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Kanoa Igarashi gets in the elite of international pro surfing

Photo: Bosko | Quiksilver

Quiksilver surfer Kanoa Igarashi (USA) will be competing in the 2016 Samsung Galaxy World tour. At just 18 years old, the Californian will be joining the world’s surfing elite, making him the youngest on the tour in 2016.

This performance puts Kanoa Igarashi amongst the youngest surfers in the history of professional surfing, like Jérémy Florès and Taj Burrows before him, to qualify for the CT at 18 years old, without forgetting Gabriel Medina, who was just 17 years old when he joined the 34 best surfers in the world.

Kanoa Igarashi career has taken a meteoric rise. Coming from Huntington, he was a stand-out surfer from a young age, winning all the contests of his category, to the point where, he became the first American to match the North American victory record that Kelly Slater set, all competitions included.

From 11 years old, Kanoa counts already 30 NSSA victories (a record). At 14, he became the youngest winner of the American Championships in the under 18 category, the following year, he competed in his first QS competition and then went on to win one (Shoe City Pro, Huntington Beach, USA) at the age of 16.

However, it’s during this 2015 season, that Kanoa’s career has taken a spectacular turn. His victory at the QS 3000 Vans Pro, his 3rd place at the QS 10 000 US Open and his recent triumph at the QS 6 000 Mahalo Eco Surf Festival in Brazil placed Kaloha high on the rankings. Over the course of just a few months, he’s gone from one of the Pro Junior favorites, to a promising candidate for joining the world’s professional surfing elite.

In 2016, Kanoa Igarashi will join his Quiksilver team mates Jeremy Flores and Wigolly Dantas, on the Samsung Galaxy World Championship Tour.

“I can’t wait for that next step in my career” Kanoa Igarashi said “and I know I’ll learn more than I ever have in my life”.

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