,” Aguerre said. “Thank you so much everybody and I want to leave by saying something really important: some of you are going back home with a medal and others not, but each one of you are champions and this experience will remain in your hearts for the rest of your life.”

The guest of honor of the final day confirmed Aguerre’s words. “I am thankful for having all of you here in Panama, and I am honored because I know that the President of the ISA accepted my invitation to do another event here next year,” President Martinelli said. “Surfing in Panama is known all over the world for its beautiful beaches, waves and surfers, and above all we have a great heart to receive all the surfers from all over the world. I hope to see all of you next year.”

Girls Under-18 Final
Gold: Dax McGill (HAW) – 12.60
Silver: Ellie Jean Coffey (AUS) – 9.20
Bronze: Tatiana W-Webb (HAW) – 8.53
Copper: Mahina Maeda (HAW) – 8.24

Boys Under-16 Final
Gold: Kalani David (HAW) – 13.50
Silver: Takumi Nakamura (JPN) – 13.40
Bronze: Noe Mar McGonagle (CRC) – 11.34
Copper: Josh Moniz (HAW) – 11.17

Boys Under-18 Final
Gold: Matheus Navarro (BRA) – 16.93
Silver: Deivid Silva (BRA) – 16.83
Bronze: Vasco Ribeiro (POR) – 11.77
Copper: Joshua Hay (AUS) – 11.37

Final ISA World Juniors Team Ranking
Gold: Hawaii
Silver: Australia
Bronze: Brazil
Copper: USA

Check the Full Coverage

Videos 1: Day 8 | Day 7 | Day 6 | Day 5 | Day 4 | Day 3 | Day2 | Day 1
Videos 2: Aloha Cup | Opening Ceremony and Parade | Freesurfing

Slideshows 1: Day 8 | Day 7 | Day 6 | Day 5 | Day 4 | Day 3 | Day 2 | Day 1
Slideshows 2: Opening Ceremony | Freesurfin' 1 | Freesurfin' 2 | Lifestylin' | Press Conference

 

 

Team Hawaii © ISA / Shawn Parkin

 

 

www.isasurf.org
www.dakine.com
www.visitpanama.com
www.dakineisawjsc.com/live

The DAKINE ISA World Junior Surfing Championship Presented by Billabong is made possible with the support of the following event partners: DAKINE, Billabong, Panamá, Super Deportes, FOX Sports, Mini, Dollar Rent A Car, Copa Airlines, Extreme Surf & Sport. The media partners are Surfea Panama, Surfersvillage and Surfos. The Official Forecaster for the event is Surfline.

Previous reports:
# 1 : WJSC offers best juniors World-Class beach break
# 2 : Top U-18 surfers from 30 countries at WJSC Panama
# 3 : Peruvian Surfing Federation names ISA Junior team
# 4 : ISA World Junior Championship forecast updated 19/4
# 5 : World's best under 18 surfers arriving in Panama
# 6 : Panamanian surf scene spotlighted: ISA WJSC rolls
# 7 : Record breaking ISA WJSC event Opening Ceremony

# 8 : Big talent on display at DaKine ISA World Juniors Day 1
# 9 : WJSC swell expected to fill in Friday thru to finals
# 10 : Scores soar on Day Two of DaKine ISA World Juniors
# 11 : Juniors excel in shifty surf Day 3 of ISA World Juniors
# 12 : VIDEO & PHOTOS: Day 3 Dakine ISA WJSC Panama
# 13 : Juniors forced to up their game Day Four of WJSC
# 14 : VIDEO & PHOTOS: Day 4 Dakine ISA WJSC Panama

# 15 : Emotional Day 5 at the ISA World Juniors, Panama
# 16 : VIDEO & PHOTOS: Day 5 Dakine ISA WJSC Panama
# 17 : Medal hopes rise & fall as ISA WJSC winds down
# 18 : VIDEO and PHOTOS: Day 6 Dakine ISA WJSC 2012
# 19 : Aussies, Brazil, France, Hawaii, U.S. eye WJSC gold
# 20 : France wins Gold in action-packed ISA Aloha Cup
# 21 : VIDEO & PHOTOS: Day 7 at Dakine ISA WJSC 2012
# 22 : Hawaiians crowned ISA World Junior Champions

 Team Reports:
# 1 : Check out the inividual nation's surf-team reports

 

Some quick Panamanian surfing facts

2010 Hosted ISA World Masters Surfing Championships
2011 Hosted ISA World Surfing Games (Palya Venao)...
2012 Hosts ISA World Junior Surfing Championships.....

13 Times Panama Mens National Champion - Gary Saavedra..
10 Times Panama Womens National Champion - Pucha Garcia

Search Surfing in Panama

 

About Panama
Panama is an authentic unexplored destination with an exuberant natural habitat and an enchanting history; a gem hidden between two seas. Panama’s prime location, in the center of the continent, allows it to be the main air hub in Latin America. The country offers stunning landscapes and diverse ecosystems in forests, beaches, mountains and the Canal Zone, as well as an exquisite combination of rich ethnic and colonial past favorable to the prosperity and benefits of modernity.

The Panama Canal, or eighth wonder of the world, is a symbol of an entrepreneur country that besides being a logistics center for excellence, it is the most important financial center of the Americas and home to major multinational corporations and a free trade zone. UNESCO has declared the Old Quarter of the capital, Panama City, a World Heritage Site. Panama has natural attractions, services, hotels and a massive Convention Center to receive the adventure and leisure traveler, as well as the business visitors.

More information www.visitpanama.com

About the International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running Open Division World Championships since 1964, Junior World Championships since 1980, and Masters World Championships since 2007. The ISA also sanctions the World Kneeboard Titles and the Tandem Surfing World Title, and held the first stand-alone World Bodyboard Championship in 2011, and the first World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship in 2012.

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies of 70 countries on five continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (Argentina), first elected President in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro and re-elected seven times since. The ISA's three Vice-Presidents are Alan Atkins (AUS), Karín Sierralta (PER) and Debbie Beacham (USA).

More information www.isasurf.org.

About DaKine
Backed by a pro team roster that includes some of the world's top action sports athletes, DAKINE has been an industry leader in action sports accessories since 1979. Founded in Hawaii and located at the base of Mt. Hood in Hood River, Oregon, DAKINE offers a complete range of innovative and quality products, including outerwear, sport-specific and lifestyle-driven backpacks, bags, travel gear and accessories. DAKINE products are available for purchase at specialty sports retailers worldwide.

More information www.dakine.com.

Source: ISA

Author: Pablo Zanocchi / Chasen Marshall

Tags: DaKine, ISA, World Junior Surfing Championship, Panama

Events: Surfersvillage