Kanoa Igarashi and Tatiana Weston-Webb have stormed the Surfing America USA Championships 2012, at Lower Trestles, California. The competition set a new level in junior surfing and prepared the future stars of the waves.
One year after the victory of Kolohe Andino, the 14-year-old Kanoa Igarashi took the Under 18 division in great style. What has he got in mind for the future?
"This is my first USA Championship win. I've never even won my main divisions and to win in the older division is amazing", explains Igarashi.
"I knew I had to surf way beyond what I normally do because these guys are bigger than me and have more power. I can't overpower them so I stuck to doing airs and came out on top. I'm pretty stoked", he added.
Kanoa Igarashi defeated Jake Halstead, Cam Richards and Ian Gentil in the decisive heat, with fins-free maneuvers and a lot of passion and competition spirit.
Tatiana Weston-Webb was the surfer girls of the event, no doubt. She was defending both her USA titles from last year - Under 16 and Under 18 - and was able to secure them. The winner met Dax McGill, another Hawaiian specialist.
"I was super nervous but Lowers loves me and I love it back. It was really important to mimic what I did last year. I knew if I was out the back, Dax would sit on me so I paddled inside. I was hoping a wave came to me and it did, so I just killed it", explains Weston-Webb.
2012 Surfing America USA Championships | Results
Boys
Under 12: Barron Mamiya
Under 14: Jake Marshall
Under 16: Jake Davis
Under 18: Kanoa Igarashi
Girls
Under 12: Sunshine Patey
Under 14: Meah Collins
Under 16: Tatianoa Weston-Webb
Under 18: Tatiana Weston-Webb