HOSSEGOR - France (Thursday, April 13, 2023) - Today, the World Surf League (WSL) Europe announced its regional Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) schedule for 2023. The JQS is the foundation for all tours, welcoming surfers under the age of 20 into the world of professional surfing.
Young athletes battle it out within their region to gain valuable experience in all sorts of conditions, gauge their abilities against surfers from different countries and start to sharpen their competitive edge under pressure.
The very best of each seven regions of the WSL: Africa, Asia, Australia / Oceania, Europe, Hawaii, North America and South America, ultimately qualify for the World Junior Championships (WJC) where they fight for the World Junior Title.
Six surfers from the Old Continent have claimed the World Junior crown, most recently Francisca Veselko last season. She followed in the footsteps of Pauline Ado, Maxime Huscenot, Alize Arnaud, Vasco Ribeiro and Vahine Fierro.
Numerous World Junior Champions have gone on to have fabulous careers on the Championship Tour (CT), including Andy Irons, Joel Parkinson, Adriano de Souza and Gabriel Medina who all eventually graduated to become the undisputed World Champions.
Lilias Tebbaï (MAR) will be the undisputed crowd-favorite in Morocco. - WSL / Damie
Morocco Hosts Season Opener in Casablanca
The 2023 European JQS will start at the upcoming Morocco Mall Junior Pro Casablanca, which holds a waiting period from May 3-7, 2023 at Ain Diab beach, in Casablanca, Morocco. It's the second time the Old Continent's finest juniors will meet in Casablanca as the event continues to build its legacy after hosting the Qualifying Series (QS) for three years between 2016 and 2018.
Last year's Moroccan stop was a Basque Country sweep with the victories of Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri and Bitor Garitaonandia. Both surfers could be absent from the fields next month, opening the door for the next generation of talents to break through. A surprise could come from the locals, especially in the women's field where Ranya Squalli as well as sisters Lilias and Ines Tebbai will try to shake things up in familiar waters.
The season will take a summer break and reconvene in September for back-to-back events. Firstly in La Torche, Brittany from September 13-17 for the event's fifth edition, then in Razo, Galicia the following week to wrap up the series.
2023 European Junior Qualifying Series Schedule:
- Casablanca (Morocco): May 3-7, 2023
- La Torche (Brittany, France): September 13-17, 2023
- Razo (Galicia, Spain): September 20-23, 2023
When the dust settles on the European JQS season, only the Top 2 men and Top 2 women will clinch a spot into the WJC.
2023 European Junior Qualifying Series Announced
WSL
HOSSEGOR - France (Thursday, April 13, 2023) - Today, the World Surf League (WSL) Europe announced its regional Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) schedule for 2023. The JQS is the foundation for all tours, welcoming surfers under the age of 20 into the world of professional surfing.
Young athletes battle it out within their region to gain valuable experience in all sorts of conditions, gauge their abilities against surfers from different countries and start to sharpen their competitive edge under pressure.
The very best of each seven regions of the WSL: Africa, Asia, Australia / Oceania, Europe, Hawaii, North America and South America, ultimately qualify for the World Junior Championships (WJC) where they fight for the World Junior Title.
Six surfers from the Old Continent have claimed the World Junior crown, most recently Francisca Veselko last season. She followed in the footsteps of Pauline Ado, Maxime Huscenot, Alize Arnaud, Vasco Ribeiro and Vahine Fierro.
Numerous World Junior Champions have gone on to have fabulous careers on the Championship Tour (CT), including Andy Irons, Joel Parkinson, Adriano de Souza and Gabriel Medina who all eventually graduated to become the undisputed World Champions.
Morocco Hosts Season Opener in Casablanca
The 2023 European JQS will start at the upcoming Morocco Mall Junior Pro Casablanca, which holds a waiting period from May 3-7, 2023 at Ain Diab beach, in Casablanca, Morocco. It's the second time the Old Continent's finest juniors will meet in Casablanca as the event continues to build its legacy after hosting the Qualifying Series (QS) for three years between 2016 and 2018.
Last year's Moroccan stop was a Basque Country sweep with the victories of Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri and Bitor Garitaonandia. Both surfers could be absent from the fields next month, opening the door for the next generation of talents to break through. A surprise could come from the locals, especially in the women's field where Ranya Squalli as well as sisters Lilias and Ines Tebbai will try to shake things up in familiar waters.
The season will take a summer break and reconvene in September for back-to-back events. Firstly in La Torche, Brittany from September 13-17 for the event's fifth edition, then in Razo, Galicia the following week to wrap up the series.
2023 European Junior Qualifying Series Schedule:
When the dust settles on the European JQS season, only the Top 2 men and Top 2 women will clinch a spot into the WJC.
Europe
An exciting way to end the season!
Exciting end to the European Junior Tour!
Juniors step up their game!
Juniors step it up in big surf.
A full day of action!
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