The road to the LA 2028 Olympics begins next week as we officially start our next funding cycle. Having laid a strong foundation in the build-up to Paris 2024, we now enter the next stage of our journey as we build towards Olympic qualification.
Laying the Groundwork
Vicky Gosling joined as Chair in 2022, bringing her extensive knowledge of Olympic sport to the organisation through her role as a Director on the Team GB Board and CEO at GB Snowsport. One of her first moves was to hire Executive Performance Director, Dan Hunt, which brought vital high-performance expertise to the programme. Having previously coached Britain’s cyclists to gold medal success at the Beijing and London Olympic Games, Hunt joined GB Surfing having also worked in performance leadership roles in the Premier League, GB Snowsport and more latterly Ineos Pro-Cycling. Under Dan’s leadership, the team developed GB Surfing’s first-ever strategy, launched the Progression Squad, and took ownership of the British Championships.
The GB strategy puts athletes and coaches at the heart of the organisation and centres around keeping as much of the investment in the water as possible. Since November 2023, GB Surfing has led more than 200 days of structured training and competition activity for surfers from both the Progression Squad and the pathway. This has included running 19 training camps, involving over 50 surfers, and providing coaching support at nine competitions.
Reflecting on the last two years, Gosling said: “We have some fantastic young surfers in GB, and with funding from the National Lottery through UK Sport, we are now in a position to help develop their raw potential and turn them into Olympic athletes.
“The team has worked incredibly hard over the last two years, and we’ve already seen the programme’s impact with some promising results at the ISAs and on the WSL. We’re in an excellent place going into the LA cycle, but now is the time to push on, challenge ourselves further, and give our surfers the best possible chance of competing in LA in four years’ time.”
World-Class Training & Coaching
Our camps have taken surfers to world-class waves and training environments, including three training camps on Australia’s Gold Coast. Ran by Team Manager, Gwen Spurlock, these camps offer exposure to high-quality surf conditions and top-tier coaching, ensuring athletes train alongside other elite surfers. European-based camps have also played a key role, integrating promising talent from the pathway programme to provide them with access to the same coaching as the Progression Squad.
We have purposefully engaged with some of the world’s most respected coaching consultants, including Mick Cain and Andy King in Australia and Richard ‘Dog’ Marsh and John Tranter in Europe. Their expertise and experience has influenced our approach to technique, tactics, and style, significantly benefiting both athletes and our lead coach, Luke Dillon. Ensuring our surfers compete on the best equipment is also a priority, which is why we’ve invested in providing Progression Squad surfers (where needed) with full quivers of JS Industries boards.
Investing in the Future
Beyond our elite squad, GB Surfing has also invested in grassroots development. Spearheaded by our former Performance Pathway Lead, Joel Gray, we have co-funded or fully funded Head Coaches in the Home Nations, and supported pathway training camps in both the UK and in Europe to ensure long term surfer development. With the Brisbane 2032 Olympics on the horizon, we recognise the importance of developing future talent over the next eight years.
Competitive Success
At the 2024 ISA World Surf Games, GB Surfing achieved its best-ever result, finishing 13th overall, with Progression Squad members Stanley Norman and Alys Barton seeing significant gains in their individual rankings.
On the WSL circuit, we have witnessed history-making results, most notably at Boardmasters where Lukas Skinner and Patrick Langdon-Dark faced off in the first-ever all-British WSL final, with Lukas claiming victory. Lukas went on to finish 5th at the Caraïbos Lacanau Pro, while Pat remains in contention for the Challenger Tour with one event to go after some great results including a semi-final at the 3000 event in Anglet.
Raising Domestic Standards
Our commitment to improving British competition standards has been evident in the success of the GB Cup. Hosted in Fistral (2023) and at Jersey’s Watersplash (2024), the event has become a crucial platform for developing and showcasing British talent. By elevating the level of competition and judging, we are ensuring our athletes are better prepared for the international stage. Our commitment to this event extends into the new Olympic funding cycle and we foresee it to be a vital component of the LA 2028 selection criteria.
Looking Ahead
Hunt will be moving on at the end of the month, and he leaves GB Surfing in a strong position for the next four years. His leadership has provided the foundation for a robust and ambitious programme which we will grow and develop over the next four year to give Britain’s surfers the best possible chance of Olympic success in LA 2028 and beyond.
Hunt says, “I’d like to thank everyone at GB Surfing for the opportunity over the last two years. It has been a period of rapid transformation for the organisation with more to come in the LA Cycle. I have been proud to be a part of it, and I wish every success to the team with their ambitions for LA 2028 and beyond”.