Lukas Skinner denied historic third successive Boardmasters title

PERRANPORTH surfer Lukas Skinner was denied a historic third successive Boardmasters Open title on Thursday.

Skinner led the final early but Sam Piter from France overtook him in the final minutes of the Boardmasters YETI Pro QS 4,000 after busting out an air in the small, tricky summer conditions of around one to two feet.

Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri from the Basque Country, a region in Spain, won a strategic, heavy priority battle against Clemence Schorsch from France to claim her first title at Boardmasters.

Janire has gone one better this year after finishing in the runner-up spot at the 2025 Boardmasters. She was defeated by her sister Annette Gonzalez Etxabarri in a historic one-two finish for the family. Annette missed the 2026 Boardmasters event while recovering from an injury.

Competition began in ideal three to four foot surf allowing organisers to capitalise on favourable conditions by completing the men's and women's QS 4,000 draws through to the round of 16 on the opening day. Despite smaller surf on finals day, competition remained at an exceptionally high standard as the world's emerging talent battled through the Round of 16, quarter-finals and then the semi-finals.

The men's draw featured standout performances from Britain's Lukas Skinner, Spain's Sean Gunning, France's Sam Piter and German brothers Kai and Hans Odriozola, while the women's semi-finals saw Clemence Schorsch, Janire Gonzalez Etxabarri, Nahia Milhau and Sol Borelliprogress to the title showdown.

Following the Shortboard finals, attention turned to the Longboard competition, where local favourites Adam Griffith, Emily Currie amd Lola Bleakley all secured places in the semi-finals. Former world champion Ben Skinner narrowly missed out on qualification by less than half a point.

Alice Lemoigne and Louis Marchiset from France were crowned the winners of the Boardmasters Longboard Pro presented by YETI.