Kurop makes history as Fiji Pro’s first female wildcard
“This is the first year in the history of the Fiji Pro that there will be a female wildcard awarded to a local Fijian through the trials,” said Bennett.
Saturday 15 August 2026 | 11:00
Updated 16 August 2026 | 15:42 FJT
For the first time, a female surfer will fly the Fiji flag at the Fiji Pro 2026, competing against some of the world’s best surfers at Cloudbreak. Inset: Te’a Kurop
For the first time, a female surfer will fly Fiji’s flag against some of the best surfers in the world when the Fiji Pro 2026 gets underway at Cloudbreak from August 25 to September 4.
Te’a Kurop won the inaugural women’s division wildcard for this year’s competition, while Teo Degei won the men’s division.
“Both these competitors are under the age of 20,” said Fiji Surfing Association president Hannah Bennett.
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“They are up-and-coming young, rising stars. We have a very good contingent in the main event this year,”
Every year before the WSL (World Surf League) presents by Corona Cero comes to Fiji, the Fiji Surfing Association hosts the Wild Card Trials at the same venue.
This year the association held a pre-trials event followed by the main Wild Card trials this year, with a female division introduced.
Teo Degei
“This is the first year in the history of the Fiji Pro that there will be a female wildcard awarded to a local Fijian through the trials,” said Bennett.
“This wildcard trials event that the Fiji Surfing Association puts on every year is one of the best local surfing competitions in the entire region.”
The Fiji Pro is the only WSL event in the Pacific apart from Tahiti.
“In hosting the trials, we are also hosting a very high-level competitive competition that is regionally considered one of the best events in the region, not just for Fiji but throughout Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.
“For the Fiji Surfing Association, this is our top local event, but it has now been recognised regionally as one of the best events.”
She said the competition had grown every year since the WSL’s return to Fiji, reflecting the rapid development of surfing in the country.
“Every year since their return, the competition has grown because surfing is growing and developing very quickly in this country and the level of surfing is growing.
“Another thing is also growing. In the past, it wasn’t hard for the wildcard to be chosen because there were only a few surfers in Fiji, but now the competition is so tough that we have to have two trials.”
