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Anaïs Blanchard has jumped into the deep end. And the young champion from Ajoe Reefer Surf Club didn't miss a beat in her debut as an adult at the first stage of the Banque Populaire Surf Tour in Martinique. Indeed, in a highly competitive event featuring some of the world's top female surfers, Anaïs Blanchard did better than just get her bearings. In fact, she managed to take third place on the podium behind Bahia Frediani (22) and Clémence Schorsch (16, runner-up in the 2024 U16 World Championship). A performance that suggests a promising season ahead for Anaïs Blanchard.
I'm pretty happy," says Anaïs modestly. The final was pretty tough. The further we got into the competition, the tougher the conditions got, with lots of wind and complicated waves. I didn't manage to find the right ones in the finals. But for the one I did manage to find, I didn't do too badly." Under the guidance of her coach, Jason, Anaïs was delighted to return to the beaches and waves of Martinique. "I'd set off with a view to rediscovering my surfing," explains the 2024 Junior French Champion. I was struggling a bit at the moment. So the week's training, focused and chilled at the same time, did me a world of good! And then, during the competition, I was in pretty good shape."
The second leg of the Banque Populaire Surf Tour - Open de France 2025 shortboard circuit (the Olympic discipline) should, like last year, land on Réunion at the very beginning of next March. But before that, Anaïs has flown to the Canaries to train. In February, she will take part in a stage of the "qualifying series" circuit. It's a big competition," says the surfer from the Ajoe Reefer Surf Club, "and I don't know what it's going to be like." After a fine debut in Martinique, the Saint-Barth champion is continuing her apprenticeship with the "big boys". With desire and, to hear her tell it, without apprehension.
