Paris Olympics qualification awaits surfers at WSG
JAMAICA WILL be among 55 nations that will take to the waves of Arecibo in Puerto Rico as the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games (WSG) gets under way today.
With just months remaining until surfing makes its second appearance in the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, one final qualification opportunity awaits the world’s best surfers.
Out of t he 266 athletes competing, the eight highestranked eligible women and six highest-ranked eligible men will directly qualify for Paris 2024 through the 2024 WSG.
Jamaica’s Javaun Brown will get into the water first up at around 7 a.m. Jamaica time as he goes in the men’s heat three where he will face competition from South Africa’s Jordy Smith, Canadian Levi Young and the Czech Republic’s Adam Svoboda.
At 12:30 p.m. lone female participant Imani Wilmot will face a stiff challenge in heat 23 as she goes up against World Surfing League champion Carolina Marks of the USA, Francisca Veselko of Portugal and Dominican Republic’s Feliz Astactio.
Veteran Icah Wilmot will go out at 2 p.m. and he will be competing against South Africa’s Joshe Faulkner, Canada’s Cody Young and Panama’s Isauro Elizondo in heat 27.
Jamaica’s other representative Elishama Beckford will compete tomorrow against South Africa’s Matthew McGillivray, Canada’s Wheeler Hasburgh and Panama’s Jean Carlos Gonzalez.
“The team has been at the competition centre for a few days now and has been spending the time getting familiar with the waves. We have some pretty tough competition this year, as our team goes up against some of the topranked surfers in the world in our first-round match-ups,” said team leader Icah Wilmot.
The men’s heats will take place at the big wave spot La Magara while the women will surf at El Pico.
In 2024, the ISA, previously known as International Surfing Federation, is celebrating 60 years of the championships. The organisation crowned the first Surfing World Champions in Manly Beach, Australia in 1964.