A FUTURE star of surfing looks set to challenge the top names in the sport after standout performances in the World Junior Championships.<\/p>\n
Tweed Heads surfer Sierra Kerr made a name for herself last year when she was crowned junior world champion.<\/p>\n
Celebrations continued with wins across multiple events when the season finished in November.<\/p>\n
Kerr was dominant in 2024 and will likely appear in more events on the Championship Tour and Challenger Series this year.<\/p>\n
She has just reached the quarter-finals of the junior world championships in the Philippines where she went down in a narrow loss against five-time national junior champion Arena Rodriguez.<\/p>\n
Kerr is using the junior championships and her time at the Philippines to fine-tune her skills for the season ahead.<\/p>\n
“The waves have been fun, and the locals are super nice,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I had experience surfing at the CT level last year, so it’s been cool to take the experiences I’ve had there and apply them here at the World Junior Championships.”<\/p>\n
She had no time to rest with the next round of competition now running at Pismo Beach, California.<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old divides her time between Australia and the United States with Tweed Heads one of her main surfing spots.<\/p>\n
She trains at the Surfing Australia High Performance Centre at Casuarina when she is home.<\/p>\n
Her father Josh Kerr was on the men’s championship tour for several years.<\/p>\n
He has helped her become an aerial specialist and one of the best junior prospects across the country.<\/p>\n
She was the Australia\/Oceania Pro Regional champion in 2023 and Surfing Australia Rising Star award winner in 2021.<\/p>\n
Next month, she will have the chance to compete closer to home with the Gold Coast Pro at Burleigh Heads.<\/p>\n
It has been a fruitful surf break for Far North Coast surfers in recent years.<\/p>\n
Lennox Head duo Mikey McDonagh and Nyxie Ryan won events there last year in Qualifying Series and Challenger Series competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A FUTURE star of surfing looks set to challenge the top names in the sport after standout performances in the World Junior Championships. Tweed Heads surfer Sierra Kerr made a name for herself last year when she was crowned junior world champion. Celebrations continued with wins across multiple events when the season finished in November. […]<\/p>\n