Luana Silva makes history and wins Brazil's 10th title at the Junior World Surfing Championship

Sports Luana Silva makes history and wins Brazil's 10th title at the Junior World Surfing Championship San Juan 01/18/2025 10:25 AM Brazilian Luana Silva made history this Saturday by winning the Junior World Surfing Championship, which brings together competitors up to 20 years old. She won the title by winning the San Juan stage in the Philippines, beating Japanese Kana Nakashio in the final. This is the tenth title won by Brazil in the tournament, and Luana Silva is the first woman to achieve it. The other Brazilian champions were: Pedro Henrique (2000), Adriano de Souza (2003), Pablo Paulino (2004 and 2007), Caio Ibelli (2011), Gabriel Medina (2013), Lucas Silvestre (2015), Mateus Herdy (2018) and Lucas Vicente (2019). "I'm very happy to be the first Brazilian champion. It's surreal. I thank everyone who watched. I felt all this good energy. This achievement is for Brazil," said the surfer, with tears in her eyes and clearly moved by the victory. Born in Hawaii, the daughter of Brazilians, Luana Silva is only 20 years old and also became the first South American to win the Junior World Championship since 2005. With the title, she positions herself as one of the great female names in Brazil in surfing, following in the footsteps of Tatiana Weston-Webb. This Saturday's victory was dramatic. Luana entered the wave at the end of the clock and scored a score of 6.53, which gave her a total of 12.23 points, beating the Japanese, who finished with 11.67. Throughout the tournament, she also beat the American Reid Van Wagoner and the Basque Annette Gonzalez Etxabarri. BRONSON MEYDI WINS IN THE MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP Among the men, Bronson Meydi made history for Indonesia by becoming the first athlete from the country to win a WSL championship. He lifted the trophy after beating Australia's Winter Vincent with a "perfect wave" that earned him a 10. "This moment is incredible, and I'm still in shock. Doing this for Indonesia is very special, and taking this trophy home is an immense honor," said Meydi.