San Clemente’s Sawyer Lindblad, San Diego’s Levi Slawson win US Open of Surfing
San Clemente’s Sawyer Lindblad, San Diego’s Levi Slawson win US Open of Surfing
San Clemente’s Sawyer Lindblad solidified her spot in US Open of Surfing history on Sunday, Aug. 3, earning her second title at the mega event in Huntington Beach. San Diego surfer Levi Slawson took his first title — and first win in the Challengers Series tour — in a mens finals heat that came down to the buzzer.
Only a few surfers in the contest’s history have claimed multiple titles, and 19-year-old Lindblad did it just two years after her first title in 2023.
“It feels really good, this event is really iconic and it’s always been an event I wanted to win and to do it twice is just really surreal,” she said. “I’m just really grateful for all the fans coming down and my family, just a really special moment.”
While the wave size was bigger on finals day, the morning had a funky wind and waves that were difficult to read, at times closing out and shutting down opportunities for scoring. By the afternoon, the sun broke through and 4- to 6-foot surf was giving the surfers plenty of opportunities. At times, the whitewash was so powerful that water licked the bottom of the concrete pier.
Slawson had led the entire finals heat, but his opponent, Brazilian aerialist Mateus Herdy, took a buzzer-beater wave, punting to the sky and landing it in the shallows.
Slawson waited in the ocean for judges to make the call — and when Herdy’s score came up, and fell short, Slawson was lifted on the shoulders of supporters, taking the podium as the US Open of Surfing winner.
“It’s hard to put into words what it means to me right now,” he said. “For me to take my first win on the Challenger Series ever, it means everything.”
The US Open of Surfing is a launching pad for surfers’ careers, a place where they earn valuable points and gain exposure on a mega stage just south of the Huntington Beach Pier.
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