Razo (A Coruña), September 24. Sunshine and excellent waves have been the predominant features of this first international championship on A Costa da Morte, Razo-Caión, from September 20 to 24. It was the final stop of the European circuit of the World Surf League (WSL), where the surfer from Gipúzcoa, Janire González- Extabarri (Zumaia, 2005), and the French surfer Nicolas Paulet (Biarritz, 2004), were crowned as the kings of Razo Beach at 18 and 19 years old, respectively.
The male and female champions shared the podium in a competition that stood out for being one of the first sporting events to equalize prizes across categories, in an irreversible commitment to gender equality in sports from the grassroots level. Janire González-Extabarri and Nicolas Paulet ascended to the podium alongside the second and third-place finishers: Aealan Vaast (2), Maria Dias (3), and Nadia Milhau (3) in the girls’ division, and Sam Piter (2), Noa Dupoy (3), and Francisco Mittermayer (3) in the boys’ division.
Nicolas Paulet secured his first major victory of the season and expressed his gratitude for the support of the audience in a thrilling final with magnificent waves. Janire González-Extabarri expressed her joy at winning the title, which grants her a spot in the junior world championship in California, stating, “because it was very tough.” She jokingly added, “I think I will come to live in Galicia soon because I have something special with this place.”
Janire González-Extabarri had already won the Abanca Pantin Classic Galicia Pro on September 3 at Pantín Beach (Valdoviño), while her sister Anette was crowned the queen of the WSL 2023 European junior championship on the same Razo Beach. Both will represent Europe in the sub-21 surf world championship in San Diego, along with the boys’ qualifiers San Piter and the Israeli surfer Elay Boochan.
The award for the best wave (10) went to the Basque-French surfer Kepa Housset-Esponza, while the best wave among the girls, scoring 9.5, was earned by Janire González-Extabarri. Both received a 500-euro check from Cabreiroá (Hijos de Rivera), the sponsor that lent its name to the international competition.
Carballo Mayor Evencio Ferrero and the Deputy Mayor of A Coruña, Xosé Regueira, whose involvement was crucial in making Razo the junior surf capital, participated in the awards ceremony on the beach for the first and second-place finishers, along with two of the main sponsors: Cabreiroá and Gadis, represented by Lorena Heras and Lucía Santos, who presented the award to the third-place finishers.
THE GRAND FINALE
This Sunday, from early in the morning (9:00 a.m.), with the tide rising, the final rounds of the international WSL championship in Europe on A Costa da Morte took place, including the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the women’s final. In the men’s category, the semi-finals and the final were held, featuring two compatriots, the French surfers San Piter and Nicholas Paulet.
In addition to competing for points and the trophy of the Razo junior series, the 150 athletes at stake were also vying for the crown of Europe and the titles of 2023 Junior Pro European Champions, which were already awarded based on points in the heats on Saturday to the young surfer from Zumaia, Annette González-Extabarri, and the Frenchman Sam Piter (Hossegor, France).
Thus concludes an international WSL championship that was held for the first time at Razo Beach and is here to stay, with crucial support from the Xunta (Galician Tourism Agency and Deporte Galego), the Diputación de A Coruña, and the municipalities of Carballo and A Laracha, as well as sponsorships from Cabreiroá, Gadis, Vithas, Intermax, and Jael Jewelry.