When the clock ticked into its final seconds at the 2025 World Surf League World Junior Championships in the Philippines, Isla Huppatz could barely hold back the tears. The 18-year-old Burleigh Heads surfer had done it. She was crowned the 2025 World Junior Champion.
“I can’t believe it, to be honest, this is crazy,” Huppatz said. “Oh my gosh, when it was counting down, like 5 seconds to go, I was like there’s no waves coming, I started to tear up. I couldn’t believe it, it just hit me all at once.”
The Victorian-raised surfer, who now calls the Gold Coast home, was the standout performer throughout the entire event, carrying incredible form from the Opening Round all the way through to the biggest win of her career. Her dominant run began with a statement of intent, posting the highest single-wave score of the competition, a 9.00, in her very first appearance. From that moment, Huppatz either earned or equalled the highest numbers across her remaining heats, right up until the Final.
In claiming the prestigious title, Isla Huppatz joins a strong legacy of Australian women who have won the World Junior Championship, a list that includes Sally Fitzgibbons, Laura Enever, and Isabella Nichols. It is rarefied company for the reigning Australia/Oceania Junior Champion, who now adds the world title to her regional crown.
The Final itself was a tense affair, contested in challenging one-to-two-foot conditions that demanded smart wave selection and critical small wave skills. Standing between Huppatz and the title was 2023 World Junior Champion Sierra Kerr, also from Australia. The match-up between the two regular-footers was made all the more meaningful by their close friendship off the water.
“Sierra’s one of my best mates, so she was so stoked for me,” Huppatz said. “I’m so glad I got to share a Final with her. Obviously it was super grovelly, but we both still got some so it was sick.”
Huppatz won a crucial early exchange in the 40-minute Final, earning a 7.17 to Kerr’s 6.50. But with conditions proving inconsistent, she found herself chasing a score for the majority of the heat as Kerr steadily improved her back-up score. The pressure mounted as the minutes ticked away.
“We both had good starts with bigger scores, and then it just kind of went really grovelly,” Huppatz explained. “I went a couple under priority hoping it would be something, give me any section, and it didn’t really work out and I was getting a bit rattled, but it’s not over until it’s over.”
With less than five minutes remaining, Huppatz finally found her opportunity. A wave arrived that allowed her to unleash the exciting critical hits that had delivered her success throughout the event. She earned a 5.50, enough to secure the victory and the world title.
“Then that last wave gave me one good section at the start and it fired me up,” she said. “I don’t know what I was really turning on, but I just got the score, can’t believe it.”
Kerr’s runner-up finish was a remarkable achievement in its own right. The 18-year-old had spent close to six months away from competitive surfing due to illness after discovering she has Lyme disease. The Philippines event marked her first time competing properly and her first time doing two heats in a day since the same competition last year. She also began the event battling an unrelated sickness.
Despite these challenges, Kerr put on highlight performances throughout the competition, defeating fellow Stab High victor Skai Suitt from Hawaii, Challenger Series competitor Reid Van Wagoner from the USA, Championship Tour Rookie Bella Kenworthy from the USA, and Olympian Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri from the Basque Country in an exceptional run to the Final.
“It’s my first time competing properly, like first time doing two heats in a day since this comp last year,” Kerr said. “I’m just grateful to be here and couldn’t have picked anyone better to have the Final with than Isla, it was super fun. Stoked for her and congrats everyone.”
Both Isla Huppatz and Kerr had advanced to the Final after defeating goofy-footers in tight Semifinal match-ups. Huppatz overcame Vaihitimahana Inso from Hawaii, while Kerr defeated Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri from the Basque Country.
In addition to the prestigious title, Huppatz has gained a valuable position for her first season on the Challenger Series in 2026, the next step on the pathway to the elite Championship Tour.
For the Burleigh Heads local, the journey from Victoria to the Gold Coast and now to the top of the junior surfing world represents a career-defining moment. At just 18 years of age, the future of Australian surfing looks bright.
