Surfing Australia

COOLANGATTA/QLD (23rd April, 2012): TravelSIM Team Australia’s Ellie-Jean Coffey (Coolangatta, QLD) has won the silver medal in the Girls’ Under 18 division at the DAKINE ISA World Junior Surfing Championship presented by Billabong in Playa Venao, Panama.

In a 3-4ft (1 metre) swell Coffey finished second to 13-year-old Hawaiian young gun Dax McGill 12.60 to 9.20, with fellow Hawaiians Tatiana Webb (8.53) and Mahina Maeda (8.24) in third and fourth.

Team Australia finished second in the teams’ event on 4993 points behind Hawaii (5973) with Brazil (4873) in third and USA (4165) fourth.

More than 300 of the world’s best junior surfers from 31 countries competed in the event.

Coffey was the only surfer in the event who went into the last day undefeated and caught a wave in the final minute to move into first place ahead of the Hawaiian onslaught, but McGill managed to grab the winning wave in the dying stages.

Joshua Hay (Copacabana, NSW) finished fourth in the final of the Boys’ Under 18 scoring 11.37 with Brazil’s Matheaus Navarro scoring 16.93 to win the gold ahead of fellow Brazilian Deivid Silva (16.83). Peru’s Vasco Ribeiro won bronze with 11.77.

Hay entered the final full of confidence after winning the qualifying heat, but couldn’t maintain his form in the decider.

Team Australia’s two other contenders on the final day in the Girls’ Under 18, Keely Andrew (Mooloolaba, QLD) and Bronte Macaulay (Margaret River, WA), failed to advance from the repechage rounds. Andrew was eliminated in the first heat of the day after finishing third, while Macaulay finished second in the same heat, but finished fourth in the qualifying heat for the final.

TEAMS’ EVENT (Top 10): 1 Hawaii 5973, 2 Australia 4993, 3 Brazil 4873, 4 USA 4165, 5 Japan 3956, 6 France 3788, 7 Peru 3746, 8 Portugal 3353, 9 South Africa 3275, 10 New Zealand 3090.

Girls Under-18 Final: Gold: Dax McGill (HAW) – 12.60; Silver: Ellie Jean Coffey (AUS) – 9.20; Bronze: Tatiana W-Webb (HAW) – 8.53; Copper: Mahina Maeda (HAW) – 8.24

Boys Under-16 Final: Gold: Kalani David (HAW) – 13.50; Silver: Takumi Nakamura (JPN) – 13.40; Bronze: Noe Mar McGonagle (CRC) – 11.34; Copper: Josh Moniz (HAW) – 11.17

Boys Under-18 Final: Gold: Matheus Navarro (BRA) – 16.93; Silver: Deivid Silva (BRA) – 16.83; Bronze: Vasco Ribeiro (POR) – 11.77; Copper: Joshua Hay (AUS) – 11.37

Hi-res images and TV newsfeeds are available from www.dakineisawjsc.com/media/
Full results available here - http://dakineisawjsc.com/results/
TravelSIM Team Australia:

Under 18 boys: Creed McTaggart (Margaret River, WA); Cooper Chapman, (North Narrabeen, NSW); Eli Steele (Moffat Beach, QLD); Joshua Hay (Copacabana, NSW).

Under 18 girls: Keely Andrew (Mooloolaba, QLD); Ellie-Jean Coffey (Coolangatta, QLD); Kirsten Ogden (Byron Bay, NSW); Bronte Macaulay (Margaret River, WA).

Under 16 boys: Kai Hing (Wurtulla, QLD); Michael Wright (Lennox Head, NSW); Jacob Wilcox (Margaret River, WA); Luke Hynd (Tallebudgera Valley, QLD).

Surfing Australia would like to recognise the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), TravelSIM and Suncorp for their continuing support of the Team Australia Program.