Congratulations to Izzi Gomez for her win at Turtle Bay on the first stop of the stand up world tour. This is a bitter sweet win for Izzi after an ankle injury has kept her sidelined most of the off season. The young surfer showed the world not even a broken ankle will keep her out of the water and fighting for another world title.
Izzi along with her Starboard SUP teammates made an impressive showing in HI over the weekend with Fiona Wylde coming in second and Shakira Westdorp in 3rd.
We now wait to see which of the ladies will compete this year in the men’s Sunset stop of the world tour starting this week.
Good luck to both men and women and congratulations again to Izzi and the ladies.
More from Izzi herself here:
I’m so happy to be on the North Shore of Oahu, one of my favorite stops on the Stand Up World Tour. Though, I’ve had a bittersweet experience surfing Turtle Bay in the past, this year I was determined to win. Coming off of an injury, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since I had to take 2 months off prior to the event. I just decided the best thing I could do was to master the break. I paddled out in all conditions until I was somewhat confident.
The first day of the competition I couldn’t find my rhythm, but I was fortunate to win both of my heats making it to the quarter finals. I just realized that I had made too many mistakes and it was time to step up my game.
The next day we scored! The conditions were perfect for Turtle Bay! All the girls did a great job of showcasing their talent. The heats were running neck and neck. Luckily, I was able to turn it on. When I made it to the final, I knew I had nothing to lose. I was just happy to be there doing what I love! And better yet, I finally conquered Turtle Bay!