‘I Can’t Believe It’: Spanish Surfers Win 2 Gold Medals in 1 Day

But it was his compatriot, 16-year-old Ocean Lancaster of Newcastle, New South Wales, who won the Rip Curl GromSearch International Final as an online wildcard a month ago, who sealed the deal in the clutch. Trailing in third place with 45 seconds left, he surfed the five-foot right for all it was worth. His 9-pointer meant a lot more to him than just a number on the board.  

“I’ve got everything replaying in my head from the start to the end of that heat,” he said. “I was honestly losing hope toward the dying seconds, and then I had one of the greatest opportunities ever. I wasn’t even thinking about the score, all I was thinking about was absolutely belting the hell out of that wave and winning the comp. I’m so proud right now. My family moved up the coast so I could work on my training, leaving our friends and family behind, and it’s all led to this moment. I’m so grateful. Traveling here with Team Australia has been one of the most magic moments of my life. I’m proud to represent such an awesome team and bring home gold.”

Their surfing, backed by Milla Coco Brown’s runner-up finish in the girls’ final and Lucy Darragh’s bronze in the U16 division, lifted Australia to back-to-back team titles at the World Junior championships. It’s the country’s ninth team gold medal at the event. 

The ISA event hosted surfers representing 57 countries, and flags from Angola to Venezuela waved around Punta Rocas, Peru’s version of "Rocky Point,” a popular reef break that has seen many a national and international championship. 

It took 9 days to run all the heats. On Sunday, it ended with tears, medals, and seriously good surfing. Spaniards Sol Borelli and Dylan Donegan won their respective U18 titles. Sol’s matchups were daunting: former medalists and freesurfing force Milla Coco Brown, Clémence Schorsch of France and Chinese Olympian Siqi Yang. But she stayed steady and put together two solid waves, including an 8.33 at the end that got her past a surfing Milla. In doing so, Sol claimed Spain’s first-ever World Junior gold medal. 

“Oh my god, it’s incredible, I can’t believe it,” she said. “Dreams come true, I just want to say that. I’m so happy with myself, with my team. I just want to thank my father, my family, and my friends.”

Like Sol, Dylan was against higher profile surfers in two-time U16 Silver Medalist and GromSearch winner Lukas Skinner and North Shore of Kauaian charger Jacob Turner. But Dylan, who won the U16 title at this event last year in El Salvador, isn't phased by bigger names. He put on a rail clinic in the first half of the heat, dropping a 9 and 8.50 for a 17.50 heat total, the highest of the event. He’s now the first ISA junior surfer to win two gold medals, and the first to win in both U16 and U18 divisions. 

The girls' U16 final had the closest scores of the event — less than a point separated first from fourth. In the end, Bailey Turner of Huntington Beach edged out Peruvian favorite Catalina Zariquiey by two-tenths of a point, taking the individual title and getting the USA a team silver medal.  She joins Caity Simmers, Caroline Marks, and Alyssa Spencer as the fourth American girl to win a U16 title at the ISA world juniors. Catalina made history of her own with her silver medal, becoming the first Peruvian girl to medal at this event.

“It’s crazy, I don’t really know what to say,” Bailey said. “I’m super, super happy. This has been the best trip with the team. It’s so amazing. Honestly, I didn’t really know [the situation] because they had a few scores coming in, and I was confused what scores came in or not. So I didn’t know. And then when they said it, I was so shocked, but I’m super happy. Surfing’s my favorite thing in the world, and with the team support from the US, it’s just the best.”

2025 ISA World Junior Surfing Championships Results

Teams
Gold – Australia
Silver – USA
Bronze – Brazil
Copper – Peru

U/16 Boys
Gold – Ocean Lancaster (AUS)
Silver – Thiago Passeri (ARG)
Bronze – Caden Francis (AUS)
Copper – Pablo Gabriel (BRA)

U/16 Girls
Gold – Bailey Turner (USA)
Silver – Catalina Zariquiey (PER)
Bronze – Lucy Darragh (AUS)
Copper – Zoey Kaina (HAW)

U/18 Boys
Gold – Dylan Donegan (ESP)
Silver – Jacob Turner (HAW)
Bronze – Tiger Abubo (HAW)
Copper – Lukas Skinner (ENG)

U/18 Girls
Gold – Sol Borelli (ESP)
Silver – Milla Coco Brown (AUS)
Bronze – Clémence Schorsch (FRA)
Copper – Siqi Yang (CHN)