Brazil’s Sophia Medina also struggled to find good waves as she battled it out with fellow feisty youngsters, 19-year-olds Tiara van der Huls of the Netherlands and Argentina’s Vera Jarisz.
The Brazilian 20-year-old caught the first wave to put herself on the board with 1.67 points, but dropped to third after van der Huls and Jarisz made their move. A 4.20-point wave bumped Medina up to second place with less than eight minutes to go, but her hold on this position did not last long as she fell to third place once again.
Medina ultimately clawed her way back to second on the last wave, with only a few minutes left on the clock, to boost her total to 9.43.
“I was very nervous during that heat and I didn’t know what to do exactly, but I feel like we have to have faith and I followed my intuition,” Medina told Olympics.com.
“El Salvador is one of my favourite places ever and I came here since I was little, but it has been a long time since I came the last time and it’s a tricky wave because the tide changes a lot. It’s perfect, it’s beautiful, but also it’s hard for us out there because there is so much water moving. The wave’s a little fat. You got to be wise in your choice and it’s a hard wave to read.”
Medina is making her World Surfing Games debut a year after her older brother, Paris 2024 bronze medallist and three-time world champion Gabriel Medina, won the men’s World Surfing Games title and helped Brazil to the overall and men’s team titles.
While carrying on the torch after Brazil’s scorching 2024 ISA World Surfing Games run can be daunting, fortunately for Medina, her father and coach, brother, and experienced teammates are always on hand to help out with advice.
“I call (my father), we talk and I’m like, ‘Dad, I don’t know what board (to use), I’m a little confused’, and he helps me to stay calm,” Medina said with a laugh. “And also my brother, we text so many times and he’s my best friend and just honoured to be the best friend of someone who went all this way like I’m going now and he really helps to calm me and gives good energy to me.”