Day one of the 2024 Skullcandy Oz Grom Open got off to a flying start in tricky four-foot surf with the U14 and 16 Girls and Boys kicking off proceedings for the year.
Ocean Lancaster (Merewether, NSW) showed the same skills that propelled him into the quarterfinals of the recent Occy Grom Comp, smashing a handful of right and left-handers to notch up a 9.43 and an 8.93 in his opening Under-16 Boys heat. As a result, the Novocastrian natural-footer left his fellow competitors requiring two-wave combinations equalling 18.37 to take away his lead.
Other Under-16 Boys standouts included Max Mcgillivray (Evans Head, NSW) and Henry Dowling (Noosa, Qld) who both amassed first-round totals in excess of 14.00.
Eliza Richardson (Noosa, Qld) showed why she was the poster child for emerging Sunshine Coast talent, taking out her opening round one exchange with a giant 16.03 two-wave total. Richardson surfed an exciting battle throughout her first heat with Japanese competitor Kanon Takahashi, but ultimately got the win due to a series of searing turns that allowed her to take the victory, while Kanon progressed in the second spot. Both will make their next appearance in the second round.
In the Under-14 Girls, local competitor Leihani Zoric (Byron Bay, NSW) showed why she was crowned the recent Occy Grom Comp champion, tackling the tricky surf with a combination of flair and gusto. As a result, Zoric posted a 13.10 two-wave total and claimed the victory.
Day two of the competition (Friday, 5thJuly) will see the Pro Junior divisions hit the water.
The iconic six-day event will run from 4 July – 9 July 2024 and will comprise of a World Surf League (WSL) sanctioned Pro Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) event as well as an elite competition for promising grommets in the 14, 16 and 18 year age divisions.
In a similar vein to previous years – where the event has attracted surfers from ten different countries – a full international field is again expected in 2024 with surfers coming from as far away as Europe, the USA, Hawaii, Indonesia and Japan to make up a field of more than 180 surfers across all divisions.
Former event competitors include a range of current and former World Championship Tour and Challenger Series surfers, such as Macy Callaghan, Molly Picklum, Mikey, Owen and Tyler Wright, Jack Robinson and local surfers Ocea Curtis and Nyxie Ryan.
All event divisions will be broadcast live worldwide on skullcandyozgromopen.com.au.
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