'So close, but no cigar': SA Para Surfer Ant Smyth takes silver, reflects on strategic error

South African Para Surfer Ant Smyth secured a silver medal at the 2025 ISA World Para Surfing Championship, which took place from November 2 to 7 in Oceanside, California.

Despite a strong showing and a world-class second-place finish, Smyth reflected on his performance with a touch of disappointment.

"I guess I’m still processing that, but it is negative. I have won twice, and I've now gotten three second places. A second place is kind of the hardest place to be because you were so close, but no cigar. I just like to win, I don't like to come second," he stated.

The surfer, competing in the Men’s Stand 1 Division, highlighted a critical strategic error to Eyewitness News. "I made a very big strategic error in the competition, it was in a split second, and that cost me the gold medal, so I'm not happy with my performance in the final, but overall I did surf well."

Smyth went wave-for-wave against Brazil’s Davi Lima, narrowly missing the gold in the final minutes, needing a 6.9 to secure the top spot.

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A Lesson in Teamwork and Self-Reflection

Smyth, who captained the five-athlete South African team, took away key lessons beyond his individual performance.

"What I learned at this competition is to have a stable team that has a good make-up. Everybody in the team gave something to the team, and nobody took anything away. And it creates an environment that allows everybody to perform to their best. I think that was my biggest lesson," he noted.

The South African team placed 10th overall among the 24 nations vying for top honours.

On a personal level, the two-time world champion and 44-year surfing veteran emphasised the importance of intuition.

"As far as my surfing goes, well you're always learning, you know. I think my biggest lesson is to really listen really hard to your inner voice and be honest about the decisions you make, because had I done that, I wouldn't have made the mistake I made."

Surfing: A Universally Accessible Sport

Smyth has been surfing since the age of five and came to Para Surfing naturally, having always surfed with one arm.

"I've been surfing since the age of five, and I've surfed with one arm, so I guess para surfing got into me. I didn't go and pursue it. I just surfed with a disability. That's just how I surf, because I have a disability," he explained.

He highlighted the universal appeal of the sport: "You know, surfing is a universally accessible sport, as long as you can get to the beach, once you have the water, anybody can do it. And I just grew up surfing. It wasn't called para surfing back then; when I was five years old, it was just surfing. And in 2015, the ISA created a para surfing chapter, and I got stuck in straight away and competed."