Junior Wave Grand Final 2026: Javier Escribano and Sarah Kenyon crowned Junior World Champions

The Grand Final in Geraldton, Australia, is to the juniors what the Aloha Classic is to the "big boys": the World Championship titles in the U18 category were awarded in a major event. 16-year-old Spaniard Javier Escribano and 17-year-old Australian Sarah Kenyon took the victories. Escribano delivered a dominant performance and won both the Grand Final event and the world title, while Kenyon triumphed in front of her home crowd.

Javier Escribano from Tarifa put an exclamation mark early in the final by landing a perfect backloop and a huge push loop. He then focussed on controlled wave riding to secure his victory. "It feels incredible - I'm lost for words," said Escribano after his triumph. "I've worked for years for this trophy. I came here with my dad and had to miss school for it, but it was all worth it. I'm so happy to be here and to win." The young Spaniard was delighted with the conditions in Geraldton: "Geraldton and The Spot are perfect places for windsurfing. The atmosphere is so good with all the kids everywhere and everyone is happy all the time. I've made a lot of friends here and I'm super happy to win the world title."

Japanese talent on the podium

Japan's Ryoma Sugi finished second in the U18 division before returning to the water to claim an impressive victory in the boys' U21 final. A relaxed and confident Sugi wowed judges and spectators with precise forward and backward rotations and sharp turns in the waves. "That was so much fun," said Sugi. "I didn't feel so much pressure in the U21 final, so I was able to relax and just enjoy it. I'm really happy to win this category." The Japanese dominance continued in the girls' event, where Natsuki Wakasa won the U18 grand final, while Nozomi Sakai finished third. Wakasa combined clean forward loops with strong wave riding, which earned her the event win.

Home win for Kenyon in front of an Australian audience

The 17-year-old local heroine Sarah Kenyon was crowned World Champion 2025 in the U18 Girls category in front of her home crowd. The Australian only finished second in the Grand Final behind Japan's Natsuki Wakasa, but thanks to two decisive event wins earlier in the season, this result was enough to secure the overall world title. Kenyon finished the season with 37,000 out of a possible 40,000 points and was only 115 points ahead of Wakasa in the final world rankings. "It feels so good to win the title here in Geraldton where all my friends and family are," said Kenyon. "Becoming world champion has been a goal of mine for a long time and I've been training really hard to achieve it." Kenyon's with aggressive surf-style wave rides, using her experience at her home spot to pick the best waves and attack them with several powerful snaps.

Australia's highest placed junior, Tyler Wallrodt, completed an exceptional event with third places in both the U18 and U21 categories. He impressed with massive forward loops and stylish wave rides. "To compete against the best in the world at my age and still come third in the world is pretty unreal," said Wallrodt. "It definitely motivated me to push harder, but making friends with people from all over the world was the biggest highlight." 12-year-old Isaac Gill also showed impressive potential for the future by reaching the boys' U18 final with loops and wave rides well beyond his age. In the girls' event, 13-year-old Ines Callenaere rounded off the strong showing of Australia's young athletes with a fourth place in the U18 final.

Double success in the U21 category - Helena Lale in third place

Following her world title in the U18 category, Sarah Kenyon returned to the water with determination and stepped up her performance in the girls' U21 final to claim victory there too. Wakasa took second place, while Germany's Helena Lale completed the podium in third place. In the boys' final, Ryoma Sugi celebrated his success in the U21 category, followed by Javier Escribano in second and Tyler Wallrodt in third. Australian Jake Ghiretti, previously U21 World Champion, rounded off the podium in fourth place. The event marked the end of an exciting week of world-class junior windsurfing in Geraldton and underlined the enormous talent of the next generation.

Results Junior Wave Grand Final

U18 girls

1. Natsuki Wakasa
2. Sarah Kenyon
3. Nozomi Sakai
4. Ines Callenaere

U21 girls

1. Sarah Kenyon
2. Natsuki Wakasa
3. Helena Lale
4. Ines Callenaere

U18 boys

1. Javier Escribano
2. Ryoma Sugi
3. Tyler Wallrodt
4. Isaac Gill

U21 boys

1. Ryoma Sugi
2. Javier Escribano
3. Tyler Wallrod
4. 4Jake Ghiretti

U18 Girls World Ranking 2025

1. Sarah Kenyon
2. Natsuki Wakasa
3. Sol Degrieck

U18 Boys World Ranking 2025

1. Javier Escribano
2. Ryoma Sugi
3. Tyler Wallrodt