Kanoa Igarashi

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Kanoa Igarashi
Personal information
Born (1997-10-01) October 1, 1997 (age 26)
Huntington Beach, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight171 lb (78 kg)
Surfing career
Years activeSince 2012 (9)
Best year2019 - Ranked #6 WSL CT World Tour
SponsorsRed Bull, Quiksilver, Oakley, Beats by Dr. Dre, Shiseido, G-Shock
Major achievements
Surfing specifications
StanceRegular (natural foot)
Olympic medal record
Men's surfing
Representing  Japan
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Shortboard
World Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Huntington Beach Men
Silver medal – second place 2018 Tahara Men
Silver medal – second place 2021 La Bocana Men
Silver medal – second place 2021 La Bocana Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Miyazaki Team
Kanoa Igarashi
Japanese name
Kanji五十嵐カノア

Kanoa Igarashi (Japanese: 五十嵐 カノア, Hepburn: Igarashi Kanoa, born October 1, 1997) is a Japanese-American surfer who has competed professionally worldwide since 2012. In 2016, he was the youngest rookie on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), and had collected more Round One wins than any other surfer, finished 2nd place at the Pipeline event, and 20th place overall that year.[1] His greatest career performance was in the 2022 WSL CT where he finished top 5 and got to compete on the final event of the year held in Trestles California. He qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Childhood[edit]

Igarashi's father Tsutomu was a surfer in Japan and a fan of the sport. When his wife Misa found out she was pregnant, the couple quit their jobs in Tokyo and moved to Huntington Beach, California, aka Surf City, with the goal of raising their child to be a competitive surfer.[2] Tsutomu took his son surfing as young as age 3, and would routinely wake him up to go surfing by 5:45AM so he could still make it to school on time.[3] Igarashi won his first surfing trophy by age 7.[3]

Career[edit]

In 2016 he entered as the youngest rookie to the WSL CT and the first representative surfer for Japan in the WSL.[1] He won the Vans U.S. Open WSL event in his hometown of Huntington Beach two years in a row in 2017 and 2018, but was eliminated early the following year.[4] Igarashi's first 1st-place finish at a WSL CT event was at the Corona Bali Protected event in Indonesia in 2019; he placed 6th overall that year.[5]

As a top ranked finisher of the 2019 WSL CT, Igarashi qualified to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo as a representative of Japan. The games were postponed to July 23, 2021, due to the 2019 coronavirus outbreak.[6] The selected beach break for the competition was at Tsurigasaki beach in the town of Ichinomiya, Chiba prefecture.[7] The chosen beach had special meaning to Igarashi as it was the same beach that his father Tsutomu not only surfed at, but also reportedly discovered with his friends and called "the Dojo".[8] Igarashi won the silver medal in the competition.[9]

Igarashi is a Red Bull Athlete.

WCT Wins
Year Event Venue Country
2019 Corona Bali Protected Keramas, Bali  Indonesia
WSL World Championship Tour
Tournament 2016 2017 2018 2019
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast 9th 25th 9th 9th
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach 13th 25th 25th 9th
Corona Bali Protected - - 25th 1st
Margaret River Pro 13th 13th 25th 9th
Oi Rio Pro 13th 9th 9th 5th
Corona Open J-Bay 13th 25th 3rd 5th
Billabong Pro Tahiti Teahupoo 13th 13th 9th 17th
Freshwater Pro - - 3rd 9th
Quiksilver Pro France 13th 25th 25th 17th
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal 13th 3rd 5th 3rd
Billabong Pipeline Masters 2nd 3rd 13th 17th
Fiji Pro 13th 25th - -
Hurley Pro at Trestles 13th 5th - -
OVERALL RANK 20th 17th 10th 6th
Earnings $157,250 $153,250 $174,600 $253,900

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "2016 Men's Championship Tour Rankings". World Surf League. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  2. ^ "Pro Surfer: Kanoa Igarashi". World Surf League. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Kanoa Igarashi Japan's Surfing Superstar". Bloomberg.com. September 25, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  4. ^ "Men's Qualifying Series Event Schedule". World Surf League. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  5. ^ "Men's Championship Tour Rankings 2019". World Surf League. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  6. ^ "2020 Olympics - Next Summer Olympic Games | Tokyo 2020". International Olympic Committee. April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  7. ^ Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach, retrieved April 16, 2020
  8. ^ "For fast-rising pro surfer Kanoa Igarashi, home is where the waves are". Red Bull. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  9. ^ "Surfing - Olympic Schedule & Results | Tokyo 2020". Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.

External links[edit]

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