Para-Surfing World Champion Zoe Smith Stresses Sport’s Attainability

Newly crowned Para-surfing world champion Zoe Smith has expressed the importance of demonstrating that the sport is “attainable” for individuals with disabilities. Last month, Smith secured her inaugural world title by winning gold in the stand 2 category at the ISA World Para Surfing Championships, held in Huntington Beach, California. The athlete from Bournemouth began participating in the sport in 2021, six years after an accident led to the amputation of her leg. “It’s very important to me that I represent within that community and show people that it is attainable,” Smith conveyed to BBC Points West. She added, “Ultimately for me, I compete to try and represent a narrative of disabled people who have been in a life-changing injury or accident, getting back into sport and rediscovering their love for a pursuit of physical activity – especially in the water.” Smith also pointed out a specific challenge: “It’s really hard for amputees to get in the water because we don’t get provisions for waterproof prosthetics.” Smith was one of two gold medalists for Team England at the competition; Charlotte Banfield also achieved gold in the stand 3 category. The 10-person squad collectively secured seventh place overall in the event’s eighth edition, which was established in 2016. Team England athletes conduct their training at The Wave, an inland surfing lake situated near Bristol, where many coaches volunteer their time. However, the sport’s exclusion from the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles means that athletes will largely depend on self-funding for the foreseeable future. Phil Williams, para team manager of Surfing England, commented on this setback, stating, “It meant a funding stream we were hoping for was shut down.” He further elaborated on the financial strain: “All of these athletes are self-financed so it’s a real struggle.” Para-surfing was narrowly surpassed by Para-climbing for a slot at the Games in four years. Despite this, Williams maintains optimism that the sport will be included in the programme for Brisbane, Australia, in 2032. “It was a big disappointment, the whole process took quite a long time and there were good signs it was going to happen,” Williams remarked. He emphasized the impact on the participants: “The real disappointment was actually [for] the athletes themselves.” Williams expressed hope for the future, adding, “We’ve done a really good job of getting to the stage, into the last two, so surely that will be the launchpad for Australia in 2032.” While Team England has been instrumental in advancing para-surfing on the global stage in recent years, Smith acknowledges that significant progress is still needed. “Overall we do need a lot more sponsorship because trips to California to compete to keep up with your Hawaiis, Australians, USA, is hugely expensive. Just the cost of being a disabled athlete is monumental,” Smith explained. She concluded with a positive note about the team: “We’re a really solid team, we’ve got some great surfers, people on the fringes as well that are up and coming. [There is a] Big solid community spirit so we’re enjoying ourselves.”