A Surprise Swell Shakes Up Day Three of the 2023 ISA World Para Surfing Championship
By ISA Staff
A surprise increase in swell introduced an exciting element to day three of the 2023 ISA World Para Surfing Championship (WPSC) on Thursday, November 9th. The world’s best para surfers took the challenge head-on, posting large scores in the sizable four-to-six-foot surf.
Women’s action was front and center as Round 1 in each of the three women’s Stand classifications was run, along with Prone 1 and Kneel. Round 2 in men’s Stand 2 & 3, Prone 1, and Kneel rounded out the day.
Japan’s newest team member, Nagisa Ikegami (JPN), provided one of the highlights of the event in Women’s Stand 3. Coming up against three-time World Champion Liv Stone (USA), Ikegami found two solid scores, a 7.67 and a 6.00, to earn a 13.67 heat total, the highest of the day for the women’s field. Ikegami was undaunted by her fellow competitors, solely focused on her own performance and enjoying her first taste of international para surfing competition.
Returning gold medalists María Martín-Granizo (ESP), Emma Dieters (AUS), and Victoria Feige (CAN) each earned heat wins as they seek to add to their medal counts. Solid scores from Audrey Pascaul (ESP) and Vera Quaresma (BRA) will no doubt push Feige’s performance as she seeks to maintain her dominance of the Women’s Kneel classification.
On the men’s side, the leaderboards didn’t see major changes. Round 2 eliminations included the shock loss of three-time gold medalist Mark ‘Mono’ Stewart.
Standouts included Rafael Lueders (BRA), Jean Paul Veaudry (RSA) and Kenjiro Ito (JPN) in Stand 2, Llywelyn ‘Sponge’ Williams (WAL) reclaiming the Kneel lead, and Nicolas Gallegos (ARG) and Marcos Tapia (ESP) finding great scores in Prone 1
The surprise swell added an exciting new dimension to the competition and tested the skills of the world’s best para surfers. With more action still to come, the race for the podium remains wide open at the 2023 ISA World Para Surfing Championship.
You can watch the action live here.