Bournemouth Para Surfers set for World Championships

Zoe Smith and Mark Hagger are part of the 11-athlete squad heading to Pismo Beach for the Championships, taking place between December 4 and 11.

Zoe is an amputee who only took up the sport in 2021 but came fifth in her first World Championships last December.

She has since been competing on the adaptive professional tour and is now ranked third in the world.

“My hope is to podium this year, but the most important thing is for the team to do well,” she said.

She learnt to surf in Bournemouth and encourages others to get involved in the sport.

“Bournemouth is a friendly place to try [it], there are loads of beginners that learn to surf and progress there. So, hire a board and get on in, but maybe wait until the summer!”

Mark is a prone surfer, competing at his first international competition, since “he got the bug back” for the sport recently after he stopped when his Multiple Sclerosis progressed 10 years ago.

He has since won the Welsh Open and the English Open, twice, in his division. He, too, has ambitious goals for these championships.

“It would be fantastic if I could get a podium. It all comes down to the days surfing, what the weathers like, the waves and a bit of luck!” he said. “I just want to be out there now!”

The sport has no central funding, so the squad have been Crowdfunding for the trip to the Championships. They have hit their target of £10,000.

Chair of Surfing England and founder of The Wave, Bristol, Nick Hounsfield, said that signs are positive for the sports inclusion at the Los Angeles games in 2028.

“For us that’s amazing. We’ve got 2 or 3 surfers that are medalling consistently on the world stage, so if it’s able to get to paralympic inclusion there’s a real shot of us bringing home medals for paralympic surfing.”

The squad flew out to California this week, after their final training session at The Wave, before the championships begin today.