Sarah Baum delivered a title on home soil, beating France’s Sarah Leiceaga in the final to win the Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Qualifying Series 2,000, as the season-opening event reached its climax at Herolds Bay in George, Western Cape, on Sunday, 21 June 2026.
Small surf at Victoria Bay forced organisers to shift the closing day to the backup venue of Herolds Bay, a beachbreak just outside George, where two-to-four foot waves with left and right-hand peaks offered plenty of scoring chances. The relocation mirrored 2025, when the finals were also moved to the same stretch of coast.
The women’s final was a tight battle. Leiceaga took the early lead before Baum found her opening, drawing a big, smooth carve into three strong forehand turns for a 7.00, the best wave of the heat. Leiceaga fell on a couple of waves that carried real potential, and Baum, a Paris 2024 Olympian and Challenger Series surfer, extended her advantage to close out the win, 12.83 to 11.84.
“I’m so stoked I got to go left all day!”
Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro 2026 Qualifying Series 2,000 Champion, Sarah Baum
“It was such a beautiful day, the waves are so fun and Sarah was ripping, so it was an awesome final,” said Baum. “I was stressing a bit, especially towards the end when she got that wave with seconds left. She can drop scores so easily, so she had me on my toes, but I’m stoked for her and I’m really happy to take the win.”
Baum had earned her place in the final by knocking out defending event winner Natasha van Greunen in the semifinals, 10.33 to 8.47, while Leiceaga ended the run of 2025 runner-up Zoë Steyn, 12.10 to 8.67. Leiceaga had been one of the form surfers of the week, accounting for both Steyn and Day 1 pacesetter Hina-Maria Conradi of Reunion on her way to the final, and she pushed Baum hard before the South African pulled clear.
South Africa had filled three of the four women’s semifinal berths, and the home charge ran deep through the draw across the three days. The women’s contest had opened on Friday, 19 June at Victoria Bay, where Conradi set the early pace, before the Round of 16 and quarterfinals on Saturday narrowed the field to the last four.
Baum came through her quarterfinal, semifinal and final in succession to lift the trophy and take the early lead on the 2026/2027 WSL Africa Qualifying Series rankings as the new regional season gets under way.
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For Baum, the win on home sand was a statement at the start of the new season, and it set the tone for a closing day on which South African women dominated the business end of both the open and junior draws.
There was a second South African champion on the day, with Anastasia Venter taking an inaugural Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Junior win. Venter, who had been knocked out of the open draw by Steyn in the quarterfinals on Saturday, bounced back in style.
The Pro Junior, a WSL Junior 1,000 contest added to the programme for the first time, served as the second stop of the regional junior season and underlined the depth coming through in the region’s young women’s ranks.
The junior women’s final turned on a moment of drama, when Emily Jenkinson was called for an interference against Venter. The penalty undid an excellent 8.00 that Jenkinson had on the board and opened the door for Venter, who banked two mid-range waves back-to-back to seize the lead.
Louise Lepront and Camilla Heuer pushed for the scores they needed, but time ran out, and Venter claimed the title on a 10.67, ahead of Louise Lepront, Heuer and Jenkinson.
The finalists had emerged from a closely fought last four. Louise Lepront topped the first junior semifinal on a 12.36 ahead of Heuer, with Leah Lepront and Taylor Emslie missing out, while Jenkinson posted the best junior score of the day, a 13.77, to win the second semifinal ahead of Venter, Lila Aszalos and Maya Malherbe.
“I feel so amazing!”
2026 Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Junior WSL Junior 1,000 Champion, Anastasia Venter
“I loved this competition so much, we had cooking waves at Vic Bay, and then we had cooking lefts at Herold’s, I’m just so happy to be here, and to take out the win,” said Venter. “I’m glad to be back up on the podium!”
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The win lifts Venter to the top of the junior Qualifying Series rankings, with Louise Lepront in second. The weekend capped a productive opening to the regional season for South African women’s surfing, and the region’s juniors now turn to the Ballito Pro Junior, which runs from 2 to 8 July 2026.
The 2026 Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Women’s Qualifying Series 2,000 Final Result at Herolds Bay on Sunday, 21 June, 2026
1. Sarah Baum 12.83
2. Sarah Leiceaga (France) 11.84
Women’s QS 2,000 Semifinal Results
Heat 1: Sarah Baum 10.33 def. Natasha van Greunen 8.47
Heat 2: Sarah Leiceaga (France) 12.10 def. Zoë Steyn 8.67
The 2026 Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Junior WSL Junior 1,000 Final Results
1. Anastasia Venter 10.67
2. Louise Lepront 9.44
3. Camilla Heuer 9.33
4. Emily Jenkinson 8.00
Pro Junior Semifinal Results
Heat 1: Louise Lepront 12.36 def. Camilla Heuer 11.33, Leah Lepront 8.04, Taylor Emslie 7.87
Heat 2: Emily Jenkinson 13.77 def. Anastasia Venter 12.50, Lila Aszalos 6.50, Maya Malherbe 3.26
The Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro and Pro Junior Day 1 Results
The Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro and Pro Junior Day 2 Results
Main Photo Caption: Sarah Baum smiles as she comes out of the water after being crowned 2026 champion at the Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Qualifying Series 2,000 at Herolds Bay in George, Western Cape, on Sunday, 21 June 2026. All Photos: Kody McGregor / WSL Africa
Photo 2 Caption: Baum pictured hitting the lip and sending up a spray of wave water on her way to a thrilling win at Herolds Bay.
Photo 3 Caption: Anastasia Venter is lifted onto supporters’ shoulders, hands in the air in celebration, after her inaugural Pro Junior win.
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