The European qualifier for Surfing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games has taken place.
In Surf City, El Salvador, the top European athlete for each gender would qualify one place.
Three Brits entered on the Men’s side: Luke Dillon, Patrick Langdon-Dark, and Stanley Norman. None are considered near the elite. Norman was first to go up in Round 1 (where the top two qualified), lining up in Heat 3 against the Philippines’ Philmar Alipayo, Nicaragua’s Kevin Cortez, and Cody Merritt of the Virgin Islands, US. Norman was top with 10.44, ahead of Cortez (7.70), Merritt (6.93), and Alipayo (6.13). Dillon faced Nicaraguan Cesar Amador, Virgin Islander Jon Gazi and Austria’s Manuel Paulitsch in Heat 7. He also came top with 7.67, ahead of Amador (6.36), Paulitsch (2.83) and Gozi (2.80). Finally, Langdon-Dark started in Heat 47 with Thailand’s Sitipong Chapman, Nicaragua’s Yeferson López, and the Philippines’ John Mark Tokong. Langdon-Dark was top with 10.63 ahead of Tokong (7.00), Chapman (6.70), and López (5.20).
This put them in Round 2, again two qualified. In Heat 1, Norman joined Israel’s Ido Arkin, American Samoa’s Jonah Jarrard, and Portugal’s Guilherme Ribeiro. He qualified in second with 12.47, behind Arkin (13.03) but ahead of Ribeiro (8.17) and Jarrard (5.23). Dillon joined Heat 3 with Venezuela’s Keoni Lasa, Uruguay’s Sebastian Olarte, and American Samoa’s Liam Wilson. He could only manage third with 7.94, beating Wilson (7.57) but behind Lasa (11.10) and Olarte (9.27). Finally, Langdon-Dark joined Portugal’s Guilherme Fonseca, Belgium’s Razz Rosenbaum, and Israel’s Uri Uziel in Heat 23. Uziel won with 11.24, Fonseca was second with 10.64, with Langdon-Dark missing out on 8.63 but ahead of Rosenbaum (5.57).
Therefore, only Norman made it to Round 3, where he met Portugal’s Frederico Morais, Olarte, and New Zealand’s Billy Stairmand. He came third on 8.60, with Stairmand (10.93) and Morais (10.40) ahead and Olarte (6.36) in last.
Thus, all competed in the repechage, with Dillon and Langdon-Dark entering Repechage 2 and Norman Repechage 4. Dillon was placed with Amador, Greece’s Dimitri Papavassiliou, and Norway’s Noah Storhaug in Heat 3. He came top with 10.73 ahead of Papavassiliou (9.40), Storhaug (8.80) and Amador (8.63). In Heat 23, Langdon-Dark met López, Tokong, and Belgium’s Dean Vandewalle. He too came top with 8.60, ahead of Vandewalle (4.64), López (4.17), Tokong (4.10).
In Repechage 3, Dillon was first in Heat 1 against Israel’s Yoni Klein, Venezuelan Jose Joaquin Lopez, and Ribeiro. Ribeiro was top with 11.63 but Dillon’s 11.54 was enough to beat Klein (10.93) and Lopez (9.27). In Heat 11, Langdon-Dark met Filipino Noah Arkfeld, the Netherlands’ Beyrick de Vries, and Puerto Rico’s Dwight Pastrana. Langdon-Dark was top with 12.34 ahead of Pastrana (8.80), Arkfeld (6.67), and de Vries (6.37).
In Repechage 4 Heat 2, Dillon and Norman were together with Arkin and Uruguayan Marco Giorgi. Giorgi was top with 13.16, and Norman’s 11.07 beat Dillon’s 10.34 for second as Arkin’s 6.13 placed him last. In Heat 11, Langdon-Dark met New Zealander Kehu Butler, Fonseca, and Costa Rican Malakai Martinez. Langdon-Dark’s 6.70 was the lowest score behind Butler (14.04), Martinez (13.33), and Fonseca (9.47).
Only Norman was left for Repechage 5, where he met Lasa, El Salvador’s Porfirio Miranda, and Costa Rica’s Carlos Muñoz. His 9.26 was not enough, finishing last behind Muñoz (14.77), Miranda (12.43) and Lasa (10.77). A French athlete, Kauli Vaast, got all the way to Repechage 12 and took the spot.
On the women’s side, Alys Barton, Lucy Campbell, and Vittoria Farmer represented GB, although none were considered elite. Farmer went first in Heat 15 of Round 1, with Israel’s Noa Leilor, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Setareh Mazhari, and South Africa’s Zoe Steyn. In the end, she got through in second with 10.36, behind Leilor (11.86) but ahead of Steyn (7.16) and Mazhari (0.00). In Heat 19, Barton met Türkiye’s Ozlem Ada, Israel’s Advah Bar Sade, and South Africa’s Sarah Baum. She too came second with 8.20, behind Baum (11.57), but ahead of Bar Sade (7.07) and Ada (1.80). Finally, in Heat 23, Campbell met Israel’s Anat Leilor, South Africa’s Danielle Powis, and Saudi Arabia’s Leila Zahid. Campbell was second with 5.83, behind Leilor (11.33) but ahead of Powis (5.13) and Zahid (1.10).
In Round 2, Heat 8, Farmer met Ecuador’s Dominic Barona, Indonesia’s Lidia Kato, and Brazil’s Silvana Lima. She came third with 7.07, beating Kato (5.97) but behind Lima (12.27) and Barona (9.53). In Heat 10, Barton faced New Zealander Pia Rogers, Brazilian Luana Silva, and Barbados’ Chelsea Tuach. She came second with 9.46, behind Tuach (12.90) but ahead of Silva (9.07) and Rogers (7.40). In Heat 12, Campbell faced Indonesian Taina Angel, Ecuadorian Wendy Velazquez and Brazilian Tati Weston Webb. She came second with 8.33, behind Weston Webb (15.10), but ahead of Angel (6.57) and Velazquez (1.67).
Barton and Campbell met in Round 3, Heat 5, alongside France’s Pauline Ado and the United States of America’s Caroline Marks. Neither Barton’s 6.90 or Campbell’s 6.74 were good enough to beat Marks (9.43) or Ado (9.07).
Thus, all entered the Repechage, with Farmer in Repechage 2 and both Barton and Campbell in Repechage 4. In Heat 8 of Repechage 2, Farmer faced Dutchwoman Sigal Kruithof, Steyn, and Morocco’s Lilias Tebbai. 10.43 was behind Steyn’s 13.66 but beat Tebbai (10.03) and Kruithof (2.70).
In Repechage 3, Heat 3, Farmer met Filipina Vea Estrellado, Canada’s Sanoa Olin, and Barbadian Chelsea Roett. 9.16 was only good enough for third, beating Roett (8.77) but behind Olin (13.70) and Estrellado (9.54).
In Repechage 4, Heat 5, Barton met Canadian Erin Brooks, Peru’s Arena Rodriguez, and Silva. However, her 0.00 meant she was eliminated behind Silva (14.60), Brooks (11.93), and Rodriguez (8.50). In Heat 6, Campbell met Anat Leilor, Baum, and Tuach. Her 9.53 was only good enough for third, beating Tuach (9.17) but losing to Leilor (12.93) and Baum (12.17).
France’s Johanne Defay won bronze to be the best European.
This means no Brits qualified, and with no Brits on the World Surf Tour being in the top 5/top 7 (men’s/women’s) at 2024’s event is the next step.
GB Games 