Ballito’s Marcello Zedde makes surfing history for Zimbabwe at ISA Junior Championships

Ballito’s Marcello Zedde(14) made history as the first surfer to represent Zimbabwe at the 2026 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Junior Surfing Championship, held from September 4 to 13.

The International Surfing Association (ISA) welcomed Zimbabwe as a new member this year, with Zedde the country’s sole competitor. Zedde – who holds citizenship through his parents – was accompanied by coach Janek Ferrandi, also from Ballito.

The competition featured the world’s best U16 and U18 surfers from 56 nations. Zedde, affectionately known as Cello, competed against older surfers in both divisions.

As a new member, Zimbabwe entered with a low seeding because rankings are based on team points accumulated at the previous year’s championship. This saw Cello face defending U18 champion Dylan Donegan of Spain in his opening heat.

“It was not my best heat, but it was really fun to get out there” said Cello.

He went on to win his repechage heat to earn a place in the second round and also progressed to round two of the U16 competition.

Cello finished 55th out of 139 competitors in the U18 division and 49th out of 124 in the U16 division.
Zimbabwe finished 46th out of 56 nations, ahead of Senegal, Mozambique and Jamaica.

Australia won its 10th team title, with the USA second and Brazil third. Jett Maughan of the USA claimed U18 boys’ gold, while Australia’s Locana Cullen won the U16 boys’ title.

A two-time SA junior surfing champion, three-time Ballito Pro Rookie Rippers champion and former winner of all five Grom Games events in a single year, Cello admitted he was more nervous than usual in El Salvador.

“You can feel the high level of competition around you. But the experience opened my eyes to the level of surfing around the world and left me more confident going into local events,” he said.

A former tennis player who once dreamed of playing at Wimbledon, Cello turned his attention to surfing during the Covid-19 lockdown.

His medium-term goal is to become an ISA World Junior champion, while ultimately he hopes to qualify for the WSL Championship Tour and win a world title.

Ferrandi, who was also Zimbabwe’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony, praised Cello’s performance and conduct.

Going into the championship, his advice was simple: enjoy the experience and take it all in. He encouraged Cello to temper his expectations given his age, the older competition and the scale of the event.

“Cello rose to the occasion. He surfed his heats well and carried himself well through the wins and losses,” said Ferrandi.