SA junior surfers vs the world
4 May 2006
South Africa's junior surfing team has arrived in Brazil for the 2006 Quiksilver International Surfing Association (ISA) World Championships. The team has, in recent years, been one of the powerhouses of the sport.
Since the event was held in South Africa in 2003, it has grown at a remarkable rate. The number of competitors has doubled since then, with 29 countries set to do battle for honours. South Africa finished fourth in the 2003 competition.
On that occasion, Jordy Smith captured the boys' under-16 title, while Ricky Basnett took fifth in the under-18 division and Jessica Matthews placed fifth in the girls' under-19 competition.
South African team
Former under-16 world champion Smith, who finished fourth in the under-18 section at the last World Championships, spearheads the South African challenge this time around, along with team captain Klee Strachan, Rudy Palmboom and Kyle Lane. Also in the mix are
Quiksilver King of the Groms champions Shaun Joubert and Matthew Bromley.
Billabong Junior finalist Hayden MacNicol, Australian-based Western Province surfer Jaco Steyn, SA under-16 champion Nikita Robb, former national under-14 champion Tarryn Chudleigh, Roxy Surf Jam star Chantelle Rautenbach and talented new cap Alice Mc Gregor complete the line-up for the championships, to be held in Maresias.
The World Junior Championships get under way on 6 May and end with the finals on 14 May. It is the fourth time the ISA-sanctioned annual event is being contested. It was held for the first time in Durban in May 2003.
Since then, it has taken place in Tahiti and at Huntington Beach in California. Next year's championships will be held in Portugal.
Title challengers
Defending champions Hawaii are expected to be pushed hard for the honours in the team event by the host nation, Brazil, while the USA is expected to be another front-running
team.
Australia won the title in 2004, but last year slipped to fourth place, just ahead of South Africa.
Prior to the start of the World Championships, South Africa will face New Zealand in the traditional SANZ Challenge contest that takes place between the two countries before every World Championships and World Games.
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