Bevan surfs to gold

FEW people outshine their international competition after winning their first national cap, but for Bevan Willis, this much is true. The Northwood School Grade 10 pupil recently proved succinctly why he is one of South Africa’s up and coming surf stars. The 16-year-old won the U16 boys title at a Junior International surf competition against France.

Bevan, who is the official reserve for the SA Junior Team for the ISA World Championships in Ecuador, beat Marco Nignot of France to claim his first international event win.

“I’m just so stoked, it was a super feeling. My coach (Quinton Jones) always said it’s important to have fun out on the waves and I did” said a delighted Bevan. When he was nine, Bevan got his first surfboard, it was sleek, royal blue in colour and had a lightning bolt running through the middle of it.

Like that lightning bolt, Bevan’s career has taken off ever since he made his first KZN squad in 2010. Besides winning a trophy for junior surfer of the year from his school, he has not failed to make the KZN squad since his debut.

“At my first SA champs I remember I was just so nervous and I was eventually knocked out before the quarter-final round stage. It was extremely disappointing,” he said.

However, instead of losing hope, Bevan pushed himself harder and has made the semi-finals of every SA Champs since then, which also included his first international cap. “Representing your country is always an honour and I hope to continue to do so in the future,” he said.