Western Australian surfer Isi Campbell has capped off a remarkable international SUP debut with a quarterfinal finish at the 2025 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championships in El Sunzal, El Salvador.
Campbell, a competitive shortboarder from Denmark, only turned to SUP surfing at the end of 2023 while rehabilitating from a shoulder reconstruction. Her swift progression in the discipline has been one of WA’s standout sporting stories, culminating this week in an equal 7th place world ranking in the Open Women’s division.
Competing in the green and gold of The Irukandjis, Campbell posted two second place finishes in her opening rounds before bowing out in the quarterfinals, where she placed third in a tightly contested heat and narrowly missed a spot in the semifinals.
Read the full ISA Media Statement below.
SUP Surfing Semifinalists Decided on Day 2 of the 2025 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship
Surf City El Salvador – November 12, 2025
A second full day of SUP Surfing action saw semifinalists decided for the division in the 2025 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship (WSUPPC). Four-to-five-foot waves continued to line El Sunzal with long rights, along with the occasional left thanks to the south-west trajectory of the swell. Men’s Main Rounds 2-4 were completed, along with women’s Main Round 2 and 3.
Six men and six women battled through the rounds to survive into the third day of competition. All four Brazilians in the draw advanced, giving their team an early advantage in the overall standings. Peru and Spain each saw one woman and one man progress, while the remaining four competitors hail from different nations. Of those still in contention, only two surfers, Gabriela Sztamfater (BRA) and Kapono Fukuda (JPN) are yet to earn a medal at the WSUPPC.
A major standout on day one, Tamil Martino (PER), has carried his form through a second full day of competition, improving his heat totals as he went. The 37-year-old event veteran earned the highest single wave score of the day, a 9.00, in Main Round 3 with a solid combination of vertical maneuvers on one of the day’s bigger waves. Martino went on to take the win in the final heat of the day, looking to move into the Final for the first time since winning the silver medal in 2013.
“I’m feeling so tired after three heats, I’m going to bed now,” Martino said. “I’m going to keep the same focus I’ve had all competition, try to find a good wave and try to show my surfing. I’ve been taking different types of waves as I advanced through the competition, finding different ways to increase my scores.”
Almost half of the clock in the opening heat of men’s Main Round 4 had wound down before the first wave was ridden. The stacked heat included two World Champions, Benoit Carpentier (FRA) and Max Torres (PUR), along with Juan de los Reyes (ESP) and Sebastian Gomez (PER). The defending champion, Torres, struck first, picking up a 7.83, with lesser scores for de los Reyes and Gomez, before Carpentier unleashed to post an 8.83. Torres found an early backup, while Carpentier stayed patient. The 2018 copper medalist, de los Reyes, found his best wave late to move into second. Needing a small score, Carpentier made a final attempt to reclaim the advancing position but was seconds too late, leaving Torres and de los Reyes to progress.
“I saw I was with Benoit [Carpentier], gold medalist, Sebastian [Gomez], gold medalist in the Pan Ams, and Juan [de los Reyes], bronze medalist in China, and myself, a gold medalist too,” Torres said. “I was like, it’s gonna be a tough heat, but we did the job, started off strong. I feel great, you know, heat-by-heat. I have one more heat to make it a Final, and then we’ll think about what we’re gonna do in the Final, but we’re going to win.”
Teammates Luiz Diniz (BRA) and Alex Salazar (BRA) progressed through Main Round 4 together. While the three-time World Champion, Diniz, took the heat win, it was Salazar who delivered the day’s biggest surprise. In his first heat of the day, the 37-year-old goofy-foot found a left that offered him multiple sections to hit on his forehand, earning an 8.67, one of the highest scores of the day. Having only competed in the WSUPPC once before, Salazar previously claimed the bronze medal the last time the event was held in Surf City El Salvador.
The first surfer to qualify for the Semifinals was Gabriela Sztamfater (BRA), who has already achieved her best result yet in the WSUPPC. It was the third straight heat win for Sztamfater, who advanced ahead of five-time medalist Iballa Ruano (ESP). Ruano had posted some of the day’s best scores in her Round 2 heat and now moves into the Semifinals in hopes of claiming a medal for the first time since the 2019 WSUPPC.
Also winning her third straight heat was Lucia Cosoleto (ARG). The two-time World Champion held solid heat control throughout over day one standout Vania Torres (PER), who advanced in second. In a match-up that also featured Nimsay Garcia (PUR) and Alazne Aurrekoetxea (ESP), Cosoleto surfed a smart heat, picking up a mid-range score early before closing strong. Earlier in the day, the Argentinian earned a 7.83, the highest single wave score of the day for the women, with a series of strong carves. The 29-year-old is feeling confident as she looks for her third consecutive World Title.
“I’m really happy to make this heat, it was with some good friends and good athletes,” Cosoleto said. “I’m happy to be in the last day of the SUP surf contest. The ocean is not really easy now, so I really wanted to start quickly with a medium wave and then build my scores. So yeah, I made it. Now I’m going to eat something, because I haven’t eaten anything, and rest for tomorrow.”
New Zealand’s Stella Smith (NZL) won the last women’s heat of the day with a buzzer-beater that sent the 23-year-old from third to first. With Aline Adisaka (BRA) having taken an early lead and Marine Kerdreux (FRA) holding second, Smith found the best wave of the heat. The 2018 bronze medalist, Smith, attacked section after section in order to claim her place in the Semifinals ahead of Adisaka, the three-time medalist.
“I’m just really grateful to be here,” Smith said. “This is my fourth ISA and honestly I wouldn’t be here without my local community. I’m really excited, I don’t get to join in a lot of the international competitions. I obviously live so far away in Gisborne so it’s just excitement really, I’m honored to be here, I’m excited to surf some more, the waves are pumping, the water’s warm, the air’s warm, like what an amazing location.”
The 2025 WSUPPC will continue with men’s SUP Surfing Semifinals at 7:30 a.m. CST, Thursday, November 13, at El Sunzal.
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