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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, May 15, 2006

Hawai'i juniors finish fourth

Advertiser Staff

Hawai'i finished in fourth place at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships yesterday.

The final day of the eight-day competition was completed in 4- to 5-foot waves at Maresias Beach, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Australia won two of the three individual titles to place first in the overall team standings with 6,292 points.

France was second with 5,029, host Brazil was third with 4,688, and Hawai'i had 4,626.

No Hawai'i surfers advanced to the finals of the individual divisions, but four finished in the top eight of their respective divisions.

Alex Smith of Kaua'i placed fifth in the boys under 16 division, and was Hawai'i's top finisher.

Among other Hawai'i surfers competing on the final day, the Big Island's Casey Brown placed sixth in the boys under 18 division, Maui's Monica Byrne-Wickey placed seventh in the girls under 18 division, and Maui's Granger Larsen finished eighth in the boys under 16 division.

Individual champions were Julian Wilson of Australia in the boys under 18, Owen Wright of Australia in the boys under 16, and Pauline Ado of France in the girls under 18.

More than 250 surfers representing 27 nations/regions participated in the event. It is considered the world championship for surfers age 18 and younger.

Hawai'i is recognized as its own region for the event because of its storied history in the sport. A team from the United States finished in sixth place.

Hawai'i won the team title last year, when it was held in California. Next year's event is scheduled to run in Portugal.