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Yang Siqi (R) of China qualifies for the surfing sport at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games at the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico, March 1, 2024. /Xinhua
Yang Siqi, a 15-year-old surfer from southwest China's Sichuan Province, became the first from her country to secure Olympic qualification for the sport at the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico on Friday.
Surfing was relatively new to the Olympic Games as it only made its debut in Tokyo in 2021. It will take place in Teahupo'o reef pass, Tahiti, French Polynesia, at the Olympic Games this year in Paris from July 27 and August 5. A total 48 athletes will compete in the men's shortboard and the women's shortboard events.
Yang participated in the ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador in 2023 and finished in the 31st place, failing to secure the Olympic berth. This time in Puerto Rico, she was rated 11.83 points in the women's repechage round 6, the best among all four surfers and qualified for the Paris Olympics.
Yang Siqi of China competes in a surfing event. /Xinhua
"I was in the first place after the competition, but I didn't think I qualified for the Olympic Games," Yang told Xinhua News Agency. "We were about to leave, but then the staff members told us to wait. I didn't know I was qualified until they told me so. I was so excited. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I finally achieved the goal I set for myself in 2022."
Power has been one of Yang's biggest advantages. Her coach spoke highly of her daring, comprehensive skills and explosiveness. She came in 29th at the ISA World Surfing Games in California in 2022. That was the best performance by any member of the Chinese national surfing team, which was set up in 2018.
In July 2023, Yang and her teammates won the Aloha Cup gold at the Asian Surfing Championships in Maldives.