Kanoa Igarashi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kanoa Igarashi |
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| Personal information | |
| Born | October 1, 1997 Huntington Beach, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 171 lb (78 kg) |
| Surfing career | |
| Years active | Since 2012 (9) |
| Best year | 2019 - Ranked #6 WSL CT World Tour |
| Sponsors | Red Bull, Quiksilver, Oakley, Beats by Dr. Dre, Shiseido, G-Shock |
| Major achievements |
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| Surfing specifications | |
| Stance | Regular (natural foot) |
| Olympic medal record | ||
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| Men's surfing | ||
Representing  Japan |
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| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | 2020 Tokyo | Shortboard |
| World Games | ||
| Gold | 2022 Huntington Beach | Men |
| Silver | 2018 Tahara | Men |
| Silver | 2021 La Bocana | Men |
| Silver | 2021 La Bocana | Team |
| Bronze | 2019 Miyazaki | Team |
| Kanoa Igarashi | |||||
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| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 五十嵐カノア | ||||
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Kanoa Igarashi (Japanese: 五十嵐 カノア, Hepburn: Igarashi Kanoa, born October 1, 1997) is a super talented surfer. He is from both Japan and America. He has been a professional surfer since 2012.
In 2016, Kanoa was the youngest new surfer on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). He won more first-round heats than anyone else that year. He also finished second at the famous Pipeline event. In 2022, he had his best year yet. He finished in the top 5 of the WSL CT. This allowed him to compete in the final event in California. Kanoa has also qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Contents
Early Life and Surfing Beginnings
Kanoa Igarashi's dad, Tsutomu, loved surfing in Japan. When his mom, Misa, was going to have a baby, they made a big decision. They left their jobs in Tokyo and moved to Huntington Beach, California. This city is also known as Surf City. Their goal was to raise their child to be a top surfer.
Kanoa started surfing with his dad when he was only three years old. His dad would often wake him up early, around 5:45 AM, to go surfing. This way, Kanoa could still get to school on time. He won his very first surfing award when he was just seven years old.
Professional Surfing Career
In 2016, Kanoa became the youngest new surfer on the WSL Championship Tour. He was also the first surfer to represent Japan in the WSL. He showed his skill by winning the Vans U.S. Open WSL event. He won this event two years in a row, in 2017 and 2018. This was special because it happened in his hometown of Huntington Beach.
Kanoa got his first 1st-place win at a WSL CT event in 2019. This was at the Corona Bali Protected event in Indonesia. That year, he finished 6th overall in the world rankings.
Olympic Games Success
Because he was a top surfer in 2019, Kanoa qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. He represented Japan at these games. The Olympics were moved to July 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The surfing competition took place at Tsurigasaki beach. This beach is in the town of Ichinomiya, Chiba. This spot was very meaningful to Kanoa. It was the same beach his father, Tsutomu, not only surfed at, but also found with his friends. His father even called it "the Dojo." Kanoa won the silver medal at the Olympics, making his country proud.
Kanoa Igarashi is also a sponsored athlete by Red Bull.
| WCT Wins | |||
| Year | Event | Venue | Country |
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| 2019 | Corona Bali Protected | Keramas, Bali |  Indonesia |
Overall WSL Tour Performance
Kanoa's performance on the WSL World Championship Tour has steadily improved:
- In 2016, his first year, he finished 20th overall.
- By 2017, he moved up to 17th place.
- In 2018, he reached the top 10, finishing 10th overall.
- His best year was 2019, where he climbed to 6th place in the world.
See also
In Spanish: Kanoa Igarashi para niños
