TWO SUNNY COAST SURFERS MAKE BIG LEAPS ON THE WORLD SURF LEAGUE QUALIFYING SERIES
Taj Stokes and Alister Reginato are now sitting 4th and 7th on the Australasian rankings after spectacular performances at the most recent event, the Billabong Tahara Pro held in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
Reginato placed 2nd at this event, boosting him a massive 15 spots up the rankings, now putting him in a solid position to qualify for the 2026 WSL Challenger Series.
The North Shore Board Riders club member, and Maroochydore local, says he’s felt right at home in the conditions and is happy to have put together smart heats against a vastly talented field, “The Sunny Coast is the perfect training ground for challenging conditions and I felt like my experience in small waves really benefited me this event” he states, “I am also really proud of the tactical decisions I made during in critical moments during this event.”
Kawana Board Riders powerhouse, Taj Stokes placed 3rd in this event with a clutch performance during the early rounds, attaining a 6.33 (out of a possible 10) in the dying seconds of an important heat. With a couple of successful results already under his belt this performance has put Stokes in a solid position heading into the back half of the season.
After narrowly missing the chance to qualify for the 2025 Challenger Series and suffering multiple injuries over recent years, Stokes has showed impeccable determination and dedication to his craft. Taj says he is proud of the work he has put in to bounce back stronger with every barrier that comes his way, “I have been committed to training both in and out of the water and am really grateful to see the benefits of this hard work starting to shine through.”
Unfortunately, an all Sunny Coast final was not on the cards as the friendly rivals matched up against each other in the semi-finals. However, with solid comradery between the pair, and within the local surfing community, it will come as no surprise to see Alister and Taj match up against each other on the global stage.
With minimal prize money and sponsorship opportunity within the industry, majority of Qualifying Series surfers, are working long hours between these events to be able to fund competition travel. Putting everything on the line to achieve competitive goals, it is spectacular to see local surfers keeping their surfing dreams alive.
The two stellar surfers now join fellow Sunny Coaster, Reef Heazlewood in the top 7 qualifying positions on the rankings with just two major events left on the calendar. We are excited to watch this series continue to play out and have no doubt we will see continued dominance hail from the region.
Follow @tajstokes__ and @alisterreginato to follow their progress.
