East London surfer, Jean-Paul “JP” Veaudry, is coming home to the Eastern Cape with a gold medal around his neck after winning the Men’s Stand 2 division at The ISA World Para Surfing Championships at Huntington Beach in California at the weekend. And Kowie Boardriders are super stoked for him.
The talented Veaudry, one of six surfers who won World Championship gold for the first time in Huntington, has two bronze medals and a silver medal in his trophy cabinet, can finally add a gold to his treasure trove of medals. What makes the victory even more special, is that it came after more than a decade of trying to win the ultimate prize.
Veaudry came up against Forrest Weinberg (US), Nachman Balulu (ISR) and Philippe Naud (France) in a closely fought final showdown at Surf City. Ultimately, as Veaudry and Weinberg went head to head up front, it was the South African who was three points ahead as the final siren sounded to claim the gold.
Veaudry speaking to Talk of the Town from California as he was preparing to board a flight back to South Africa, said he was at a loss for words.
“All I can say this is so surreal,” he said, his voice almost cracking with emotion.“This is so surreal … I am pretty emotional; I reckon it will take a few days for it (gold medal) to sink in.
Veaudry says he could not keep up with all the messages of support before and after his victory on Saturday in Huntington.
“I am so grateful for all the messages from home … I had to apologise on my Facebook page for not replying to every message, as there was just too much happening. California really has been good to me, I can’t complain … but now it’s time to come home and am really happy and excited to see my family … and it’s really all about family.”
Veaudry says last year’s disappointment at the California Championships when a moment ‘interference’ cost him his second wave score, resulting in a lower score overall, that saw him narrrowly miss out on gold and settle for bronze, had troubled him all year round.
“I tried to take my eye off the prize in the build up to this year’s Worlds but last year’s disappointment did trouble me. However, now I am extremely excited I gave myself a chance at the best possible outcome (this year).”
“I just want to thank everyone, especially everyone back in East London, for all the incredible support. I am so very stoked. This is for my family,” JP had said on Saturday in his post-victory speech.”
In Port Alfred, Kowie Boardriders chairperson, Mickey Wittuhn, says his association with Veaudry goes back to his (Veaudry’s) junior surfing days.
“He used to surf in the junior series I used to run, like the Body Glove junior series, and the Danger Zone series and the Wejg series. I also took him to the development games in PE as a junior,” said Wittuhn.
“He was a powerful surfer with great style. After he lost his leg in a hit-and-run motorbike accident and once he had healed and got a prosthesis made, he started surfing again mainly at Eastern Beach in East London. He really tries hard and prersevered … he is always stoked and passionate about surfing.
“Nothing is impossible to him. A great down to earth guy who totally deserves the Gold Medal,” added Wittuhn.
In the Women’s Prone 1 Division Tracy McKay from Team South Africa achieved 5th place, just missing out on a finals berth.
France (10 medals) claimed their second consecutive Team World Championship over the US in a tight battle that has played out across three years. SA achieved 16th place in the competition.
Meanwhile, thanks in part to a local connection in the form of Royal St Andrews Hotel, Port Alfred, two SA surfers competing in the Rip Curl International GromSearch Finals are kicking off the tournament in Bali Indonesia on Wednesday November 13 after an intense warm-up schedule.
After a week of great waves and immersing themselves in the Bali surf culture, Rory Dace (Cape St Francis) and Louise Lepront (Scottburgh) are raring to take on their top junior surfing rivals from across the world.
Their entries into the Global Final, as well as their tickets to Bali and accommodation, were made possible through a collaborative effort between Rip Curl, Zigzag Magazine, Sea Harvest, and Royal St Andrews Hotel in Port Alfred.
The 2024 Rip Curl GromSearch Series is a successful Surfing South Africa series, with events held in Cape Town, Port Alfred, East London, Durban, and Cape St Francis. The series winners, Dace and Lepront, were decided on the best 4 out of 5 contest results, inspiring a new generation of groms.
You can watch the competition Live via the YouTube RipCurl channel:
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ripcurl
Additional Reporting by Craig Jarvis
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, November 14, 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.
