Kanoa
Igarashi
Japan
·
Surfing
Date of birth | 1 October 1997 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Huntington Beach, California, USA |
Age | 28 |
Nationality | Japan |
Disciplines | Surfing Competition |
Kanoa Igarashi has been surfing for as long as he can remember. His dad first put him on a surfboard in Huntington Beach, USA at the age of just three. He took to the sport with natural talent, competing in his first surf contest (which he won) at the age of six.
Since then, Igarashi, whose parents immigrated to the US from Tokyo, Japan, has taken the surf world by storm. At age 14, he became the youngest surfer ever to win the US National Championships for under-18s and that same year won the Governor’s Cup at the Surfing America Championships and took second in the King of Groms Championships.
The following year, a series of strong performances saw him grab a place on the world tour a year ahead of his own schedule: "Everybody says to 'take it heat by heat', but that's truly what worked for me."
In addition to competitions, Igarashi has a fondness for fashion and has been to his fair share of catwalk shows – even appearing in a few. He’s also a massive sports fan, regularly watching F1, whilst also supporting NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers and Portuguese football club SL Benfica.
His other great passion is food, as you’ll discover when checking out Igarashi's Instagram stories. He loves to showcase the incredible food he samples while travelling the world and it is no surprise that sushi often features in his videos.
Igarashi has also appeared in a bunch of stellar surf films, but his ultimate goal is to one day win the ASP World Championships – surfing's elite tour. If things keep going his way, that day might also be sooner than he thinks.