Local surfer Billy Stairmand and Gisbourne’s Saffi Vette provisionally qualified for Paris 2024 on Tuesday, June 6, securing the Oceania continental spots up for grabs at the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games being held in El Salvador.
Other surfers to qualify continental spots today included South African superstar Jordy Smith and Shino Matsuda of Japan.
A total of eight provisional continental qualification spots were up for grabs at this event – one male and one female for each continent (excluding the Americas) – Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. With Australia filling their quota of four surfers via the WSL World Championship Tour, this event becomes the best path to Paris for New Zealand surfers.
New Zealand currently sits eleventh at the event which is led by front runners Brazil, Peru and France who fill the top three positions with two days of surfing remaining.
Billy Stairmand is the sole Kiwi alive in the event heading into the penultimate day after Saffi Vette (Gis), Paige Hareb (Tara) and Kehu Butler (Mnt) were eliminated in today’s action.
On Tuesday the International Surfing Association (ISA) confirmed that Stairmand has provisionally qualified for Paris 2024 as the highest placed male from the Oceania continent. Pending selection by the NZOC, this will be Stairmand’s second Olympics after being the first ever male surfer from New Zealand to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan where he placed ninth.
On the announcement today Stairmand commented “I am super stoked to get the Olympic spot, it’s been an amazing week with the team. Qualifying for the Games is crazy, from Tokyo to today, it’s just surreal I have been in touch with friends and family in New Zealand, we are stoked it’s an incredible feeling. I am really proud of my efforts, but I am still going. I still have a job to do, I really want to bring back a World Surfing Games medal.
On the prospect of surfing Teahupoo Stairmand said “I have never been to Tahiti so I will be pushing my surfing to the next level, once I get home it’ll be straight into preparation its new and exciting, I can’t wait I am truly honoured to have earned this opportunity again and super proud, hopefully I can bring back an Olympic medal.”
Gisborne’s Saffi Vette had an edge-of-the-seat run through multiple repechage rounds today, advancing to repechage round 7 before bowing out after a tough heat against Daniella Rosas (PER) and Silvana Lima (BRA) in what was a low scoring affair. The result saw Vette leapfrog Paige Hareb in overall standings to claim the Oceania spot as the top ranked athlete from the region.
On confirmation of her provisional qualification Saffi commented “I am so stoked, it’s so surreal it hasn’t really sunk in yet. To be honest I am absolutely over the moon to have qualified. I have watched the Olympics my whole life so to have qualified and to be in it is just amazing it’s a dream come true I am so stoked.”
The ISA World Surfing Games are taking place from the 30 May – 7 June with 297 athletes from a record breaking 63 countries in attendance.
