Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) cuts back on the final day of the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships at Piha Beach in New Zealand today. De Vries placed fourth overall to win the copper medal in the U18 boys division. Photo courtesy ISA

Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Piha Beach, Auckland, New Zealand,
January 21 – 28, 2010

Team SA places fourth overall with four medal haul at Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Champs in New Zealand

The South African Junior Surfing team secured fourth place overall along with a haul of four medals – two bronze and two copper – at the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships which ended in good one metre conditions at Piha Beach in New Zealand today.

The podium finish and copper medal was South Africa’s best team result since the ISA World Junior Championships became a stand-alone event in 2003, having finished fifth three times, seventh twice and sixth at last year’s event in Ecuador.

The other South African medals were earned by Sarah Baum (Athlone Park) who placed third overall for bronze in the U18 girls; team captain Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) who pocketed the copper medal for fourth place in the U18 boys and the Tag-Team who clinched the bronze when they placed third overall in the Aloha Cup event yesterday.

De Vries stormed through the six rounds of theU18 boys qualifying stream, convincingly winning the Round 6 heat over Jordin Watson (AUS) to advance to the Grand Final as the favourite. But Gabriel Medina (BRA) and Tamaroa McComb (TAH) emerged from the cutthroat repecharge rounds and dominated the final match-up.

Medina was simply unbeatable, posting a perfect 10 point ride along with a 9.90 for a heat tally of 19.90 and the gold medal. Watson grabbed the silver, just 0.02 of a point ahead of McComb with de Vries in fourth place.

Baum also progressed straight through the five rounds of the U18 girls, advancing to the Grand Final in second place behind eventual gold medalist Tyler Wright (AUS). Alessa Quizon (HAW) and Lakey Peterson (USA) survived the repecharge final and the Hawaiian went on to claim the silver with Baum taking bronze and Peterson the copper.

Matt Banting (AUS) won the U16 boys from Jake Halstead (USA), Koa Smith (HAW) and Hiroti Arai (JAP) to give Australia their second individual gold and helped them secure their fifth consecutive team title at the event, and sixth triumph in the eight year history of the tournament.

Baum and de Vries’ finals results were sufficient to boost South Africa’s team total past France and into a medal-winning fourth place behind Australia, Hawaii and the USA. France finished fifth, Tahiti sixth and hosts New Zealand seventh.

Video highlights, images and full results of all the heats in the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships are available at www.isaworldjuniors.com

The 2010 South African Junior Surfing Team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and clothed by Quiksilver with additional support from Skullcandy and Power Balance.

2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Results

GIRLS UNDER 18
1 TYLER WRIGHT AUSTRALIA
2 ALESSA QUIZON HAWAII
3 SARAH BAUM SOUTH AFRICA (Athlone Park)
4 LAKEY PETERSON USA

=13 Bianca Buitendag George
=29 Tanika Hoffman Kommetjie
=41 Heidi Palmboom Bluff

BOYS UNDER 18
1 GABRIEL MEDINA BRAZIL
2 JORDIN WATSON AUSTRALIA
3 TAMAROA MCCOMB TAHITI
4 BEYRICK DE VRIES SOUTH AFRICA (Umhlanga)

=19 Michael February Kommetjie
=25 Davey Brand Kommetjie
=31 Dane Staples St Francis Bay

BOYS UNDER 16
1 MATT BANTING AUSTRALIA
2 JAKE HALSTEAD USA
3 KOA SMITH HAWAII
4 HIROTI ARAI JAPAN

=19 Dylan Lightfoot Jeffreys Bay
=22 Steven Sawyer Jeffreys Bay
=22 Jarred Veldhuis Kommetjie
=37 Diran Zakarian Melkbosstrand

ALOHA CUP
1 AUSTRALIA
2 FRANCE
3 SOUTH AFRICA
4 HAWAII

TEAM
1 AUSTRALIA
2 HAWAII
3 USA
4 SOUTH AFRICA
5 FRANCE
6 TAHITI
7 NEW ZEALAND