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2024 Olympic Gold Medalist, World Junior Champion Headline Surf Abu Dhabi Wildcards

Originally posted on SURFER | By August Howell | Last updated Feb 10, 2025 7:23 PM ET

The Championship Tour moves fast in 2025. Less than a week after the Pipe Pro concluded, the CT will reconvene in Abu Dhabi. That’s more than 8,500 miles from Honolulu and a longggg day in transit.

But that’s what the World Surf League decreed, and the first wave generated by the Kelly Slater Wave Company technology will go through on February 14. On Monday, the WSL announced four new faces that will be competing as wildcards and injury replacements at the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro. Macy Callaghan, Kauli Vaast and Bronson Meydi are the three event wildcards while Mateus Herdy, who finished just behind Al Cleland Jr on the 2024 Challenger Series rankings, is the injury replacement. With Gabriel Medina and Crosby Colapinto still recovering from injuries, Ian Gentil and Herdy are replacing their slots (respectively).

Each of the four wildcards has varying degrees of CT and wave pool experience. Though Kauli famously won the 2024 Paris Olympics surfing his home break at Teahupo’o and has done well in CT events there before, this will be his first time competing on this leg-burning wave technology.

“This wildcard spot means a lot to me,” Vaast said. “My aim with the Challenger Series this year, more than ever, is to qualify for the CT. It’s where I want to be, and this will taste good. I’ve unfortunately never surfed there before, but I can’t wait to get there and experience it. This technology will be used a lot for contests in the future, and I want to get more experience surfing these waves. I’m so excited for the opportunity.”

Meanwhile, Bronson is coming off a heater and into his CT debut. Last month, the 20-year-old became the first Indonesian to win a WSL World Junior Championships in the Philippines. Everyone in the draw knows how explosive and creative Bronson can be on a wave, especially in the air. But it will be interesting to see how the young man’s ability will translate to a mostly static and controlled environment on Hudayriyat Island.

“Getting this wildcard means so much to me,” Bronson said. “This will be my first CT event, so coming up against the world's best at the wave pool is going to be crazy. I’m excited to see my surfing up against everyone and see if it belongs on the CT. I have surfed in this facility a few times, so I feel like I’ve had some good experiences here and know the wave well. I’m stoked to be going back there. Since this is my first CT event, I’m looking forward to learning a lot, seeing how everyone at that level goes about it, and getting as much experience as I can.”

Macy, the 24-year-old from Avoca Beach, Australia, is very family with the current crop on the women’s CT. She was a full-time member from 2018 to 2021 but missed the cut in 2023. She’s got a solid and quick forehand and knows how to surf this style of wave. She qualified for this event as the highest-ranked surfer in the APAC region on the Challenger Series, a feat she achieved by winning the Saquarema Pro, the last event of the season.

Abu Dhabi will be Mateus’ fifth CT appearance. The 24-year-old Brazilian previously competed at Kelly’s Lemore pool in 2019, and his last showing was in Brazil in 2022 (defeated by Sammy Pupo). His best result in the CT jersey was an impressive semifinal finish at highly rippable Barra de La Cruz in 2021. If that event was any indication, he could prove a real threat to the leaderboard. His skill set is not lacking—he can go left or right and turn with flair or for power. And his air game rivals anyone on the tour. Check out his warmup wave below, then lock in your fantasy picks. Remember, Abu Dhabi starts sooner than you think.