Soleil Errico, just after the big win. Photo: Tommy Pierucki//World Surf League
For the second year in a row, Soleil Errico earned a WSL Longboard World Title on her home turf in Malibu. And for the first time in more than two decades of trying, Kai Sallas won a world title. Both wins at the Original Sprout Malibu Longboard Championships were significant in their own right with each surfer taking the crown from the second seeds to defeat yellow jersey owners Kaniela Stewart and Kelis Kaleopaa, but Errico’s victory secured a special place in the history books. She now joins Honolua Blomfield, Taylor Jensen, Cori Schumacher, Rusty Keaulana, Joel Tudor, and Colin McPhillips as three-time WSL Longboard World Champions.
Errico first advanced out of women’s match number four by taking down Hawaii’s Sophia Cullhane. She then won in back-to-back heats against top-ranked Kelis Kaleopaa by comfortable margins with 13.50 and 15.83 heat totals to close out a short path to her second consecutive world title and third overall since 2018.
“It took a lot of hard work,” she said. “I worked very hard. I mean that’s just how it goes. You need to work hard to achieve your dreams. Sometimes you can work as hard as you can and not know if it’s going to happen but it happened. I want to thank my mom, my dad, of course, CJ Nelson. I’m really thankful he’s in my corner and riding this journey with me.”
Kai Sallas, toeing his way to victory. Photo: Keoki Saguibo//World Surf League
Sallas’s win caps off more than two decades of striving for a world title — something the Hawaiian brought up as soon as he could on the beach. He had to earn it on Finals Day though. His first heat came in men’s match number four against Ben Skinner. It was far and away the most heavily contested heat of the whole afternoon as well as the highest scoring, with both competitors posting massive excellent heat scores. In the end, Sallas edged out Skinner by hundredths of a point, winning with a 17.87 to Skinner’s 17.83 and advancing to face Kaniela Stewart, who he later said is “going to be the greatest longboarder of all time.” Their matchup saw a split in the first two heats before Sallas eventually won the best-of-three rubber match and locked up his first career world title.
“I’ve been doing this for so long, and all I can say is ‘finally,'” said Sallas. “I’ve been trying for over 20 years, and to add my name to that list of Hawaiian World Champions is a dream come true. I’m very proud. I want to thank my wife and my kids. They always put up with my moods at contest time, and they’re always here supporting me. They came with me to a lot of the contests this year, thank you.”
