ISA World Surfing Games 2025: Tim Elter perseveres despite broken boards and tropical storm as fourth competition day wraps up

From two broken boards to the extra pressure of being announced as an Olympian, Germany’s Tim Elter has had no shortage of challenges to face at the 2025 ISA World Surfing Games.

The fourth competition day on Tuesday, 9 September delivered another one in the face of a tropical storm that dropped on Surf City El Salvador, causing the postponement of the women’s third round.

When the announcement was made, Elter was already in the water for the last heat of the men’s third round. The wind picked up, the sky turned grey, and hints of rain creeped in.

“It was really tough because it's pretty much like a storm," Elter told Olympics.com. "You don't see the waves coming in. Once you take off, there's lumps and bumps on it, so you want to be as connected as you can to the ocean, and you want to get the ball rolling a bit. Early start, apply a little bit of pressure and then build on that.”

As strong winds ripped through La Bocana, Elter still managed to pick up two solid scores of 6.17 and 5.27 to finish almost two points above fellow Olympian Lucca Mesinas of Peru and advance to the next round.

But while Mesinas may enjoy being announced as an Olympian, Elter certainly does not.

“I hate it,” the surfer said. “I do not like to get announced as an Olympian. I'm just being brutally honest because I don't want to be the 'German Olympian' only. I want to stand for more different things, not just that.

“It only adds pressure because your environment has these high expectations of you and that's sometimes hard to deal with.“

Elter has already had enough pressure to face since arriving in El Salvador. A tail of one of his surfboards was completely destroyed on the inbound flight, and he also ripped out two plaques of his competition board in the first morning session, though that was promptly fixed.

All the challenges are not enough to blur Elter’s focus, however. The surfer is eager to improve on his result from last year – when he finished 11th – and get in the Top 10.

As for what it would take, Elter had a simple answer: “One more heat. One more heat than last year.”

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Broken ankles a risk worth taking as Costa Rica's Samuel Reidy celebrates buzzer beater

Samuel Reidy also had a challenging round three as he found himself on the brink of being sent to the repechage with eight seconds left on the clock.

Desperate to stay in the main round, the Costa Rican surfer rushed to catch a buzzer beater that bumped him up to second place, behind Brazil’s Michael Rodrigues.

“When I heard that I wasn't in second position, I knew I had to pull something out and luckily I was far enough into where blue (USA’s Luke Guinaldo) couldn't have caught me," Reidy told Olympics.com. "I got that last wave and I was looking at it and hoping that it would stand up on the rocks and luckily it gave me a ramp and I could get enough speed and throw the air.”

The next few minutes were a blur as Reidy rushed towards the shore where a boisterous Costa Rican delegation waved flags and cheered.

“I can't even describe it. It's basically what I live for, it's competition, and I can't believe it," he said. "I was trying not to break my ankles hobbling over the rocks when I heard the score and I was freaking out, but it was truly a special moment and then to be received by my team was even more special.”

Reidy is competing at his second World Surfing Games. His first, in 2024, was an experience that had him feeling like he “was basically thrown to the wolves” given the level of athletes that he had to face in his heats. The 22-year-old ultimately tied for 46th place but is aiming much higher this year now that he has learned how to deal with pressure better.

"I have something written down in my journal and it's to make the final, so little by little I'm doing it," Reidy said. "I'm just warming up now. I'm still getting the nerves out. It's pretty nerve-wracking to be up against these guys, and I'm just really stoked that I can show part of my surfing and I haven't capped out yet. “

Team spirit fuels Brazil's Michael Rodrigues in World Surfing Games comeback

While writing in his journal is a daily morning ritual for Reidy, Michael Rodrigues has another way to motivate himself in the mornings while in El Salvador.

The Brazilian surfer, who finished top of the heat with 15.14 points, is thriving on early wake-up surf sessions and “amazing breakfasts” while at the World Surfing Games, which he is returning to for the first time since winning the 2013 ISA China Cup.

“It means a lot,” Rodrigues told Olympics.com about representing Brazil on this stage again after more than a decade. “We have this passion about surfing and football, so to represent Brazil is a big thing for us and it means a lot for me.”

Rodrigues added that this team spirit is also one of the main reason’s behind his successful run at the 2025 ISA World Surfing Games so far.

“We are a team. We are a family,” Rodrigues said. “We compete against each other all the time in national events and the challengers, so they are pretty much my family because I live with them. We travel a lot and we see each other a lot in the water.”

Friendly rivalries with Kauli Vaast a boost for Teva Bouchgua and Jorgann Couzinet

Teva Bouchgua had one of the toughest heats in the third round. The Moroccan was pitted against Paris 2024 champion Kauli Vaast and local hero Bryan Perez, who beat Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Italo Ferreira on the same wave in 2024.

While the high profiles of his heat rivals did not daunt Bouchgua, his friendship with Vaast did. In the end, it was a happy ending as both surfers advanced to the next round. Bouchgua scored a total of 11.60 points, while Vaast finished 1.40 points ahead with 13.00.

“Kauli is one of my best friends," Bouchgua told Olympics.com. "It's always hard to surf against your best friend, but so good to make it together, so I'm just happy.”

Friendly rivalries aside, Bouchgua has high aims for the 2025 ISA World Surfing Games. Given the fact that his father and coach, Aziz Bouchgua, also coached two-time Olympian Ramzi Boukhiam, that comes as no surprise – especially given the young surfer's history in Surf City El Salvador.

“I missed the qualification to the Olympics for Paris by one spot two years ago here in Salvador, so I want to make it good again,” he said.

Jorgann Couzinet has his sights set on the individual competition, but also the team title, which has narrowly eluded France for two World Surfing Games in a row. They finished as the runner-up to Peru in 2023 and the runner-up to Brazil in 2024.

“We got second twice, so I want to make sure this year we're bringing the gold medal,” Couzinet told Olympics.com. “I'm pretty confident about my teammates Kauli and Sam (Piter). They’re ripping so we're going to push each other until the end and bring it on.”

Couzinet advanced to the fourth round after winning his heat with 12.33 points, almost three points over Australia’s Callum Robson. This result brings him a step closer to the coveted final, which Vaast was a part of last year, taking the bronze medal.

And if he were to meet his team captain Vaast in that final this year?

“He doesn't have any chance,” Couzinet said with a laugh. “He’s going to have to bring his best surfing for sure.”

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