Strong Kiwi Showings At 2025 ISA World Longboard Championship In El Salvador
Sport: Surfing
Event: 2025 ISA World Longboard Championship
Location: El Salvador
Event Information: Surfing New Zealand / ISA
New Zealand's surfers have wrapped up a spirited campaign at the 2025 ISA World Longboard Surfing Championship, held at the iconic El Sunzal point in El Salvador's Surf City. The world-class event attracted 103 athletes from 32 nations, showcasing the best of international longboard surfing in a week filled with excitement, drama, and challenging conditions.
Jack Tyro emerged as New Zealand's top performer, navigating a demanding competition format to finish 13th overall—the highest result for a Kiwi competitor. Tyro got off to a flying start, winning both his opening heats in Rounds 1 and 2 with confident, stylish surfing. A 4th place in Round 3 sent him into the repechage rounds, where he remained composed under pressure.
He bounced back strongly in Repechage Round 1, posting a convincing heat win. In what became his final heat—Repechage 5—Tyro battled against elite surfers from Portugal and Argentina, finishing 3rd with a solid heat total of 9.54. Though narrowly missing out on the next round, his performance secured him a well-deserved 13th place overall, making him the top-ranked New Zealand surfer in the competition.
Returning competitor Hannah Kohn also showed grit in the women's division. After a strong start with a 2nd place finish in Round 1, she encountered tougher conditions in Round 2, finishing 4th and moving into the repechage. In testing, onshore conditions during her last-chance heat, Kohn finished 4th and bowed out of the event, placing 46th overall.
Reflecting on her campaign, Kohn said, 'The event has been so much fun. We had some wild waves a couple of days ago with heavy shore break and tricky tides. Yesterday the conditions cleaned up, and it was great to get some proper waves for our heats. Being here among the world's best is so inspiring—watching them handle 8ft onshore surf is incredible.'
Now that her competition is over, Kohn is looking forward to enjoying the region: 'We're hoping to grab the shortboards and explore some of the other waves around. It's such an amazing place.'
Gabi Paul demonstrated resilience in the women's draw. After a 3rd place finish in Round 1, she dropped into the repechage rounds, where she delivered a strong performance to finish 2nd against top competitors from El Salvador, Ecuador, and Spain. Her journey came to an end in the following repechage round, where she finished 3rd, placing 37th overall in the women's field.
In the men's division, Oliver Janes put together a determined campaign, placing 3rd in his opening heat and moving into the repechage. There, he notched a first-place finish over surfers from Denmark and Thailand. In Repechage Round 2, Janes raised the bar again, claiming second place against a high-calibre field including competitors from the United States, South Africa, and Wales.
His run ended in Repechage Round 3, where despite another strong showing, he finished outside the advancing positions, ultimately securing 37th overall.
'The event has been a blast,' said Janes. 'There's a lot of pressure—especially wanting to perform with the team around you. The wave can be tricky. You never know what you're going to get in a heat, and sometimes it's just about being in the right place at the right time. Still, getting to surf against this level of talent and experience these conditions is huge for growth.'
With one day of competition remaining, New Zealand currently sits in equal 17th place alongside Chinese Taipei. While the team's final position will be confirmed once the event concludes, their performances continue New Zealand's consistent trend, having placed 17th in the last two ISA World Longboard Championships as well.
The event has served as a valuable development experience for all athletes, many of whom are still early in their international careers. With each heat surfed, the Kiwi surfers gained critical competition experience on a global stage.
El Sunzal has again proven itself as a world-class longboard destination. Known for its long, right-hand point breaks, the wave offers ample opportunity for stylish, traditional longboarding as well as high-performance maneuvers. However, competitors faced their share of challenges throughout the week, with changing tides, strong onshore winds, and heavy shore breaks testing even the most seasoned surfers.
Complete event write-ups, results, surfer ratings and images from the event can be viewed at Surfing New Zealand. And the ISA Website
Information
For more information please contact Ben Kennings on 021 2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.
Imagery
Web clips and newsfeeds will be distributed free of charge from the event. Please contact the ISA for further details.
High-resolution images will be available to media upon request. Images will be distributed free of charge.
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