19 Oct 2026 IWWF World Wakesurf Championships

Team USA Successfully Defends Team Overall Title at 2026 IWWF World Wakesurf Championships

HANGZHOU, China — October 18, 2026 — Team USA has successfully defended its Team Overall title at the 2026 IWWF World Wakesurf Championships, held at Xiang Lake in Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan District.

The victory marks back-to-back team titles for the United States, which first claimed the honour at the inaugural IWWF World Wakesurf Championships in Hong Kong in 2024.

Held from October 9–17, the Championships brought together more than 120 athletes from 20 countries to compete for individual world titles and national team honours. In the Open Men’s and Women’s Surf and Skim divisions, athletes also competed for a share of a US$30,000 prize purse.

The event’s official towboat, the Malibu LSV23, provided world-class conditions throughout the competition.

After nine days of action, the United States topped the Team Overall standings with eight of the 18 world titles and 15 medals. Chinese Taipei finished second with three titles and nine medals, followed by Korea, also with nine medals and one world title.

Team Overall Results

United States of America
Chinese Taipei
Korea

Team USA’s second consecutive title underlines the country’s strength in a sport whose international reach continues to grow.

Open Divisions

Open Women Surf

Brynnlee Hall (USA)
Xia Chenxi (China)
Park Jeongeun (Korea)

Open Men Surf

Tyler Stewart (USA) — Defending champion
Jeong Suho (Korea)
Lam Wai Kit (Hong Kong, China)

Open Women Skim

Whitley Stewart (USA) — Defending champion
Sofia Sokolova (Ukraine)
Annissa Flynn (Thailand)

Open Men Skim

Jett Lambert (USA)
Tyler Stewart (USA)
Olivier Scokaert (France)

Junior Divisions

Junior Women Surf

Yang Yi-Nin (Chinese Taipei)
Jeon Yeolyeong (Korea)
Mariia Blanket (IWWF)

Junior Men Surf

Matvei Savichev (IWWF)
Sawyer Brandstad (USA)
Cha Gon (Korea)

Junior Women Skim

Victoria Moroski Simpson (USA)
Gemma Kaitlyn Wong (Hong Kong, China)
Antonyna Mikhnevych (Ukraine)

Junior Men Skim

Matvei Savichev (IWWF)
Tucker Reed Cole (USA)
Bang Chan Yeong (Korea)

Grom Divisions

Grom Girls Surf

Beau Walters (USA)
Abygaelle Perren (Switzerland)
Laetitia Pinna (Italy)

Grom Boys Surf

Kuo Yu-Si (Chinese Taipei)
Andrei Solovev (IWWF)
Lin Hao Ze (Chinese Taipei)

Grom Girls Skim

Abygaelle Perren (Switzerland)
Clair Hurta (USA)
Emma Proudfit (USA)

Grom Boys Skim

Declyn Van Der Riet (USA)
Andrei Solovev (IWWF)
Quinnton Tze Hin Wong (Hong Kong, China)

Masters Divisions

Masters athletes delivered standout performances throughout the week, showcasing the depth of talent and experience across the sport. Several former champions once again proved their world-class ability on the international stage.

Master Women Surf

Lin Szu Hsuan (Chinese Taipei)
Rahel Seger (Switzerland)
Alessandra Zanicotti (Italy)

Master Men Surf

Kim Sang Hyun (Korea)
Michael Steinlesberger (Austria)
Kang Jinhyeop (Korea)

Master Women Skim

Rahel Seger (Switzerland)
Tatiana Ryzhak (IWWF)
Alessandra Zanicotti (Italy)

Master Men Skim

Sean Silveira (United States of America)
Gianmarco Panaccione (Italy)
Matthew Lucini (Italy)

Veteran Divisions

Veteran competitors brought skill and consistency to the water, demonstrating that high-level wakesurfing continues across generations.

Veteran 1 Men Surf

Keith Pohl (United States of America)
Lee Sunghee (Korea)
Lin Hao-Ting (Chinese Taipei)

Veteran 1 Women Skim

Amelie Zhang (United Arab Emirates)
Nicole Hudson (United States of America)
Nina Ryzhenkova (Spain)

Veteran 1 Men Skim

Volodymyr Chuba (Ukraine)
Eric Gamboa Ordonez (Philippines)
Martin Vlcek (Czech Republic)

A Growing Global Stage

Athletes representing 20 nations, across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, highlighted the sport’s growing international reach. In total, medals were earned by athletes from 16 different federations across the Wake Surf and Wake Skim disciplines.

The Championships also showcased Chinese Taipei’s growing strength, particularly in the Junior and Masters divisions. Among the event’s standout performers were Tyler Stewart (USA), defending Open Men’s Surf champion; Whitley Stewart (USA), defending Open Women’s Skim champion; Jett Lambert (USA), reigning World Games champion; and Matvei Savichev (IWWF), the only athlete to claim two gold medals.

From the Open divisions to the Grom, Junior, Masters and Veteran categories, the competition reflected the depth and breadth of wakesurfing talent around the world—and the sport’s continued momentum on the international stage.

Full results and photos: https://iwwf.sport/world-title-events/wakesurfworlds2026/

Editor’s note: The source release states that 18 world titles were awarded, but the results supplied here list 15 divisions. It may be worth confirming whether three categories are missing before publication.

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