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A 12-Year-Old Girl Won the Teahupo’o Trials, Will Become Youngest Surfer in A CT Event

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  • A 12-Year-Old Girl Won the Teahupo’o Trials, Will Become Youngest Surfer in A CT Event

The Tahiti Pro Trials might be one of the most quietly stacked fields in competitive surfing. Rarely seen by the surfing world outside of the island, it’s full of underrated and unheralded Tahitians lighting up Teahupo’o. 

The event ran last weekend, and the male and female winners earned wildcards into the upcoming Lexus Tahiti Pro (August 7-16), the eleventh and final event of the WSL Championship Tour’s regular season. The men’s trials winner was competitive standout Mihimana Braye, who has previously been a CT wildcard. But the women’s winner was far more eyebrow-raising: 12-year-old Kelia Gallina. She’ll be the youngest surfer to ever compete in a CT event. How good is she? “Miss Teahupo’o” is her nickname as well as her Instagram handle. She’ll be facing world No. 1 Molly Picklum and Lakey Peterson in her first heat. 

Meanwhile, the two event wildcards add a boatload of intrigue to the mix and maybe even induce anxiety into the higher seeds. On the men’s side, here comes the 2024 Olympic gold medalist and 2022 CT runner-up Kauli Vaast. As far as competitive chops and innate knowledge of Teahupo’o, there are few better. And now Jordy Smith, second in the rankings and looking to climb into the heavily-favored No. 1 seed for Cloudbreak, faces a daunting test in the first round. 

When the local pro gets an Olympic gold medal. Kauli Vaast at Teahupo’o is a tough out for any Championship Tour surfer.

Kelly Cestari/WSL

And on the women’s side, it’s none other than reigning event winner Tahitian favorite Vahine Fierro, who started the year on the CT but did not make the mid-year cut. These two are serious talents that the men and women high on the CT rankings will have to contend with if they want to be in the 2025 WSL Finals at Cloudbreak. 

After she won the CT event at Teahupo’o in 2024, Vahine Fierro became the odds-on favorite to win the Olympics a few months later.

Ed Sloane/WSL

Alejo Muniz withdrew from the event due to an injury from J-Bay. He’ll be replaced by Firmin Teiva Tairoa, who finished second in the Tahiti Pro Trials. Two-time event champ and perennial Teahupo’o terminator Gabriel Medina was reportedly offered the injury replacement wildcard but did not accept due to previously scheduled commitments, according to the WSL. 

Here’s the standings before the last event of the season. Yago Dora, Molly Picklum, Gabriela Bryan and Caity Simmers have all clinched a chance for the world title, but seeding can still shuffle. Who’s in and who’s out? Teahupo’o, of course, will decde.

Related: WSL Makes Major Rule Change Ahead of World Title Heats at Cloudbreak