Team USA Takes Gold at ISA World Games for the First Time Since 1996-


Australian transplant Ian Cairns has made his transformation to Captain America complete, having led Team U.S.A. to its first ISA World Games Gold medal since 1996, ending a horrendous 12-year-long drought. The victory was secured with the help of five Americans making it all the way to the Finals. Two in the Open Men's, two more in the Open Women's and one in the longboard division.

Coach Cairns sharpened the tip of his Team U.S.A. spear with former ASP World Tour stars Cory Lopez and Ben Bourgeois, who led the way by finishing 2nd and 4th respectively in the Open Men's division, racking up a healthy dose of points along the way. Lopez was hoping to nab the individual Gold medal in the final but he couldn't get past Jeremy Flores, who led his French team to a respectable second place finish overall, meanting it was the Australians who had a shocker this year.

Cairns got another huge boost on the women's side of the board. Last month's U.S. Open of Surfing winner Courtney Conlogue kept her roll going in the punchy Playa Hermosa beachbreak in Costa Rica, taking the Gold medal over South Africa's Rosanne Hodge. Even better, Conlogue was backed up in the final by her teammate, Sage Erickson, who won the bronze medal.

And capping things off for Cairns, Tony Silvagni, one of the last players recruited to the team, played a vital role in the longboard division by making a very respectable finals appearance.

Your new ISA World Champion, Jeremy Flores of France, en route to taking his Gold Medal in Costa Rica.

FINAL Team Results:

GOLD - United States – 14910 points

SILVER - France – 13280 points

BRONZE - Australia - 10996 points

COPPER - Hawaii – 10856 points 



INDIVIDUAL FINAL RESULTS 

Open Men

Gold: Jeremy Flores (FRA)

Silver: Cory Lopez (USA)

Bronze: Gabriel VIllarán (PER)

Copper: Ben Bourgeois (USA)




Benny B was feeling right at home in the punchy beachbreak surf, which felt strikingly familiar to his old North Carolina home. His 4th place finish was a huge part of the USA Gold Medal effort.


Open Women

Gold: Courtney Conlogue (USA)

Silver: Rosanne Hodge (RSA)

Copper: Sage Erickson (USA)

Bronze: Pauline Ado (FRA)



Longboard 

Gold: Antoine Delpero (FRA)

Silver: Harley Ingleby (AUS)

Copper: Ben Skinner (GBR)

Bronze: Tony Silvagni (USA)

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1 - USA - 14910 points
2 - France - 13280 points
3 - Australia - 10996 points
4 - Hawaii - 10856 points
5 - South Africa - 10666 points
6 - Peru - 10180 points
7 - Costa Rica - 9650 points
8 - Venezuela - 9040 points
9 - Brazil - 9000 points
10 - Puerto Rico - 8820 points
11 - New Zealand - 8100 points
12 - Argentina - 7160 points
13 - Tahiti - 6688 points
14 - Ecuador - 6170 points
15 - Panama - 5952 points
16 - Italy - 5670 points
17 - Mexico - 5560 points
18 - Japan - 5324 points
19 - Chile - 5208 points
20 - El Salvador - 4784 points
21 - Ireland - 4568 points
22 - Austria - 4320 points
23 - Barbados - 4128 points
24 - Germany - 4024 points
25 - UK- 3810 points
26 - Guatemala - 3696 points
27 - Switzerland - 3440 points
28 - Jamaica - 2912 points
29 - Canada - 2784 points
30 - Nicaragua - 2656 points
31 - Colombia 2544 points
32 - Trinidad & Tobago - 2240 points
33 - Bahamas 2240 points
34 - Rep. Dominican - 1680 points
35 - Aruba- 384 points