Paul Bibby
Most 13-year-olds would be happy just to make an under-18 world final. Two weeks ago Broken Head surfer Leihani Zoric took out the whole thing.
Zoric has become the youngest-ever ISA Under-18 World Junior Champion after winning gold at the World Junior Surfing Championships in El Salvador, despite competing three age divisions above her own.
She saved some of her best surfing for the final at La Bocana, posting the highest heat total of the entire girls’ under-18 division with a score of 16.00.
‘I’m only 13 and I wouldn’t have ever dreamt of winning an ISA in under-18s at this age,’ Zoric said after the event.
The victory also made her the first Indigenous Australian surfer to win a world title at any level.
Zoric, who proudly represents her Yued heritage, said she was grateful for the chance to represent both her culture and her country.
‘I’m really proud to have represented my Yued mob over in Western Australia,’ she told the ABC.
Her connection with the ocean began early. According to the ABC, Zoric was put on a surfboard at Broken Head by her father when she was just two days old.
The world title caps an extraordinary year for the young surfer, who also won the Junior Girls and Open Women’s divisions at the 2026 Indigenous Surfing Titles.
Zoric was one of three Australians to win individual gold in El Salvador, helping the Irukandjis claim a third consecutive team title and Australia’s 10th ISA World Junior team championship overall.
She now joins a formidable list of Australian women to have won ISA junior world titles, including Stephanie Gilmore, Tyler Wright and Sally Fitzgibbons.
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