Kelia Mehani Gallina, a 12-year-old surfer from French Polynesia, will make history this week as the youngest competitor ever in the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour after conquering seven-meter waves at Tahiti’s famed Teahupo’o break. Born and raised on the Polynesian islands, Gallina secured her spot in the main event by winning last month’s qualifiers. She will face world No. 1 Molly Picklum of Australia and American star Lakey Peterson in the opening round before celebrating her 13th birthday on August 10.
Teahupo’o’s notoriously brutal waves rank among surfing’s most challenging, yet Gallina navigates them routinely. “We can see the break from our bedroom,” said her Hawaiian-born father Ryan, who is married to a Tahitian woman. The surfing prodigy, who began riding waves at age three and boasts the Instagram handle @MissTeahupoo, expressed measured astonishment at her rapid ascent: “I knew this would happen, but not so soon.”