Port Alfred’s top junior Springbok surfer, Lily Heny, ended top of the WSL Africa Junior rankings despite losing out to SA surfing champion Anastasia Venter at the Nelson Mandela Bay Pro Junior (JQS) 1,000 finals at Gqeberha’s Pollok Beach on Sunday.
“I’m elated because I knew if I did well in my quarterfinal heat (1st heat) I’d be ok to come out on top of the WSL Africa junior rankings,” said a stoked Lily speaking back home in Port Alfred.
Lily a Kowie Boardriders member and who surfs for Border, locked in the first score of the final but Venter who won her first JQS event, chose the best wave of the heat to earn a 6.17 for a total score of 11.50.
The Eastern Cape made it a double celebration when East London’s Daniel Emslie earned a 12.67 in the men’s junior final against Luke van Wyk’s 12.17 to win the junior men’s division title.
Lily and Luke Thompson earned their tickets to compete against the best juniors in the world at the 2024 WSL World Junior Championships. Though the venue has not been confirmed as yet, Lily says early indications are that it might be hosted in the Philippines in January
“I knew I just had to win my first heat (of three) to secure my place at the top of the WSL Africa rankings … and after I made it through to the semis .. I said to myself: ‘now you can relax’.
“However, going into the semis heat I had a really great mind set … I really wanted to win the final of course, but unfortunately I did not.”
Lily says in her semis heat against Aimee du Preez, she managed to get off quickly out of the blocks.
“Waves were small and didn’t have any power, so I had to put in a lot of effort to generate speed and my own power on the wave … and caught two waves in the first 10 minutes. I then surfed a bit defensively in an effort to prevent my opponent getting ahead of me.”
Lily who surfed the world junior championships in SA colours in Brazil in December 2023 was of course “super stoked” to end up on the podium with Thompson at Pollock beach.
“I was just very proud of myself… it felt very good. I mean standing next to the pro guys who were called up to the podium … it was very cool and a big moment for me,” says Lily.
“I feel good about the WSL World Junior Championships. I know the standard of surfing there will be very very good … but I’m just going to train very hard and put a lot of effort into my prep.”
So what does Lily Heny do outside of surfing to prepare for competition?
“I have to be physically fit, so I’ll run quite a bit with coach Mickey Wittuhn and do high intensity fitness training. The fitter I am for competition the more confident I am,” she says.
Lily says she enjoys spending time with her family especially on their boat in the river or time alone at the beach without her surfboard. “It is really important to get out of the competitive surfing mind set now and again,” she said.
Lily who is busy with her GCSE levels is mindful that balancing surfing and school work is vitally important. “It is quite stressful, but surfing will only last that long, so I am doing my best to balance things out.”
Surfers have to “pay their way” to the World Junior Championships in 2025 and Lily says she will be starting a fund-raising campaign to assist her with some of the costs and details will follow later.
Border coach Mickey Wittuhn says Lily’s surfing has progressed in leaps and bounds.
“She is determined, committed and motivated to succeed. She is still young and she is going to go far in surfing. Locally she is the only girl training with stronger [junior] guys and that has improved her level of fitness … she does push-ups and runs with them and doesn’t ever fall behind.”
“I am confident she will do well at the junior world championships … it’s a pleasure training her.”
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, September 19, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
