The ISA World Surfing Games are well underway in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Yesterday, the first day of competition saw the international field of competitors in top form, competing in four to six-foot waves at Margara for the men’s event and Pico for the women’s.
Hot on the heels of a win at Sunset, Molly Picklum earned the highest score of the day with 8.67. Peruvian surfer Daniella Rosas also came out swinging, winning her first heat with a 15.34 point total. Meanwhile, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore posted an 8.10 that reminded us of why we will miss her presence on the Championship Tour.
“It’s incredible to come here to Puerto Rico and be able to start that way,” Rosas told the ISA. “It was awesome to come straight from a QS win in Peru and into such good conditions this morning. Winning the first heat, I’m super happy, super happy. The truth is that I’m super nervous (about qualification). There are a lot of good competitors here. I know that Peru is a super strong country and I know that we compete at a high level. So I don’t want to think too much about that, just taking it heat-by-heat, day-by-day. Now to be calm and show good surfing.”
Meanwhile, on the men’s side, standout performances came from France’s Kauli Vaast, as well as Gabriel Medina and Yago Dora of Brazil. Medina in particular must be feeling the pressure, as he is perhaps the highest-profile athlete on the roster to not yet qualify for the games. In order to qualify, Brazil will have to win overall and Medina himself needs to place higher than Dora.
“We know that we can do good in this event,” said Medina. “The waves are great and we have great athletes, Filipe, Yago, and myself. I’m focused on my mission. I’ve got to make heats and I’m going to try to do my best. We push each other, which is great, and the best wins. That’s how competition goes and I think everyone that’s part of it is ready for anything.
