Bundagen surfer wins bronze at world junior titles

RIO Luther Barr has emerged as one of the best young surfers in the world.

The Bundagen surfer won the bronze medal in the Under 16s boys event at the ISA World Junior Surf Championships in El Salvador.

The Sawtell Boardriders Club member finished an incredible third out of 128 surfers, after progressing through the tough gauntlet of seven rounds to make the final.

He was part of the Australian team that took on the world in the Under 18s and Under 16s boys and girls events.

Australia won the team gold medal at the competition, which featured 56 countries and 474 surfers.

Rio described what the conditions were like, and recalled his best round of the competition.

“It was actually such a great spot to hold a comp because every day without fail there were super fun waves that were rippable and perfect for holding a contest,” he said.

“The weather was insanely hot so you really had to manage yourself and make sure you didn’t burn out in the early days especially when the waves are so good it’s hard not to surf too much in the practice sessions.

“My semi-final was my personal favourite, just because I hadn’t really gotten any good waves in the first 15 minutes of the heat and it was down to 10 minutes and I was in third by quite a bit, I tried to just stay calm and present and let my surfing do the talking and in the last 10 minutes I got the two best waves of the heat and surfed them really well and ended up winning and making it to the final.”

From there, he did the little things which helped him to dominate.

“It was super-hot and exhausting over there so you really had to be aware of your energy and not doing too much, so I feel like I had a good routine and balance of surfing and resting and doing all the little things that make me feel 100 per cent and ready to go dominate,” he said.

“Also, I had a really good mindset about how I wanted to compete and that freed me up a lot to just go out there and surf instead of being so worried about the result.

“It’s a pretty great feeling (to finish third in the world), just getting selected to represent Australia in world juniors felt massive, and then going over there and competing against the top 128 juniors in the world in my division and ending up on the podium with a bronze medal, third in the world was pretty inspiring and such a good feeling.”

He explained why he had emerged as one of the best young surfers in the world.

“Ever since I started taking surfing more seriously, around 11, and wanting to be the best surfer in the world, I’ve been really dedicated to putting all the work in and doing all the one percenters,” he said.

“Also, I naturally have always been pretty athletic and from the beginning I had good technique as a surfer.

“I love surfing so much and have always been super curious so I’m always trying to learn more and ask questions so I can become better.

“I want to win a world title on the championship tour and be the best surfer in the world.”

By Aiden BURGESS