An enjoyable day of surfing for Jessie van Niekerk as she wins 2025 Challenger Series qualifiers

JOHANNESBURG -  Jessie van Niekerk won the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) Cape Town Surf Pro QS 1,000 at Long Beach in Kommetjie, Cape Town, on Saturday.

The Australian-based surfer told Eyewitness News that she enjoyed competing in the Mother City.

 “It was a fun day, conditions were quite enjoyable and just beautiful to be in Cape Town because it's where I grew up, it was a very special place and day to compete.  I thoroughly enjoyed just having the challenge of having to make it through and progress through each round to get the qualification, so competing in the final, I knew I had to win to make sure I secure my spot and having that high pressure was really enjoyable.”

 This was the final event of the WSL Africa 2024/2025 QS season and determined the regional champions and the 2025 Challenger Series qualifiers.

“It was a very big weekend because of all the competitors. We all knew it was a big weekend, it was a final event. And our qualification for the Challenger Series relied on that one or two days that we were competing,” said Van Niekerk.

The athlete started surfing at the age of 4 in Cape Town and her family relocated to Australia so she and her brother could compete on the WSL Pro Junior circuit.

“I learned to surf when I was 4 years old, my parents taught my brother and I. And when I was 6 and my brother was 8, we did our first surf competition and immediately loved it, so we continued to do it. And then my parents decided we would like to pursue it for the rest of our lives so they moved us across to Australia when I was 7 and my brother was 9 for us to continue surfing in a very competitive environment with a lot of opportunities in the surfing industry which was in Australia at the time.”

The surfer shared that having her father at competitions as a coach is always great, as they work together and it makes for an awesome day of competing.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the many years that I have been competing alongside my brother, and with my parents with us at each competition. And most of our lives, we had a van and we used the van to drive up the coast in Australia, and later on in our lives, up and down the coast of South Africa to compete at various events, and just being together surfing the water together. I think my dad as my coach, and the whole family together is just the best part of what I could hope for." 

She has competed in the World Tour, which is 6 events and has been fortunate to have her parents with her or stay with a local family that became close friends.

“I'm very excited for 2025, I've already competed in 4 huge events in the Africa region but I will be competing shortly starting the world tour in Australia and I'm looking forward to hopefully achieving my best result on the Challenger Series I would like to finish in the top 10, it would be a huge achievement. I would like to pursue that level of surfing. The US Open is always a highlight in my year, getting to be with friends in California and having my dad there coaching me, and this year my mom will be with us so it's going to be an incredible event.”