'It's taken me 10 years, but I finally achieved my goal': JP Veaudry celebrates first surfing world title

JOHANNESBURG – Para-surfer JP Veaudry won his first gold medal after 10 years of competing, highlighting his dedication and perseverance.

"So I was very prepared this year. I successfully won every heat, convincingly, right through to the final, where both my two top scores were higher than any other competitor. So, I'm very happy with my overall performance," said Veaudry.

The athlete already had two bronze medals and a silver medal and has now finally added a gold medal after winning the Men’s Stand 2 division at the ISA World Para Surfing Championships in Huntington Beach, California earlier in November.

"My goal was obviously to be world champion and to win this gold and that's pretty much what I've learned over the years being a para-athlete, that you cannot give up, or you should not give up, and it's taken me 10 years, but I have finally achieved my goal."

He told EWN that in 2009 he was involved in a hit-and-run where he lost his leg but he still wanted to continue surfing and while lying in hospital, he dug around until he found a company that would help him relearn how to surf.

"On the 23rd of May, 2009 I was involved in a hit-and-run accident. I was riding my motorbike. Someone ran a stop sign and knocked me over, and I lost the lower half of my right leg. While I was in hospital, I researched whether or not I'd ever be able to surf again. I found a company in America who talked me through it and yeah, so I knew it was possible. And then six months later, I got a prosthetic leg. And then seven months, one month after that, I got a waterproof prosthetic where I started to learn to surf."

The recent ISA World Para Surfing Championships six divisions saw new world champions crowned. Pierot Gagliano (FRA), Zoe Smith (ENG), Luciano Silveira (BRA), Audrey Pascual (ESP), Kai Colless(AUS) and JP Veaudry (RSA) each won their first gold medals.

"Okay, career highlights, I have won a few national competitions. I've won SA Champs successfully about four or five times, so I feel like I'm on the right track to surfing as well as I can. I had never won a gold medal before. I knew I had the capability, but I had just never done it, and it took 10 years to finally get that gold medal, so I would say this is the biggest moment in my competitive surfing career."

Veaudry makes his living as a professional photographer and like most para-athletes, has had to pay out of his pocket to represent South Africa at international competitions and hopes that will change so that he can reach his goal of representing the country at the 2032 Paralympics in Brisbane, Australia.

"Unfortunately, as a country, they (South Africa) have not financed any of my trips or even contributed towards my trip. So as a country, I definitely would like some sort of finance so that I could achieve my further goals. I think the ultimate goal would be surfing in the 2034 Games. I might be a bit old by then, but I would definitely like to try and I would like some compensation because it's very expensive."