iLembe Surf Riders delivered a commanding performance at this past weekend’s Grom Games, claiming four of the nine gold medals on offer and securing five additional podium spots.

Held at Durban’s Dairy Beach, the annual Grom Games pits KwaZulu-Natal’s top U16 talent from the iLembe, eThekwini and Ugu surfing associations against one another.

While eThekwini won the overall team prize, iLembe’s standout performace not only reaffirmed its depth of young talent but also confirmed its place among the province’s elite development zones.

Levi Rogers put on one of the most dominant displays in recent memory in the boys’ U16 division. He sailed through his heat with a monster score of 16.0, following it up with an even bigger 17.83 in the semi-final, which included the biggest wave score of the whole event – a stunning 9.83. He carried that form into the final, combining scores of 8.17 and 8.33 to win by almost five points. One to watch going forward.

The boys’ U12 event was the best for iLembe overall, as the team claimed a clean sweep of the top three positions. Logan Venter’s excellent 12.77 was just enough to pip teammates Noah Johns (12.10) and James Gunning (10.76) into second and third, respectively.

Seth Seppings claimed a comfortable win in the boys’ U10 category. He improved on a solid first round score of 11.56 with a strong 13.16 in the final. That was almost six points ahead of the second place surfer.

Lexi Lockhart grabbed one for the girls when she won the U10 division in style. After opening the final with an excellent 7.50, she found another 7.90 to earn gold ahead of her teammate, the also impressive Billy Baker (12.04) in second. Lexi Venter also made the final.

The remaining two podium finishers were in the girls’ U16 event, where Thia Moodley (6.67) and Christina Miller (4.16) finished second and third, rounding off a highly successful weekend for the team.

Visit liveheats.com for full results.

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