The 2026 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Junior Surfing Championship (WJSC) came to a thrilling conclusion today in three-to-four-foot surf on the cobblestone peaks of Surf City’s La Bocana. Australia claimed a historic 10th team gold medal, their third in a row, buoyed by a total of six individual medals, half of which were gold.
After winning their first team gold medal in the second edition of the WJSC in 2004, Australia went on a five-year winning streak from 2006 to 2010. One more victory followed in 2013, before a decade that saw them on the podium every year but one, yet never on top. That changed in 2024, when Dane Henry (AUS) and Ziggy Aloha Mackenzie (AUS) earned their World Junior Titles to lead the team to success, and continued through 2025, when Ocean Lancaster (AUS) claimed his U/16 Title, and now once again in 2026 with three new World Junior Champions for the nation.
The remaining team medals also mirrored 2025, with USA taking home the silver medal, Brazil, the bronze, and Peru copper. Several of the individual medals that contributed to their teams’ overall performances were historic. Three of the medals of note came in the U/18 Girls Final, with Zoie Zietz (NED) earning the Netherlands’ first WJSC medal, the silver, Luara Mandelli (BRA) claiming the second-ever WJSC medal for a Brazilian woman and first since Diana de Souza (BRA) in 2006 (both earned bronze), while Victoria Muñoz Larreta (ARG) won the first WJSC girls medal for Argentina, the copper. Lucca Barrientos (PER) also earned Peru’s first WJSC boys medal since Alonso Correa (PER) in 2016, the U/16 copper.
Leihani Zoric, 13, Becomes Youngest-Ever ISA U/18 World Junior Champion
From the moment she arrived in El Salvador, Leihani Zoric (AUS) had no doubt that she would return home with a gold medal in hand. Despite competing in the U/18 division, the 13-year-old carried an air of absolute confidence into every heat, assured that the end result was already guaranteed. Not only did that dream come true, but the Indigenous Australian did it in style, posting the highest heat total of her division for the event in the Final, an excellent 16.00, on the strength of her powerful and progressive approach, to become the youngest-ever ISA U/18 gold medalist. Along with U/16 Girls winner Lucy Darragh (AUS), Zoric joins names like Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Tyler Wright (AUS), and Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) as one of nine Australian women to hold the title of ISA World Junior Champion. Zoric is also the first Australian woman to win the U/18 title since Wright, the Olympian and two-time WSL World Champion, in 2010.
“I actually got the wildcard to come here, I didn’t even really qualify, but the moment I did I said to my mum and dad, ‘I’m going to win this. I’m going there to win the gold,’” Zoric said. “I put it up everywhere in my house, and my nana always told me I was gonna become the first Zoric world champion, and I did. I’m only 13 and I wouldn’t have ever dreamt of winning an ISA in under 18s at this age, so if you believe it and you dream it, you can achieve it. From the start I put it in the team group chat that I had a really good feeling we were gonna win, I even made an AI photo of us all with gold medals on, and to actually be able to do that in real life means so much.”
ett Maughan Punctures Australian Dominance to Claim U/18 Boys Gold for USA
The explosive surfing of Jett Maughan (USA) punctured the dominance of Australia, edging out two Australians, including reigning ISA U/16 World Junior Champion Ocean Lancaster (AUS), to claim the U/18 Boys gold medal in his first WJSC appearance. Maughan’s clutch performances saw him post some of the event’s best numbers on the road to the Final, including a 9.00 in the Semifinals for a lofty backhand air reverse. The 17-year-old from Cardiff, California, was almost in a state of shock after coming out on top in the extremely hard-fought Final.
“I’m speechless right now. I have so much to say but I can’t put the words out,” Maughan said. “All event I just tried to stay as focused as possible, especially from the Quarterfinals and beyond. I tried to give it my all and not leave anything left on the table, and I’m stoked it worked. I was so stoked to get on such good waves. I just figured there’s nothing to lose, I’m already in the Final, so I gave it my everything. I could not have done this without everyone. Thank you so much to my parents, I wouldn’t be here without you guys, and all my friends supporting me back home. It’s hard to believe. I’m so stoked.”
The strength of an 8.43 for solid railwork on the right of La Bocana set Maughan ahead of Ben Zanatta Creagh (AUS) and Lancaster, with just 0.32 separating all three surfers’ final scores. A backup of a 6.83 was in Maughan’s scoreline, with very similar numbers in the 7-point range for both Australians ultimately leaving them just 0.06 apart. Zanatta Creagh had the edge to take the silver medal, Lancaster the bronze. Somewhat outside the intense battle, Brazil’s John Muller (BRA) had to settle for the copper medal.
Lucy Darragh Completes Journey From 2025 Bronze to World Junior Title
An U/16 Girls bronze medal finish in 2025 was ultimately a disappointing result for Lucy Darragh (AUS), who knew she had more in the tank. Returning in 2026 with a deep hunger to win, the 16-year-old from the South Coast of NSW carried strong form throughout the event all the way to the gold medal. The only surfer in the draw currently competing on the WSL Challenger Series, Darragh became the third Australian girl to win the U/16 World Junior Title, following Sierra Kerr (AUS) and Ziggy Aloha Mackenzie (AUS), the 2023 and 2024 gold medalists.
“I’m so stoked. Winning this event was a huge goal of mine last year and I came really close with the bronze, so it just made me so hungry to get the win this year,” Darragh said. “The week has kind of flown by because me and the team have just been having so much fun, watching every single one of each other’s heats. Getting the win is kind of like the cherry on top. Loci [Cullen] getting the win just before me, and then Ben [Zanatta Creagh] and Ocean [Lancaster] in this one, it just shows how dominant Australia is and how many great surfers we’ve got. Hopefully I can go to the Olympics one day, it’s one of my biggest dreams. Shout out to everyone who supported me, all my brothers and sisters, my grandma, the whole Werri Boardriders at Gerringong Surf Club. So stoked, thank you everyone.”
Zoë Panettiere (USA) brought the most competition to Darragh in the Final after a priority interference from Takihei Ellacott (TAH) on Alani Morse (NZL) left the Tahitian with a single 6.00 score as her only number on the board. Morse continued to fight for the silver medal, but ultimately secured the bronze to equal the best-ever individual result for New Zealand. Her performance also lifted New Zealand to No. 8 in the rankings, the team’s best result since they hosted the WJSC at Piha in 2010.
Locana Cullen Turns U/16 Boys Final Into Airshow to Claim Gold
Locana Cullen (AUS) placed his fellow competitors in a giant combination situation just past the halfway mark of the U/16 Boys Final. The 15-year-old, two-time Stab High Bottle Rockets winner from Sydney’s Northern Beaches turned the tricky, onshore conditions into an airshow, earning an excellent 16.44 heat total in the process. A smooth full rotation picked up the highest number of the Final, an 8.67, virtually sealing the deal with nearly half of the heat still left to play out. Behind Cullen, a tight battle for silver played out between Taro Matsuno (JPN) and Rio Luther Barr (AUS), which ultimately tipped in Matsuno’s favor.
“I can’t believe it, I’m over the moon,” Cullen said. “The wind just came up and it was perfect for the airs. I was like, ‘I need to get one section and I need to land it,’ and I did. At the start I caught not the best wave, and then I heard that blue from Japan got a 7.17. I got a little rattled but then I was like, ‘Alright, just forget everything, lock in and focus on what I need to focus on.’ Everything just kind of went my way in the end. My mum’s here supporting me and doing everything for me, and the whole Team Australia has been the best support crew ever. I’ve had such an amazing time here. I’m just so grateful to have such a good community behind my back. Thank you guys so much.”
ISA President Fernando Aguerre said:
“Thank you, El Salvador, for showing the world what you can do when you get together, when you organize, and you make things happen. We are so proud to be part of this incredible experience of running events in this beautiful country. This was not just a coincidence, this was a plan, and a work together between the Government of El Salvador and the people of El Salvador.
“In a world full of conflicts and difficult situations, sometimes it is very hard to have hope when you see so many problems. But we are a show and a proof that hope is possible. When people get together around a surfing competition, we are in peace. These incredible days of competition have been a celebration of what is possible when the world unites through surfing.
“Now go home and remember this beautiful country. Hopefully you will come back before the next ISA competition, bring your friends, bring your family. A safe place, wonderful waves, warm water. Muchas gracias, El Salvador.”
RESULTS
Teams
Gold – Australia
Silver – USA
Bronze – Brazil
Copper – Peru
U/18 Girls
Gold – Leihani Zoric (AUS)
Silver – Zoie Zietz (NED)
Bronze – Luara Mandelli (BRA)
Copper – Victoria Muñoz Larreta (ARG)
U/18 Boys
Gold – Jett Maughan (USA)
Silver – Ben Zanatta Creagh (AUS)
Bronze – Ocean Lancaster (AUS)
Copper – John Muller (BRA)
U/16 Girls
Gold – Lucy Darragh (AUS)
Silver – Zoë Panettiere (USA)
Bronze – Alani Morse (NZL)
Copper – Takihei Ellacott (TAH)
U/16 Boys
Gold – Locana Cullen (AUS)
Silver – Taro Matsuno (JPN)
Bronze – Rio Luther Barr (AUS)
Copper – Lucca Barrientos (PER)