<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Spain’s <strong>Aitor Francesena</strong> earned his second Gold Medal in the event’s history in Men’s Visually Impaired 1, while teammate <strong>Carmen Garcia</strong> earned her first Title in Women’s Visually Impaired 1. The dual Gold Medals coupled with six other podium finishes propelled Spain to the pole position, their first Team Medal since the event’s inception in 2015.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I was only hoping to do my best,” said Garcia. “The most gratifying part of all of this has been continuing to improve as a surfer and now to have the chance to defend a title at the next edition.” </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Team USA, the previous Team World Champion in 2018, earned the Silver Medal, with Team Brazil earning Bronze and Hawaii Copper.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Five in a row for Hansen</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Denmark’s <strong>Bruno Hansen</strong> continued his unbroken streak earning Gold in each edition of the event, taking home his fifth consecutive prone World Title. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It feels surreal to win my fifth Gold Medal,” said Hansen. “I felt really focused and driven this year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“This goes out to a lot of the athletes here that are my heroes. Some of them are in a worse condition than I am and they surf better than I do. I’d like to share this Gold Medal with all those people out there. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I see Adaptive Surfing going from strength to strength every year. I hope there is a great future for the kids and they can be an inspiration to the rest of the people in the world.” </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Experience prevails and new faces emerge</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Experience proved to be valuable for those who had earned Gold Medals in previous editions of the event, as nine of the sixteen individual Gold Medalists were repeat World Champions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Those who added to their medal count included Hansen (DEN), <strong>Victoria Feige</strong> (CAN), <strong>Alcino ‘Pirata’ Neto</strong> (BRA), <strong>Jeff Munson</strong> (USA), <strong>Melissa Reid</strong> (ENG), <strong>Matthew Formston</strong> (AUS), <strong>Aitor Francesena</strong> (ESP), <strong>Sam Bloom</strong> (AUS), and <strong>Jesse Billauer</strong> (USA).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">New athletes also emerged onto the global stage of Para Surfing, earning their first-ever titles in the event’s history and exemplifying the extensive growth of the sport in the event’s five-year history.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first-time Gold Medalists were <strong>Carmen Lopez</strong> (ESP), <strong>Colin Cook</strong> (HAW), <strong>Roberto Pino</strong> (BRA), <strong>Malu Mendes</strong> (BRA), <strong>Sarah Bettencourt</strong> (USA), <strong>Liv Stone</strong> (USA), and <strong>Mike Vaz</strong> (BRA).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>England’s Reid can’t be stopped, defends Gold Medal with top performance</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The top performance of the day belonged to England’s <strong>Melissa Reid</strong> who successfully defended her Title in the Women’s Visually Impaired 2 Division with a heat total of 17.17.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“When I heard my final wave score out there, my coach and I almost jumped off our boards, crying with happiness,” said Reid. “It’s been an incredible experience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Getting into surfing has given me more enjoyment in life more than anything. Surfing has changed my life and I just feel so lucky to be a part of this global community.” </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Billauer, Teixeira rematch leads to dramatic chase for Gold</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The most drama-packed heat of the day came down to the Men’s Prone 2 Division, where USA’s <strong>Jesse Billauer</strong> and <strong>Jose Martinez</strong> faced off against Brazil’s <strong>Davi Teixeira</strong> and <strong>Eduardo Mayr</strong>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Billauer and Teixeira are no strangers, as Billauer out-surfed Teixeira in 2015 for his first Gold Medal, then Teixeira returned the favor in 2016 to earn his maiden ISA Gold.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Billauer, Teixeira, and Martinez all opened up strong with excellent 8 point rides.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Teixeira held the lead until the dying moments of the heat, however a last ditch effort by Billauer earned him a solid 7.9 point back up score to surpass Teixeira and claim his second Gold Medal, his first since 2015. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Teixeira earned the Silver, Martinez the Copper, and Mayr the Bronze.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>An unforgettable experience for Uruguay’s Isabella Desseno</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Uruguay’s 15-year-old <strong>Isabella Desseno</strong> earned a Copper Medal in the Women’s Prone 2 Division. The medal for Desseno was a great success in her debut participation in the World Championship, making her country proud. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Winning a medal in the World Championship is something that I wouldn’t have ever believed,” said Desseno. “The best part of this event has been getting to meet people from other countries.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Even though I may not have won a Gold Medal this time, I made lots of friends and met incredible people. Our friendships will continue through other Adaptive Surfing events around the world.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>ISA President Fernando Aguerre on a historic day of Para Surfing</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Through a week of heavy downpours, team camaraderie, world-class surfing, and inspirational displays of perseverance, history has been made in La Jolla</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“A record-breaking 131 athletes from varying backgrounds, religions, races, and social classes united to celebrate a sport that has changed all of the competitors’ lives for the better. By spreading the innate stoke and joy of surfing, we strive to continue making the world a better place through Surfing. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“What we witnessed this week is a testament to the fact that the sport of Para Surfing is on the rise around the globe. We had more competitors, a higher level of surfing, professional classification processes, and an expert judging panel, all steps that we hope will one day take Para Surfing onto greatest stage of sport, the Paralympic Games.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I would like to send my sincere thanks to all competitors for putting in the hard work to come here and represent your nation. It is through this community that our ambassadors strengthen our message and movement around the globe.” </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To access video highlights, webcast replays, results, and photos from the competition, visit <strong><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013SwRWna5ADy4BpAUR_Fmgma3-bD0zmwkF1wnHdn-jdSNicYyrLOYWJ90i5AMADWS3EW-8OuHQu6IjY6QvrK90XtuTVlx9DiKwIFG4_SBabxNiw8zuSNW-zR6V5_QTL6y2hGUhq3Bhwvqh-ATyRtw-Tzvq04A6D-3Vh9rt2vGgCkagNlH9evkuERaLMj-FYbF&c=dGHNs81p8d-4yVJCJpejfEUlpVXl1b1-YtrD-v8sAecWYeOYNtKRuQ==&ch=NKND4B2m0qKC6DjxMakYp0gpu3SnA7CVjsy2aUXOB-pFNop9XXFnsQ==" target="_blank">www.isasurf.org/para-surfing</a></strong>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">View full results <strong><a href="https://www.isasurf.org/para-surfing/en/results/" target="_blank">here</a></strong>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Team</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Gold – Spain</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – USA</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Brazil</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Hawaii</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Men’s Stand 1</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/mike-vaz" target="_blank">Mike Vaz</a></strong> (BRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Jonathan Borba (BRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Antony Smyth (RSA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Ibon Muguerza (ESP)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Women’s Stand 1</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/liv-stone" target="_blank">Liv Stone</a></strong> (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Faith Lennox (HAW)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Zoe Giannini (ARG)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Catalina Castro (CHI)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Men’s Stand 2</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/roberto-pino" target="_blank">Roberto Pino</a></strong> (BRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Philippe Naud (FRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – JP Veaudry (RSA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Adi Klang (ISR) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Women’s Stand 2</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/malu-mendes" target="_blank">Malu Mendes</a></strong> (BRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Charlotte Banfield (ENG)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Jimena Ruiz (CRC)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Maria Martin-Granizo (ESP)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Men’s Stand 3</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/colin-cook" target="_blank">Colin Cook</a></strong> (HAW)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Eric Dargent (FRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Naomichi Katukura (HAW)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Men’s Kneel</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/alcino-neto" target="_blank">Alcino Neto</a></strong> (BRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Mark Stewart (AUS)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Henrique Savaira (BRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Llywelyn Williams (WAL)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Women’s Kneel</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/victoria-feige" target="_blank">Victoria Feige</a></strong> (CAN)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Noemi Alvarez (CHI)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Paloma Onate (ESP)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Audrey Pascual (ESP)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Men’s Prone 1</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/bruno-hansen" target="_blank">Bruno Hansen</a></strong> (DEN)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Marcos Tapia (ESP)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Daniel de la Vega (MEX)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Gavin Bellis (AUS)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Women’s Prone 1</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/sarah-bettencourt" target="_blank">Sarah Bettencourt</a></strong> (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Tracy McKay (RSA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Ann Yoshida (HAW)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Isabella Desseno (URU)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Men’s Prone 2</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/jesse-billauer" target="_blank">Jesse Billauer</a></strong> (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Davi Teixeira (BRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Jose Martinez (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Eduardo Mayr (BRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Women’s Prone 2</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/sam-bloom" target="_blank">Sam Bloom</a></strong> (AUS)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Noluthando Makalima (RSA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Georgina Melatini (ARG)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Katell Ropert (FRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Men’s Visually Impaired 1</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/aitor-francesena" target="_blank">Aitor Francesena</a></strong> (ESP)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Elias Ricardo Diel (BRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Henry Martinez (CRC)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Joshua Loya (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Women’s Visually Impaired 1</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/carmen-lopez" target="_blank">Carmen Lopez</a></strong> (ESP)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Barbie Pacheco (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Men’s Visually Impaired 2</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/matthew-formston" target="_blank">Matthew Formston</a></strong> (AUS)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Roy Calderon (CRC)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Aaron Paulk (HAW)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Shigeru Fujisaki (JPN)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Women’s Visually Impaired 2</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/melissa-reid" target="_blank">Melissa Reid</a></strong> (ENG)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Ling Pai (CAN)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Celia Gramse (ESP)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Lou Mechiche (FRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Waveski</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gold – <strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Riders/jeff-munson" target="_blank">Jeff Munson</a></strong> (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Silver – Alana Nichols (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bronze – Charles Webb (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copper – Ethan Kairer (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>About the International Surfing Association:</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The International Surfing Association (ISA), founded in 1964, is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. The ISA governs and defines Surfing as Shortboard, Longboard & Bodyboarding, StandUp Paddle (SUP) Racing and Surfing, Para-Surfing, Bodysurfing, Wakesurfing, and all other wave riding activities on any type of waves, and on flat water using wave riding equipment. The ISA crowned its first Men’s and Women’s World Champions in 1964. It crowned the first Big Wave World Champion in 1965; World Junior Champion in 1980; World Kneeboard Champions in 1982; World Longboard Surfing and World Bodyboard Champions in 1988; World Tandem Surfing Champions in 2006; World Masters Champions in 2007; World StandUp Paddle (SUP, both surfing and racing) and Paddleboard Champions in 2012; and World Para Surfing Champions in 2015.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ISA membership includes the surfing National Federations of 108 countries on five continents. The ISA is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (ARG). The Executive Committee includes four Vice-Presidents Karín Sierralta (PER), Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), Casper Steinfath (DEN) and Barbara Kendall (NZL), Athletes’ Commission Chair Justine Dupont (FRA), Regular Members Atsushi Sakai (JPN) and Jean Luc Arassus (FRA) and ISA Executive Director Robert Fasulo as Ex-officio Member.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Its headquarters are located in La Jolla, California (USA).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For further information, please visit ISA's website <strong><a href="http://www.isasurf.org/" target="_blank">www.isasurf.org</a>. </strong>You can also follow ISA on <strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ISAsurfing/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>,</strong> <strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/isasurfing/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></strong>, <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/isasurfing" target="_blank">Twitter</a></strong> & <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ISAsurfing" target="_blank">YouTube</a></strong>. </div>