Team USA Defends Aloha Cup Gold in Dramatic Fashion at VISSLA ISA World Juniors

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 Team Spain earns Aloha Cup Silver, Japan Bronze, and Hawaii Copper

USA and Japan locked in rematch for Team Title on final day of competition

Last Peruvian in the event Raúl Ríos make his country proud, earns day-high heat total

Team USA claimed the first Gold Medal of the 2019 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship presented by Visit Huntington Beach by successfully defending their Title in the ISA Aloha Cup relay event.

Team USA celebrates their back-to-back ISA Aloha Cup Gold Medals, both earned in Huntington Beach. Photo: ISA / Sean Evans
Team USA celebrates their back-to-back ISA Aloha Cup Gold Medals, both earned in Huntington Beach. Photo: ISA / Sean Evans

In a tightly contested Final that came down to the final waves of each team, USA edged out Silver Medalist Spain for the Gold by less than three tenths of a points.

Team Japan earned the Bronze, also narrowly missing the Gold by less than half a point, and Team Hawaii took the Copper.

Team USA’s Sam Sibley expressed her excitement upon winning the Gold.

“I’m speechless!” said Sibley, “Taro (Watanabe) came through on his last wave.

“I’ve known all my teammates for what seems like forever, so it’s amazing to win this Gold Medal with them.”

USA’s Sam Sibley has been eliminated from the individual competition, but that didn’t stop her from leading her nation to Gold in the Aloha Cup. Photo: ISA / Ben Reed
USA’s Sam Sibley has been eliminated from the individual competition, but that didn’t stop her from leading her nation to Gold in the Aloha Cup. Photo: ISA / Ben Reed

Heading into the final day of competition USA and Japan are locked in a race for the overall team Gold Medal, mimicking the nail-biter that played out in 2018 that resulted in Team Japan’s historic first-ever Gold Medal in the event.

Team USA held onto their lead through seven days of competition, holding the advantage over Team Japan with seven surfers remaining in the event, five of whom are seeded in the Main Event Finals of their respective divisions.

Team Japan trails by 585 potential points, with six surfers remaining in the event, three each in the Main Event and Repechage Divisions.

Trailing in the Bronze Medal position is Team Hawaii followed by Spain, looking to retain their podium positions on the final day.

Australia and France currently find themselves on the outside of the podium positions, but both have surfers that have advanced through to the final day to attempt one final push for a team medal.

France’s Tiago Carrique will look to push his country to a podium finish on Sunday. Photo: ISA / Ben Reed
France’s Tiago Carrique will look to push his country to a podium finish on Sunday. Photo: ISA / Ben Reed

The penultimate day of competition got underway with more excellent, clean conditions in Huntington Beach. While the swell had slightly backed off, the world’s best U-18 surfers still put their world-class talent on display.

Through the Repechage Rounds past World Champions Alyssa Spencer and Rachel Presti were eliminated in the Girls U-18, making room for a first-time World Champion in the division.

The defending Boys U-18 Gold Medalist Keanu Kamiyama also bowed out of the competition and now will be rooting for his teammate and 2017 World Champion Joh Azuchi on the final day of competition.

Raúl Ríos, the last Peruvian remaining in the event, earned the day’s highest heat total with 15.60 in the Boys U-18.

“I am the last surfer left for Peru, so our team is really united,” said Rios. “They are always on the beach sending me their good vibes to push me to keep going.

“I am happy with where I’ve got so far in this event. I’ve been concentrated and training hard. I’m going to give it my all in the remainder of the event.”

USA’s Sawyer Lindblad was the standout for the women, earning the highest heat total with 14.66.

The final day of competition will feature the Main Event Finals, Repechage Finals, and Grand Finals across all divisions – Boys and Girls U-16 and U-18.

The unique team relay event, the ISA Aloha Cup, injected the afternoon with youthful energy at Huntington Beach Pier.

The top eight teams from the 2018 edition of the event faced off in the relay race, featuring two boys and two girls from each team. Each member of the relay catches two waves during the 45 minute heat, with the sum of each wave score summing up to the team total.

ISA Aloha Cup Semifinal 2 is off to the races. Photo: ISA / Sean Evans
ISA Aloha Cup Semifinal 2 is off to the races. Photo: ISA / Sean Evans

Team Japan, Hawaii, France, and South Africa faced off in the first Semifinal, with the defending Aloha Cup Gold Medalist USA, Australia, Spain, and Brazil competing in the second Semifinal.

Japan, Hawaii, USA, and Spain advanced to the Final to contest the event’s first Gold Medals.

The Final was fought neck and neck till the end, with all nations in a position to take Gold on their last waves in the water. Tension on the beach built with chants and cheers to see how the final waves would unfold.

Holding the Gold Medalist position, Team Spain’s anchor Iker Amatriain fell on his final wave, earning a score of only 1.07 that left the door open for USA to sneak ahead.

USA’s anchor, Taro Watanabe, earned a 3.7 with one solid turn that overtook Spain for the lead.

USA, Japan, and Spain made it back to the boxes with Team Hawaii’s Kai Martin needing a score in the 6-point range. As time ticked away, the ocean never delivered the wave Martin was hoping for and he could only muster a 1.70 score in the shorebreak, confirming USA’s Gold Medal position.

ISA President Fernando Aguerre said:

“Congratulations to Team USA for repeating as Gold Medalists in the ISA Aloha Cup.

“This medal event requires teamwork, strategy, and intelligence, all of which USA showed brilliantly in their heats.

“A week of competition with 342 surfers from 44 nations culminates tomorrow as we are set to crown World Champions. The Team Title race is tight and will surely be one to remember.”

The official Surfline forecast is calling for waves in the waist high range for the final day of competition.

The 2019 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship is broadcast live until November 3 on isasurf.org.

View schedule for Sunday’s competition here.

The remaining event schedule is as follows*:

November 3 – Competition on the south side of Huntington Beach Pier, 7am – 12:15pm
November 3 – Closing Ceremony at Pier Plaza following the close of competition, 1:30pm

*Subject to changes. Pacific Standard Time.

About the International Surfing Association:

The International Surfing Association (ISA), founded in 1964, is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. The ISA governs and defines Surfing as Shortboard, Longboard & Bodyboarding, StandUp Paddle (SUP) Racing and Surfing, Bodysurfing, Wakesurfing, and all other wave riding activities on any type of waves, and on flat water using wave riding equipment. The ISA crowned its first Men's and Women's World Champions in 1964. It crowned the first Big Wave World Champion in 1965; World Junior Champion in 1980; World Kneeboard Champions in 1982; World Longboard Surfing and World Bodyboard Champions in 1988; World Tandem Surfing Champions in 2006; World Masters Champions in 2007; and World StandUp Paddle (SUP, both surfing and racing) and Paddleboard Champions in 2012.

ISA membership includes the surfing National Federations of 108 countries on five continents. The ISA is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (ARG). The Executive Committee includes four Vice-Presidents Karín Sierralta (PER), Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), Casper Steinfath (DEN) and Barbara Kendall (NZL), Athletes' Commission Chair Justine Dupont (FRA), Regular Members Atsushi Sakai (JPN) and Jean Luc Arassus (FRA) and ISA Executive Director Robert Fasulo as Ex-officio Member.

Its headquarters are located in La Jolla, California (USA).

For more information, please visit www.isasurf.org

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