Surfing sensation Isi Campbell returns home from World Junior Surfing Championship with Australian gold medal

Denmark surfing sensation Isi Campbell is riding the crest of a wave after representing the nation in tournaments in South America and Indonesia recently, winning a gold medal with team Australia in the process. Campbell represented Australia in their gold medal-winning World Junior Surfing Championship in El Salvador in May before competing at the World Surf League’s 2024 Krui Pro in Indonesia in June. A member of the Great Southern Academy of Sport, the 17-year-old played a key role in Australia’s gold-medal performance, making it to the fifth repechage and placing 22nd overall in the under-18 girls division. Her tournament was highlighted on day seven of the event when she notched the fifth-highest scoring heat in repechage four, including a top-ten scoring wave (12.67), contributing to a WA top-two finish alongside Willow Hardy. Australia clinched gold with 7098 points ahead of Hawaii in second with 5525 points and France (5059 points) in third. Campbell continued her good form in the Krui Pro by taking out her round-of-64 heat with a score of 10 before bowing out in the round of 32 to finish equal 25th with 720 points. Campbell said competing with her fellow Australians to clinch gold was one of her greatest achievements in her fledgling career. “It was pretty cool, especially since the other worlds I went to in El Salvador we got a silver,” she said. “(It is) one of the biggest (achievements). “I was really happy, and we were all hugging each other. . . so we were obviously pretty stoked, we were all like, over the moon.” Despite her accomplishment, Campbell believed she did not perform as well as she hoped but gained a wealth of experience from the tournament. “I definitely wasn’t surfing my best or like performing how I wanted to, but you know, I’m still really happy with my result, and just the fact that I was over there representing Australia,” she said. “(It was due to) a combination of factors, I suppose and just everything has to come together for you to do well. “You definitely learn something every time you have a heat and surf different waves and everything — there’s definitely a lot of learnings. “I’m trying to spend some time at home with my family and everyone, and just surf as much as I can while I’m here, and focus on a few things that I feel I need to work on. “(Getting on to the pro tour) is something I’d like to achieve but I’m pretty happy with what I’ve done with myself in general as of now. After spending multiple weeks abroad, Campbell said she was happy to be back in Denmark after a “very long time away from home.”