The stage is set for some high-action ripping by the world’s best juniors as the 2013 ASP World Junior Surfing Champs kick-off in Florianopolis, Brazil.
The World Juniors is an event that has previously been used as a stepping stone towards Dream Tour qualification by the world’s best Under 20 surfers, but as the years have gone by and juniors like Brazilians Gabriel Medina (above) and Felipe Toledo, plus South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag make the step up to the big leagues at a younger age, for some it has become a way to say cheers to their junior careers in a massive way.
Bianca will be competing in her last event as a Pro Junior in Florianopolis.
Past champion Bianca Buitendag (2011) heads a strong team of South Africans, who hope to continue SA’s brilliant year on the international stage – where we’ve scooped medals in the Masters, Opens as well as the ISA World Longboarding Champs.
The rest of the team comprises of Diran Zakarian, Emma Smith, Dylan Lightfoot, Davey van Zyl, Steven Sawyer, Slade Prestwich and Mikey February.
The competition will be fierce though, with Brazil boasting Gabriel Medina as their standout surfer, USA has high hopes for Conner Coffin (who’s fresh off a 2nd place at last week’s Portugal Prime event), and even Morocco have the likes of the experienced Ramzi Boukhiam in their ranks.
You can watch the 2013 HD World Junior Surfing Champs LIVE HERE, with Round 1 of the Pro Junior Girls set to get underway shortly (pending conditions).
