Kika Veselko won, on January 13, the World Surf League junior world title, in a historic day for the national women's surf
The young Portuguese surfer, 19 years old, won the final day in San Diego, California, to become the first Portuguese surfer to reach the maximum title of the junior category.
An exciting final day that saw Kika Veselko in action against some of the most talented young surfers in the world. It all started with a solid victory in the quarter-finals against Canada's Erin Brooks, followed by a more balanced duel against Australia's Sierra Kerr, which was decided in the final stretch, with Kika's experience making the difference in the outcome of the second semi-final.
After eliminating two of the most promising young surfers in the world, the 2021 national champion faced the American Sawyer Lindblad in the final. Although her opponent was competing "at home", Kika also had in her favor some local experience, since she had already spent several seasons in California, where her father is from.
The decisive heat started with balance, and then Lindblad took the lead. It was already in the last third of the heat that Kika caught the wave that would make all the difference. With 7 points, the Portuguese surfer managed to reverse the score and guarantee the triumph with a total score of 12,47 against 12,33 from the American.
After the title Vasco Ribeiro won in 2014, in Ericeira, Kika repeats another triumph for the national surf in the WSL Junior World Championship. A victory that left the young surfer from Linha very emotional and in tears soon after leaving the water.
"I want to thank the invitation and the opportunity that was given to me. I had a special feeling since the beginning of the championship and I thought that everything was going to go well. I was confident throughout the championship. In the final I fell on the first wave, but I came back out and kept fighting. And I did it! I want to thank my family, my sponsors, and my coach, Rodrigo Sousa", said Kika in the flash interview, before letting the emotion take over the moment.
Besides the world title in her category, Kika Veselko, who came to this event as one of the wildcards, automatically qualified for the Challenger Series 2023.
After a two-year break due to the pandemic, the WSL Junior World Championship returned to the water this year, and with a Portuguese triumph. Kika Veselko surpassed, thus, Teresa Bonvalot's record in this event, that in the 2015 World Junior Championship, in Ericeira, had achieved the 3rd place final.
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