South Africa posts historic WJSC Tag Team event score

2007 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
International Surfing Association
Costa de Caparica, Portugal
4 - 13 May 2007

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

South Africa posts highest score in the history of the Quiksilver ISA World Championships Tag Team event on penultimate day of competition.

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 13 May, 2007 : - -  South Africa has no surfers left in the individual section of the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships in Portugal after the last four were eliminated on a tough penultimate day of competition. 

Nikita Robb went down in repercharge round seven to end 11th overall, then Shaun Joubert was unable to find high scoring waves and was eliminated in repercharge eight to finish ninth overall. Chad du Toit's dream came to an end in his eighth repercharge round heat giving him a ninth place in the event while the star of the South African team,Tarryn Chudleigh,surfed her way to eighth place in the individual standings before bowing out.

Chudleigh, who hails from Kommetjie in Cape Town, had been hoping to finish in the top 16 so eighth in the World is "a major achievement" and a huge boost to her confidence. 

With pride at stake, defending ISA Tag Team champions South Africa got their act together in the first Tag Team semifinal, posting the highest score in the history of the event, a massive 69.72.

The team of Klee Strachan (who put an 8.2 wave into the bank during his time in the heat), power surfer Kyle Lane, Chad Du Toit, Shaun Joubert and Tarryn Chudleigh surfed like a well drilled outfit and had the semi final won long before the one hour heat was over.

"We are determined to win the final and that is all we are focusing on now. We all want to defend our tag team world title" said SA Team captain Strachan at the end of the heat.

Australia was a well beaten second and USA was third ahead of Portugal who were given a chance to contest the eight team tag event when Brazil gave allocated their own spot to the ISA World Junior Championship hosts.

South Africa and Australia will meet France and Hawaii, who beat New Zealand and Venezuela, in the finals later today. 

Australia look set to become World Champions for the second year in a row and South Africa can finish no better than sixth in the overall team standings. 

The final day of competition will be available feature live webcasting on www.quiksilver.com/isa and www.isasurf.org and there are updated photos of all of the Parade of Nations and each day's surfing on www.wpsurfing.co.za

All the local press releases will be posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za daily. 

The 2007 South African Junior team's attendance at the ISA World Junior Championships is funded by the National Lottery.