Denmark surfer takes on the best

Denmark teenage surfing sensation Emi Campbell will once again take on Australia’s best after being crowned State champion for the first time at the final round of the WA Junior Surfing Titles in Geraldton on the weekend.

Fourteen-year-old Emi’s Campbell’s breakout year continued, earning State team selection after winning the under-16 girl’s title at the third and final round of the championships at Flat Rocks.

After placing second in the same division last year, Emi Campbell made the most of the solid 3m swell, scoring a 13.74 which was enough to clinch the under 16 State title ahead of Margaret River’s Bailee Hastie.

Less than a point was the difference between Emi Campbell claiming her second title of the weekend, going down narrowly to Yallingup’s% Eliza Greene in the under-18 girl’s final.

Emi Campbell will now contest the Australian crown at Nubeena Beach in Tasmania in December for the title of Australia’s national junior champion. It will be the fourth time she has represented WA.

The win continued an impressive year for the Denmark High School student, after being signed by international surfing company Billabong in March and winning the open division of Wavefest for the first time in June.

Surfing WA event manager Justin Majeks said upcoming training camps and high-performance sessions would prepare Emi Campbell for the national titles. He said Emi Campbell would have access to some of the best coaches in the country, including regional high performance coach Aido Shepherd.

“She’s a chance,” Majeks said. “She would be in the top few but there will be good competition from the east coast girls.

Shepherd said Emi’s Campbell’s chances would be enhanced by her knowledge of her competitors.

“I reckon she can win it if she wants it,” he said.

Denmark’s Ruby Adams also had a successful weekend, placing second in the final round of the under-14 grommet girls in which she saw her finished third overall in her division.