Adaptive surfing event a hit!

 

Two-time world champion Antony Smyth (above) from Cape Town won the Build for Better Adaptive South African Surfing Championship held at New Pier in Durban.

This adaptive surfing event came after a difficult time for Durban. Flooding caused widespread damage in recent weeks, followed by a sewage pump failure that led to millions of litres of sewage gushing into the Port of Durban. Fortunately, improving E. coli test results at New Pier in the days leading to the championship resulted in a green light for the contest.

Six champions were crowned in various classifications ranging from Prone Assist (AS5), Prone (AS4), Sit (AS3), Kneel (AS2) and Stand (AS1) to Visually Impaired (ASVI) divisions.

In the final, Smyth, who had won gold at the ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship in 2016 and 2018, took on long-time rival and friend Jean-Paul Veaudry from East London in two-to-four-foot surf and freshening onshores.

Julia van Zyl, organiser and founder of the non-profit organisation Made for More, says they received 36 entries who had travelled to Durban from around South Africa.

An emotional Darian Haynes, 19, winner of the Women’s AS2 division, defeated Cape Town’s Grace Anderson, who had won a silver medal at the world championship in San Diego last year. “Haynes came all the way from Hawaii to be with us,” Van Zyl says.

“It’s an incredible privilege for us to run this event. So much goes into preparing for an adaptive surfing event of this magnitude, from beach and vehicle permits to contest infrastructure, coordinating volunteers and personnel, and then there are the logistics around acquiring the specialised equipment.

“The atmosphere and support on the beach was the best, biggest and warmest we’ve ever had. We are so proud and in awe of the bravery, courage, commitment and talent of all the surfers and competitors in both the contest and the expression session,” she concludes.

Contest results:

ASVI Men (Blind and Visually Impaired)

1. Jared Sacks (Kommetjie, Western Cape)
2. Danito Mondlane (Durban, KwaZulu-Natal)
3. Sabelo Ngema (Glenwood, KwaZulu-Natal)
4. Erynn Geddie (Glenwood, KwaZulu-Natal)

AS5 Men (Prone Assist)

1. Albert Rust (Middelburg, Mpumalanga)
2. Lwazi Matanga (Delft, Cape Town, Western Cape)

AS5 Women (Prone Assist)

1. Noluthando Makalima (Khayelitsha, Cape Town, Western Cape)

AS4 Men (Prone)

1. Daniel Nel (Cape Town, Western Cape)

AS4 Women (Prone)

1. Tracy Mckay (Bluff, KwaZulu-Natal)
2. Alulutho “Lulu” Tshoba (Clernaville, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal)

AS3 Men (Sit)

1. Douglas Hendrikz (Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal)

AS2 Men (Kneel)

1. Anton Wiersma (Port Alfred, Eastern Cape)
2. Donovan Kanes (Simon’s Town, Western Cape)
3. Tyler Pike (Cape Town, Western Cape)
4. Derick Sigwebela (Chatsworth, KwaZulu-Natal)

AS1 Women (Stand)

1. Darian Haynes (Hawaii, United States)
2. Grace Anderson (Somerset West, Western Cape)

AS1 Men (Stand)

1. Antony Smyth (Cape Town, Western Cape)
2. Jean-Paul Veaudry (East London, Eastern Cape)

Expression session results:

Derrick Mboyisa (Muizenberg, Cape Town) – Best Wave

Thandi Muir (Durban, KwaZulu-Natal) – Most Waves

Hayley Raman (New Germany, KwaZulu-Natal) – Longest Ride

Amuri Mwanza (Durban, KwaZulu-Natal) – Biggest Wipeout

Mfundo Blose (New Germany, KwaZulu-Natal) – Most Stoked

Peter Glass (Amamzintoti, KwaZulu-Natal)

David Nhlapo (Pretoria, Gauteng)

Kayden Eksteen (Newlands East, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal)

Dean Hart (Durban North, KwaZulu-Natal)

Rayaan Moodley (Durban, KwaZulu-Natal)

Guy “Oliver” Sinclair (Winston Park, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal)

Krishiv Katuwaro (Howick, KwaZulu-Natal)

James Sinclair (Durban, KwaZulu-Natal)

Nelisiwe Sibiya (Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal)

Daniel Deghaye (Glenwood, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal)

Sibongile Shosha (Khayelitsha, Cape Town, Western Cape)

Chloe Malcomess (Durban, KwaZulu-Natal)