Overview
- Kanoa Igarashi beat Indonesia’s I Made Pajar Ariyana and Mirai Ikeda outscored China’s Yang Siqi to win gold in Long Beach, Tahara at the Aichi‑Nagoya Asian Games.
- The Asian Games golds give both surfers provisional Olympic berths but those slots will stand only if no more than two other Japanese surfers qualify through the 2027–2028 Championship Tour or the 2028 World Games.
- Igarashi said he was proud to win for Japan and the result is notable given his Tokyo 2021 silver medal and his early elimination at the Paris Olympics.
- Ikeda, an 18‑year‑old who claimed the inaugural Asian Games women’s surfing gold, said she aims to improve her aerials and join the World Surf League Championship Tour to prepare for the Olympics.
- Olympic surfing allows up to two athletes per gender from each country, so Japan’s final team for Los Angeles will be decided by the upcoming Championship Tour and the 2028 World Games.