SURFING: Peru’s Milanovich wins women’s World Surfing Games title; Aloha Cup to Oz

World Surfing Champion Sofia Mulanovich (PER)

While world championships in surfing date back to 1964, the World Surfing Games began in 1996 and has been a focal point for the sport ever since. For 2019, some 240 riders from 55 nations – including Sri Lanka, Thailand, American Samoa and Lebanon for the first time – are in Miyazaki (JPN) for competition in men’s longboard, women’s longboard, Aloha cup and team events.

There is Olympic qualification from this competition, with the top eligible surfer from Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania earning spots for 2020; the Americas spots were won at the Pan American Games in Lima in August.

The women’s competition featured a tight finish between Peru’s Sofia Milanovich and Brazil’s Silvana Lima, but the Peruvian won her second World Surfing Games gold … in 15 years! She also won in 2004, at age 21.

The WSG has attracted multiple veteran riders, including American legend Kelly Slater, 47, who last competed in the event in 1990. The men’s final will be conducted on Sunday (15th). Summaries so far:

ISA World Surfing Games
Miyazaki (JPN) ~ 7-15 September 2019
(Full results here)

Women/ Final: 1. Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 13.80 points; 2. Silvana Lima (BRA), 12.77; 3. Bianca Buitendag (RSA), 12.64; 4. Carissa Moore (USA), 12.60.

Team Aloha Cup/ Final: 1. Australia (Ryan Callinan, Owen Wright, Sally Fitzgibbons, Nikki Van Dijk), 38.19; 2. South Africa, 38.11; 3. United States, 35.38; 4. Japan, 28.10.