Aussies Claim Gold Medals in ISA Aloha Cup Team Relay Event

Sep 11, 2019

Team Australia displayed the well-balanced attack of their men and women surfers on Wednesday and took the ISA Aloha Cup Gold Medal at the 2019 ISA World Surfing Games presented by Vans in Miyazaki, Japan.

Ryan Callinan’s 7.33 wave score led Australia in the Final and along with solid performances from teammates Owen Wright, Sally Fitzgibbons and Nikki Van Dijk, their team total of 38.19 points narrowly edged out Team South Africa for the Gold.
“It’s a great feeling to be a part of a team, It’s so different for our sport to be here representing Team Australia and to get a win is amazing. It had a relaxed vibe to it and all of the other countries involved looked like they were having a lot of fun. We really embraced the opportunity.” – Ryan Callinan

 

Ryan Callinan (above), Jordy Smith (below)

Team South Africa was anchored by Jordy Smith, who earned the two highest wave scores of the heat with 7.47 and 8.5. However, South Africa’s team total of 38.11 came up just short of Australia, awarding them the Silver Medal. 

Team USA was in position to take the Gold Medal with Kelly Slater looking for a final wave in the dying minutes of the heat. Slater found a meager 3.2 wave score that was enough to push USA into the lead, but he fell on his final maneuver that forced him into a long sprint to the beach. Coming up just seconds short crossing the team box, Team USA was charged with a 5-point penalty for not finishing the relay in time and therefore dropping to Bronze Medal position with 35.38 points. 

Team USA was in position to take the Gold Medal with Kelly Slater looking for a final wave in the dying minutes of the heat. Slater found a meager 3.2 wave score that was enough to push USA into the lead, but he fell on his final maneuver that forced him into a long sprint to the beach. Coming up just seconds short crossing the team box, Team USA was charged with a 5-point penalty for not finishing the relay in time and therefore dropping to Bronze Medal position with 35.38 points. Team Japan, who also was given a 5-point penalty for not finishing in time, totaled 28.10 points in the Copper Medal position. 

The ISA Aloha Cup is a team relay event that features two men and two women from the top eight teams from the 2018 ISA World Surfing Games in Tahara, Japan. There are two semifinals and a final where each surfer catches two waves in their leg of the relay before tagging in the next teammate. The total of all surfers’ waves becomes the final team score.
 
The first Semifinal featured Japan, South Africa, Peru, and Argentina, while the second Semifinal featured Australia, USA, France, and the defending Aloha Cup Gold Medalist, Spain. Teams Japan, South Africa, USA, and Australia advanced through to the Final, making the most of the clean, knee to waist high conditions at Kisakihama Beach. Australia’s Ryan Callinan stood out in the Semifinals with the highest score throughout the entire Aloha Cup, scoring an impressive 8.5 point ride to take Australia to the Final.

 

ISA Aloha Cup Results:

Gold – Australia

Silver – South Africa

Bronze – USA

Copper – Japan