BALLITO, SOUTH AFRICA — 8 July 2026: Brazil’s Ryan Kainalo and Australia’s Charli Hately claimed the men’s and women’s titles at the O’Neill SMTH Shapes Ballito Pro Junior, adding an international edge to an event rich with South African emerging talent.
Kainalo takes the men’s crown
Kainalo finished first ahead of Australian Dane Henry in the men’s decider. The Brazilian’s win underlined the depth of the travelling junior field and delivered a significant result in the regional Junior Qualifying Series campaign.
Behind the finalists, South African Simon Winter produced one of the strongest local runs of the event. His result helped move him into the lead of the WSL Africa junior rankings.
Hately wins a stacked women’s event
Hately secured the women’s title, with South Africa’s Louise Lepront finishing runner-up. Lepront’s consistency across the regional schedule was rewarded with the lead in the WSL Africa junior rankings despite the international event win going to Australia.
The final captured the wider story of the week: visiting talent taking home the trophies while the host nation’s best juniors strengthened their pathway toward regional qualification.
Junior highlights
- Ryan Kainalo (Brazil): men’s Ballito Pro Junior champion.
- Charli Hately (Australia): women’s Ballito Pro Junior champion.
- Dane Henry (Australia) and Louise Lepront (South Africa): runners-up.
- Louise Lepront and Simon Winter emerged as the new WSL Africa junior rankings leaders.
- The contest gave the next generation a major stage inside the long-running Ballito surf festival.
For young competitors: Event preparation is often built on small habits—water on hand, warm layers and a clean towel between heats. Our Surf Coast gear picks include reusable Mizu bottles and compact Leus towels. Mizu and Leus are Surf Coast Surf Report partners and are not represented as WSL or Ballito Pro Junior sponsors.
Sources: Official Ballito Pro results; Zigzag event report; World Surf League.
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