"We are back, mate."
The 2025 International Surfing Association World Surf Games came to end end, yesterday, there on El Salvador’s cobbled shoal, with all 162 invited countries shaking at Australia’s might. The Irukandjis, draped in green and gold, sneered down noses at Peru (silver), Spain (bronze) and France (copper). Waltzing Matilda wafting through the tropical-adjacent air.
Australia is the most-winning international surfing nation of all-time with five gold medals before adding a sixth, yesterday, though it had been a fourteen-year drought between experiencing that auric shine.
Dane Henry, Australian, took individual gold joining Tom Curren, Jordy Smith and Gabriel Medina as the only dual World Surfing Games and World Junior Surfing Championship winners.
“That is a crazy club to be a part of,” he declared. “The whole time I had belief in myself that I could do it. My surfing’s been feeling spot on. I really wanted to really shine in the Final and I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to do that. Competing against guys like Kauli Vaast, Morgan [Cibilic] and Douglas [Silva], you’ve got to pull out the best. I have a really special connection with this place and this competition now. I felt really in my element, which definitely pushed me through and helped me get the win.”
For his part, ISA chief Fernando Aguerre lavished praise on El Salvador’s autocratic leader, saying, “I want to thank President Nayib Bukele for believing in surfing as part of the future of El Salvador, and for believing in the ISA. These past six years have been incredible for El Salvador, for the ISA, and for Olympic surfing. Thank you also to Morena Valdez, and to the amazing hosting team. Many years ago, Duke Kahanamoku dreamed that surfing would one day become an Olympic sport. People said it would never happen, but today his dream is a reality. As we begin the third Olympic cycle for surfing, we honor Duke’s vision. He believed in surfing, and he believed in aloha — and in our own way, we are all ambassadors of aloha. We came here in peace, we spent these two weeks in peace, and now we return home in peace. That is the true spirit of surfing. Long live surfing, long live love and peace in the world.”
Yeah?
Do you think the ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador was Duke Kahanamoku’s dream made real?
Did you watch even one minute of the action?
Share!
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If a HamSammish falls in the forest, did it make a sound?
what a waste of time
free holiday for national bodies, and make the surfers pay.
no one cares
Fernando has Basque roots with his surname but must have Irish blood in him. As that statement at closure was the biggest load of baloney you will every hear.
Where did the U.S. teams finish? Who were the highest placing U.S. surfers? How’s all that home-schooling working out for the U.S. kids with ISA title hopes in their parents’ (I mean their) hearts?
How many QS point for winning this and when doesn’t he make the cut?
What we have here is the vision of Kanga Shaun and PT mainstream surfing isn’t it great.
Australvador or El Stralia?
Si mate.
Gracias cunt!
De nada surf!
Raygun would be proud
Too busy working on her wombat up rock.
And her “skink in the pink” new signature move
Dane Henry huh. Big result, I thought he was more of a free surfer type?
$urfing.
Isn’t his cousin Henry Dane the free surfer?
Minutes watched? ZERO.
Minutes spent reading article about said contest? ZERO.
Yawn
Yeah that was a tough timezone, for sure.
Boring surfing, boring waves , boring surfers …. the future looks bright for pro surfing
And here’s me thinking pro surfings dead*!
* as a door nail