Broken Head teen defends open women’s crown at Indigenous Surfing Titles

BROKEN Head surfer Leihani Zoric has cemented her status as one of the most promising young talents in the country after multiple wins at the 13th Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles.

The 13-year-old won back-to-back open women and junior girls titles at Bells Beach, Victoria.

Champions were crowned across nine divisions after three days of competition, culture and connection at the Rip Curl event.

Zoric won the open women’s final by 2.04 points before producing a dominant performance to win the junior girls’ final by 6.30 points.

She said the atmosphere at the event helped bring out the best in her surfing.

“It felt really good to win this competition. I just wanted to have heaps of fun and enjoy the moment, and that usually brings out my best performance,” she said.

“Everyone is having fun and has such a positive attitude, which really rubs off on everyone. I feel more positive just being around them, they’re honestly some of the coolest people ever.

“Getting to spend the last few days with everyone has been a dream come true. They inspire me both in and out of the water, and the people are the best part of this event.”

 

The victories add to an already impressive resume for the young surfer.

She won a third straight under-14 girls title at the Lennox Head Oz Grom Open last year.

It was also her first Pro Junior event, which featured some of the country’s best surfers in an under-21 division.

She went on to win the Stephanie Gilmore Rising Star Award presented by Surfing Australia.

Her development has been supported by respected mentor Chris Moore.

He is father of five-time women’s world champion Carissa Moore and has trained the local product at beaches in Hawaii.

Zoric is also in Surfing Australia’s pathway programs with a focus on preparing the next crop of surfers for the Olympic Games in Brisbane in 2032.