World Wave Tour: Jaeger Stone and Sarah Kenyon win the Margaret River Wave Classic

Jaeger Stone dominated the Margaret River Wave Classic with controlled aerials and precise carves. The Australian achieved 15.84 points in the final and demonstrated his technical class in the challenging conditions off the west coast. Stone made the most of every wave and showed his experience from years of surfing this reef. After his early elimination last year, he started with new tactics this time: "Things went a bit better for me this year and the conditions were great. It was really good fun," said a grateful Stone after his triumph. The local hero treated every heat like a final, setting the bar for the international competition. His performance emphasised that he is still one of the absolute best in the world despite the strong young talent. Stone is now considering competing at selected Tour stops in 2026, particularly in Fiji and Chile.

Young talent beats world champions

The biggest surprise of the contest was probably delivered by up-and-coming riders Simon Thule from Denmark and Jake Ghiretti from Margaret River: the duo eliminated five-time world champion Philip Köster in the semi-finals. Thule and Ghiretti put on a masterclass in wave reading and critical aerials. Köster crashed several times and had to change his equipment. Julian Salmonn from Germany, who had previously scored over 14 points several times and performed impressive wave 360s, also failed in the final due to the difficult conditions and finished in fourth place.

Ghiretti takes the highest single wave

The final developed into a duel between Stone and Ghiretti. Thule opened strongly with solid aerials, but Ghiretti countered with a wave on which he jumped three aerials in a row. The judges awarded 8.73 points for this - the highest individual score of the entire contest. The 2025 Junior Champion from Margaret River thus cemented his second place in the overall standings. His performance confirms his status as one of Australia's greatest young talents. Stone, however, retained the upper hand with his consistently high scores on multiple waves. Salmonn, who was brilliant early in the day, was unable to regain his form in the final and had to settle for a thankless fourth place.

Jaeger Stone is considering taking part in selected international events again next year.

Kenyon wins by the narrowest of margins

In the women's event, 17-year-old Sarah Kenyon from Geraldton delivered a sensation. The reigning junior world champion beat the highly experienced pros in the solid waves of Margaret River. With her strong background in surfing, Kenyon found the longer, clean waves and set several tight snaps as well as an aerial. In the end, she won by 0.6 points ahead of former champion Jane Seman. The young Australian never expected to win so early in her career against the established elite: "It was really exciting to win here because it's a dream I didn't think I would achieve so soon," said an overjoyed Kenyon. Her extensive time in Margaret River has paid off.

Seman as mentor and competitor

Runner-up Jane Seman showed aggressive manoeuvres and attacked powerful wave lips throughout the competition, but was unable to find the longer waves in the final that would have offered multiple scoring opportunities. As the organiser of the event and also a competitor, she was delighted with the success of her protégés: "My motivation for organising this event is to encourage the next generation so that they can learn from the top pros back home," explained Seman. "People like Jake and Sarah improve so quickly and have such a good feel for waves. I really enjoy surfing with Sarah as she always wants to improve and just goes for it. This is just the beginning for her and I really think she's going to be one of the best ever."

Former world champion Karin Jaggi from Switzerland showed excellent consistency with powerful turns on the big waves of Margaret River and secured third place. Maria Andrés chose some of the biggest waves Margaret River had to offer and used her signature power carves to make it into the final - in the end it was enough for fourth place.

Event organiser and runner-up Jane Seman showed aggressive manoeuvres and attacked powerful wave lips throughout the competition.

Stone plans selective tour appearances

There is good news for wave fans: Jaeger Stone is considering taking part in selected international events next year. "I'm considering travelling to a few events this year. I definitely won't be doing the full tour, but events like Fiji and Chile have been on my radar for a while and hopefully I'll have a bit more flexibility with work this year," explained Stone after his win.

The Australian added: "Chile is a place I'd like to visit anyway and I've been keen to take part in this event for a few years now as it seems to get bigger and better every year. We'll see if it works out." This statement leaves wave fans hoping to see Stone back on the international stage soon.

Final day livestream to watch afterwards

Results Margaret River Wave Classic 2026:

Pro Men:

• 1. Jaeger Stone (AUS | Severne Windsurfing):
• 2nd Jake Ghiretti (AUS | Severne Windsurfing)
• 3rd Simon Thule (DEN | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails)
• 4th Julian Salmonn (GER | Naish / Naish Sails)

Pro Women:

• 1st Sarah Kenyon (AUS | Severne Windsurfing)
• 2nd Jane Seman (AUS | Severne Windsurfing)
• 3rd Karin Jaggi (SUI | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails)
• 4th Maria Andrés (ESP | Hot Sails Maui)

Masters:

• 1st Ash Nicol (AUS)
• 2. Jonah Desforges (AUS)
• 3rd Peter Kenyon (AUS)
• 4th Ivan Zecca (AUS)

Pro Junior Boys:

• 1st Jake Ghiretti (AUS | Severne Windsurfing)
• 2nd Max Ford (AUS)
• 3. Josh Ledger (AUS)
• 4th Tyler Wallrodt (AUS)

Juniors:

• 1st Max Ford (AUS)
• 2nd Nikiforos Ford (AUS)
• 3 Ines Callenaere

Grand Masters:

• 1st Paul Jackman
• 2nd Mark Slade
• 3 Richard Hall
• 4th Darren Clark