Llywelyn “Sponge” Williams has been crowned AASP (Adaptive Association of Surfing Professionals) World Tour champion after winning the US Open Adaptive Surfing Championships in Oceanside, California. Steve White caught up with him to and out more about his win and future plans.
Words: Steve White Images: SurfChaserPhoto
In a nail-biting final, a buzzer-beater wave saw Sponge leapfrog Australia’s Mark “Mono” Stewart into first place in the Men’s Kneeling division.
Sponge was well positioned to claim his first Tour title going into this competition following victories at Byron Bay and Waikiki. But the gold medal looked far from certain in the final’s opening stages in Oceanside.
Henrique Saraiva (Brazil) and Masafumi Kobayashi (Japan) registered early scores on the glossy 3ft waves. Next in focus was Mono whose rail work quickly moved him to the top of the leaderboard. Scoreless and rooted in 4th place after eight minutes, Sponge finally stuck a few solid carves going right to open his account with 7.73.
Mono looked to have things sewn up in the dying seconds, then as the buzzer sounded Sponge sped down the face of a right-hander, linking two top-turns with a nice carve to earn 9.5.
A combined total of 17.23 secured the Abersoch local his third US Open Adaptive Surfing Championships gold and his first AASP World Tour title.
Sponge returns to Oceanside in November for the ISA World Para Surfing Championships, where he will attempt to win his fourth Para Surfing crown in a row.
Reacting to the win, Llywelyn said:
“It’s been a mission for a while now but to get the title is brilliant. I’ve taken first in every contest I have entered over the last nine years, taking my podium finishes to 55 with 25 golds. I’m extremely happy to secure my first AASP World Tour title.
“It was a difficult heat as I was watching all morning knowing that the sets were coming. I went through 15 minutes of catching nothing so the pressure built towards the final ten minutes.
“It came down to needing another wave in the last 24 seconds. A wave came for me but it faded as I paddled in, but there was another behind it; it felt like forever for it to reach the line-up. I turned and paddled, terrified as I saw the ten-second countdown on the beach clock, but I managed to pop up before the buzzer knowing this had to be the one. I rode it to the beach and scored a 9.5; it was perfect.
Looking forward to the rest of 2025, Sponge said:
“I’ll be heading with the High Fives Foundation to surf the wave pool in Waco at the start of October. Then I’m at Saunton to compete in the British Kneeboard Championship, which is a competition without disabilities.
“Then I’ll be representing Wales for the 2025 European Para Surfing Championships in Vigo in Spain, before heading back to California for the ISA World Para Surfing Championships to represent Wales with my manager, Sarah Gibbons.”
Williams’ manager, Sarah Gibbons said:
“To win the AASP World Tour title this year means everything to us. We’ve both put 110% into his surfing career and he’s fought so hard for this title.
“He never gives up and the last two years of competition are testament to this. Last year he caught winning waves in the last minute or so of his finals, moving him from third to first, and this year was a buzzer beater again.
“We’re looking forward to coming back to Oceanside in six weeks when Sponge will defend his World Championship title for the fourth year in a row. Training starts now.”
The British National Kneeboard Championships takes place in October at Saunton Sands, date TBC.
The European Para Surfing Championships takes place at Patos Beach, Vigo, Spain, 14-19 October.
The 10th edition of the ISA World Para Surfing Championships takes place at Oceanside, California, 2-7 November.
