Japan rules over Shore Temple Classic tides

Japanese surfers dominated the final day, and claimed all four titles across all divisions

(L-R): Arun Vasu, SFI president, Ikko Watanabe, winner of Men’s QS category, Yuma Nagasawa, winner of men’s JQS category, Hinata Shimizu, winner of women’s JQS category, Mirai Ikeda, winner of Women’s QS category, Ty Sorati, WSL APAC tour director

Updated on:

16 Aug 2026, 7:12 am

CHENNAI: Japanese surfers dominated the final day, and claimed all four titles across the Men’s and Women’s QS 2000 and Men’s and Women’s Pro Junior divisions here on Saturday at the Shore Temple Classic in Mahabalipuram.

In the Women’s QS 2000 Final, Mirai Ikeda (JPN) was crowned champion after producing a strong 14.00 to defeat Thailand’s Isabel Higgs, who finished runner-up with 12.40. Ikeda held her nerve in a closely contested final, winning by 1.60 points to take the women’s QS 2000 title.

The Men’s QS 2000 Final delivered one of the closest battles of the event, with Ikko Watanabe (JPN) edging compatriot Tenshi Iwami by just 0.33 points. Watanabe posted an outstanding 17.10, the highest final score of the event, while Iwami finished with 16.77 in a high-quality all-Japanese showdown.

The Pro Junior Women’s Final saw Hinata Shimizu (JPN) crowned champion after recording 14.23, finishing 2.00 points ahead of fellow Japanese surfer Hinano Shimizu (JPN), who scored 12.23. Isabel Higgs (THA) finished third with 10.53, while Mirai Ikeda (JPN) placed fourth with 6.56.

In the Pro Junior Men’s Final, Yuma Nagasawa (JPN) secured the title with a winning score of 14.17, narrowly defeating compatriot Ren Okano, who finished with 13.00. Sentaro Sakai (JPN) took third place with 9.13, while Taro Takai (JPN) finished fourth with 8.07.

Japan’s impressive performance across all four divisions underlined the strength of its emerging surfing talent, while Thailand also made a strong impact through Isabel Higgs.

Japan