The New Zealand Junior Surfing Team has contested the first two days of the 2022 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship notching up some impressive wins against the world class surfers from 45 countries around the world.

Eight of the twelve-strong team remain in the main event with four surfers having been relegated into the repechage rounds.

Being an ISA event, all surfers get two ‘lives' at the event meaning a surfer can lose in Round 1 of the event and still move through to the final and win a world title.

The 2022 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship is being held at La Bocana and El Sunzal, El Salvador. The prestigious event takes place from the 28th of May through to the 5th of June.

Overnight Taranaki surfer Spencer Rowson put on a dominant display in the Under 16 Boys ending the heat with a 12.0 point heat total against German surfer Kekoa Hummel, Joree Claeys from Belgium and Sebastion Ribes (Dom). Jack Tyro up in Heat 22 surfed to a second place finish narrowly missing the top spot with an 8.5 heat total against German Kai Schmitz, Louis Escudeiro from Belgium and Natthakro Sae-iew surfing for Thailand.

To round out the Under 16 Boys Tao Mouldey secured himself second place and a ticket to the next round in a close battle between South African Nate Colby, and Duuk Van Dijk from the Netherlands with Aiden Albada narrowly coming out on top with a heat total of 9.53.

Early Monday morning the Under 18 Girls also got their campaigns underway with Ava Henderson (Chch) putting on a comfortable performance against her competitors from China, Spain and Dominica landing herself a second place. Asked about her first-round performance Henderson stated she was pretty happy with her performance, although slightly gutted she couldn't fit three turns on a wave, "but I'll take it". I'm surfing safe these early rounds and making sure I get the scores to put me through”. The level of surfing is insane she added, will need to be on my A game!”

Tash Gouldsbury was up next in Heat 20 and put up an outstanding performance winning the heat with a 11.56 heat total beating Kokona Kawase from Japan, Maxima Resano (Nic) and Karin Guadalupe from Guam.

Surfers to be relegated into the repechage rounds included, Liv Haysom, Kalani Louis, Pia Rogers and Skylar McFetridge of Taranaki after some narrow losses and waves not quite going their way.

The Under 16 Girls will hit the water at La Bocana for Round 2 on day three of the event with Leia Millar in heat 5 2:50am. The Under 16 boys will hit the water for Round 2 with Spencer Rowson in heat six, Jack Tyro Surfing in heat 11 and Tao Mouldey rounding out the Kiwi boys in heat 12 9:10am. Meanwhile at El Sunzal Round 2 of the Under 18 Boys will get underway with heat 12 5:10am putting Finn Vette up against Kiwi teammate Kora Cooper, both boys will be looking for the first and second to advance through to the next round.

Under 18 Girls will follow in the afternoon with Ava Henderson in heat 3 and Tash Gouldsbury hoping to repeat her success from her outstanding first round performance in heat 10

Schedule for Day 3 is as follows
Under 16 Girls Round 2 (La Bocana)
Heat 5 Leia Millar 2:50am

Under 16 Boys (La Bocana)
Heat 6 Spencer Rowson 7:10am
Heat 11 Jack Tyro 8:50am
Heat 12 Tao Mouldey 9:10am

Under 18 Boys Round 2 (El Sunzal)
Heat 12 Finn Vette and Kora Cooper 5:10am

Under 18 Girls (El Sunzal)
Heat 3 Ava Henderson 7:30am
Heat 10 Tash Gouldsbury 9:50am

Please see below for Day 2 results of the New Zealand Junior Surfing Team competing at the 2022 ISA World Junior Surfing Championships being held at La Bocana & El Sunzal El Salvador.

Under 16 Boys Qualifying Round 1
Heat 10
1 Spencer Rowson (NZL) 12.76, 2 Kekoa Hummel (GER) 11.80 3 Jorre Claeys (BEL) 5.56, 4 Sebastian Ribes (DOM) 4.40

Heat 22
1 Kai Schmitz (GER) 10.24, 2 Jack Tyro (NZL) 8.50, 3 Natthakron Sae-iew (THA) 7.97, 4 Louis Escudeiro (BEL) 3.64

Heat 23
1 Aiden Albada (TTO), 2 Tao Mouldey (NZL) 8.77, 3 Nate Colby (RSA) 8.23 4 Duuk Van Dijk (NED) 6.83

Under 18 Girls
Heat 8
1 Lucia Machado (ESP) 2 Ava Henderson (NZL) 3 Jinyi Wen (CHN) 4 Brianna Rodriguez (DOM)

Heat 20
1 Natasha Gouldsbury NZL 11.56 2 Kokona Kawase (JPN) 6.17 4 Maxima Resano (NIC) 3.00 3 Karin Guadalupe (GUA) 3.30

Heat 24
Candelaria Resano (NIC) 10.50, Anon Matsuoka (JPN) 8.67 3 Liv Haysom (NZL) 6.00 4 Juana Pos (GUA) 2.16

The World Junior Surfing Championships is an annual event having been held since 2003. New Zealand has competed at the event since its inception as well as competing at the World Grommet Titles as it was formerly known since 1989. New Zealand has been one of the top nations at each event with Jay Quinn (Gis) securing New Zealand's first World Championship in the Under 18 Men's division in 2001.

The event is being broadcast live over the net via www.isasurf.org