Waikato surfers progress at World Junior Championships in El Salvador

Harrison Biddle, a first timer at the worlds, surfs on day three of competition in El Salvador.

Two Whangamata Area School surfers have clinched heats at the World Junior Championships in El Salvador overnight progressing to the next round of competition.

On the third day of the competition, the Kiwis continued to hold strong with six of 10 surfers progressing through their respective matchups.

In the Under-16 girls’ division, Lola Groube, from Pauanui, surfed a wave-starved heat but found confidence early on with a 4.5 and a 5.1 to her name.

With her Mexican and Dutch opponents failing to find any waves with real scoring potential, a 9.6 heat total was enough to see Groube through the next round where she will surf against French and Dutch surfers in heat seven.

Groube’s goal is to better last year’s result when, on her debut, she was the star of the New Zealand team in 2023 and placed 19th at the World Junior Championships.

She made waves in Pāuanui in March, breaking a record at the inaugural New Zealand Women’s Surfing Surf Festival, when at the age of 12, she became the youngest winner of a national surfing event.

She not only took out the title in the Open Women’s Division but also won the top title in the Under-18 and Under-16 Girls Divisions.

Harrison Biddle was the second Coromandel surfer to take to the water in the Under-16 boys’ division coming up in the final heat of round one.

Surfing just four waves he made them count earning a 6.9 and a 6.8 for his patience.

A lot of waves were ridden in the heat, but most were average, Biddle showed patience and excellent heat strategy as he picked off the two best waves of the heat, he looked unstoppable until the very end with only Canadian surfer Shea Bruhwiler coming relatively close with a 4.6.

Biddle will now surf in a round two heat against surfers from Spain, the Netherlands and Mexico.

Coromandel junior surfer Lola Groube in action on Monday during her first round at the World Junior Championships in El Salvador.

Biddle, a first-timer at the worlds, joined the national team off the back of a stellar season with multiple heat wins and finals finishes.

He was among juniors from Whangamata Area School who scooped up a big win at the inaugural New Zealand School Surfing Festival held at Auckland’s Muriwai Beach in March.

Whangamata Area School then claimed the Cranch Cup in the boys’ division, awarded in honour of school surfing stalwart Carol Cranch, who instigated the New Zealand school surfing programme in the late 80s.

Meanwhile, in the Under-16 girls’ division, Alani Morse from Raglan came up just short in her heat, placing third behind surfers from the Netherlands and Australia.

Morse found a 4.0 ride early but with just a 1.4 as a back she came close to advancing with Australian Ocea Curtis holding just a 5.5, unfortunately, Morse was unable to find the two required to advance and will now surf again in the repechage round.

Taimana Marupo of Mount Maunganui, in the Under-18 boys’ division took to the water for his second outing of the event putting on a dominant performance against his peers from Germany, Spain, and China. He placed second behind German Kekoa Hummel.

A record-breaking 54 teams are attending the event this year making it one of the biggest World Junior Championships ever.

The team competes in Surf City, El Salvador until May 12.

The championship is the largest junior surfing event in the world with surfers from 44 nations in 2024.

Last year, the New Zealand Team placed 10th overall.