The US Open Adaptive Surfing Championships were held in Oceanside, California from September 7-11th. 104 of the top para surfing athletes from 15 countries were contesting for the US Open title as well as the inaugural Adaptive Surfing Professionals World Championship title, with this event being the final leg for 2022 tour.
Oceanside had some great conditions on offer over the week, with a consistent 3-4ft swell offering some great opportunities for surfers to put their skills on display.
South Australia was well represented by Jocelyn Neumueller and her team of Matt Walsh, Matt Henwood, and Vance Gordon in the Prone Assist category, who finished the event with two solid heat wins, the US Open title, and the world championship title.
The Australian contingent was very competitive with Mark ‘Mono’ Stewart (NSW) also taking out the US Open and the inaugural world championship title for the Kneeling category, Matt Formston (NSW) taking out 3rd place at the US Open and winning the inaugural world championship title in the Partial Vision Impairment category and Kirk Watson finished 3rd in the US Open in the Blind category.
A great outcome for the Australian team who will return to California in December for the ISA Para Surfing World Championships, where SA will be represented by Chris Blowes and Jocelyn Neumueller.