Ballito’s Coco Clark surfed her way to gold in the first big junior event of the year in Kommetjie last week.

Surfing in the U14 girls division of the Rip Curl Grom Search at Kommetjie’s Long Beach, Coco showed poise and precision on her way to the top of the podium.

After making it through her heat in second position, Coco made sure to save her best display for the final which was packed with Kommetjie locals trying to use their home break advantage.

She opened up with a big score of 5.33, later adding a 3.27 to separate herself from the chasing pack. Those were the only two waves she caught and they proved perfect selections.

The North Coast was well represented throughout the competition, with many young surfers finishing in the medal positions.

Max Kauffman finished second in the U18 girls division. She scored the biggest single wave score in the final, a 6.33, but could not find a second decent wave to pair it with, ending on 7.20 overall – just 1.23 points off first.

Marcello Zedde came even closer in the U14 boys section, where he finished 0.26 points behind St Francis’ Slayde Shooter. The two traded waves throughout the final, which was the tightest of the whole competition.

The North Coast’s final silver medallist came in the U12 girls event, where young Ella van der Made surfed her way to the podium behind St Francis’ Summer Harding.

Elsewhere in the competition, Jackson Myers claimed bronze in the U12 boys event and Nathan Tayler made the final in the U16 boys division.

Last weekend’s Grom Search event was the first of five that will be held across the country this year. They form part of the junior South African Surf Tour.

Find a full list of results at liveheats.com.

Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.

Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.