iLembe’s young surfers lit up their home waters to claim three of the eight division titles in the O’Neill SMTH Shapes Rookie Rippers competition.

Held from Sunday to Tuesday, the first event of this year’s Ballito Pro attracted some of the country’s best U18 surfers, who showcased their talent on the North Coast.

Home break advantage and strong beach support helped local surfers post high scores and multiple podium finishes.

There was a clean sweep in the U12 division, with Ella van der Made and Jackson Myers taking the girls’ and boys’ titles respectively.

Van der Made was in a league of her own in the final, registering a combined score of 13.17 – more than double that of the second-placed surfer.

Fellow locals Lila Prinsloo and Billi Bo Baker finished fourth and fifth.

Myers was equally dominant in occasionally tricky scoring conditions.

His combined 13.84 points included a cracking 8.67 final wave, sealing a commanding win. iLembe teammates James Gunning and Logan Venter also reached the final, finishing third and fourth respectively.

The third local victory came from Marcello Zedde, a serial gold medallist, who triumphed in an all-iLembe final.

His score of 11.84 earned him top spot ahead of teammates Jackson Myers (competing just 20 minutes after his U12 win), Johnjon Clark and Tyler Balfour.

Other strong local finishes included: Max Kauffman – 3rd (U16 girls), Lila Aszalos – 4th (U16 girls), Ashton Sangster – 3rd (U16 boys), Levi Vosloo – 4th (U16 boys) and Catherine Jacob – 4th (U18 girls).

The results mark a strong showing for the iLembe district and a promising start to the Ballito Pro week.

For full results, visit liveheats.com.

• Note: This story has been updated from the print version and what was initially posted online. U12 iLembe surfer James Gunning, who finished third in his division, was unintentionally omitted and the error has since been corrected.

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