We want to call it a local victory and in many ways it was.
On the weekend, 13 year-old NSW Cabarita local Zahli Kelly defeated Hawaiian surfer Summer Macedo to take out the 2017 Surfest nib Pro Junior at Merewether.
Winning by just a tenth of a point, Kelly said she was elated, yet surprised at the win.
“I feel a bit surprised,” she said.
“I can’t believe I won and thought I left my run a bit late in the final. I got my two best waves in the last eight minutes.”
Kelly secured her place in the comp through a WSL wildcard for the event.
Wildcard entries seem to be the golden ticket for Kelly, providing a number of opportunities for the up and coming surfer to prove herself both in 2016 and again this year.
In late January, she took out the Maitland and Port Stephens Toyota Wildcard Trials to claim a spot in the Anditi Women’s Pro that gets underway at Merewether beach on Monday week, where she’ll surf in the round of 48 and come up against elite tour world number five Johanne Defay.
She also won the wildcard into this year’s Roxy Pro Trials after becoming the 2016 Queensland Junior champion last August at Duranbah.
“I’m heaps happy to get the wildcard into the Anditi Womens Pro,” Kelly said.
Meanwhile, Liam O’Brien from Burleigh Heads on Queensland’s Gold Coast took out the Pro Junior for men. .
“I was a bit nervous, they [judges] were deliberating for a little while, so I wasn’t quite sure if I had it. But I am really happy to end up with the result,” O’Brien said.
Like his female counterpart, O’Brien also won a wildcard into the Quiksilver Pro Trials set down for next month on the Gold Coast after winning the 2016 Queensland Junior State Title
Final Results: NIB Pro Junior
Junior Women 1. Zahli Kelly (Cabarita, NSW) 12.90 2. Summer Macedo (Hawaii) 12.80 3. Alyssa Lock (Snapper Rocks, QLD) 10.90 4. Kiara Meredith (Shell Harbour, NSW) 7.25
Junior Men 1. Liam O’Brien (Burleigh Heads, QLD) 12.75 2. Rio Waida (Indonesia) 12.15 3. Jackson Roberts (Bateau Bay, NSW) 11.10 4. Dextar Muskens (Kirra, QLD) 8.0
NIB Pro Junior Images by Throwing Buckets
