Cover photo: ISA/Jersson 

Dylan Donegan moved up a category from under-16 to under-18 in the best possible way. He left one as world champion and entered the other in the same manner.

Without feeling pressure, or handling it well, being one of the youngest in the category, he won his second consecutive gold, shining especially in the final stages of the world championship that took place in Punta Rocas, Peru.

Dylan thrives on point breaks, but he prefers bigger challenges. He's a surfer who likes the pressure, the kind of competition where many others falter; he brings out his best. As he put it: “In the finals, I put on my rash guard and go into the water. It's like before the final someone is tying me down and not letting me do what I want, and when I get to the final it's like I'm free and that's when I start to have fun.”

This young man from the Canary Islands, who describes himself as shy, is quietly making history in the world of surfing. And it's only just begun.

Below is a brief interview.

What do you think was the key to the world championship?
Since it's such a long championship, the key is to try and save yourself for the final days. Going all out from the very beginning wears you down physically and mentally, and I think that was the key in El Salvador and then here in Peru. In the final days, I probably felt fresher and more motivated than on any of the earlier days.

Besides your great surfing, there's something about you that makes you shine in key moments, like in the finals… What do you attribute this to?
In the finals, I put on my rash guard and go into the water. It's like before the final someone is holding me back and not letting me do what I want, and when I get to the final it's like I'm freed and that's when I start to have fun. Those are the moments when I grow the most and bring out my best surfing.

"In the finals, I put on my rash guard and go into the water. It's like before the final someone is tying me down and not letting me do what I want, and when I go into the final it's like I'm freed and that's when I start to have fun. In those moments is when I grow the most and bring out my best surfing."

How has this world title impacted your life?
I couldn't say. I still haven't processed it, I can't explain how I feel, and it's been over a week and I still can't believe it.

Did you have lower expectations given that it was your first year as an Under 18?
No. I went in with high expectations because I had won last year. I knew a new category was going to be very difficult with so many surfers, all surfing at such a high level… My expectations were high, but my goal was the same: to surf heat by heat, wave by wave, and give it my all. And it worked out well.

These kinds of results should encourage you to dream about the Olympic Games and the CT... What do you think?
Yes, they give me a lot of confidence and motivation to keep giving it my all. And of course, my dream, and I think the dream of any surfer, is to get into the CT and participate in the Olympics representing your country; that has to be the best thing ever. So I hope to fulfill one of those dreams, or both.

How would you describe Dylan Donegan's day-to-day life?
He is a normal, ordinary person who is in his second year of high school and really likes to surf and be with all his friends.

Something that nobody knows about you?
It's probably because I'm a very shy person and sometimes people mistake that for something else, and sometimes I see people and maybe I don't say hello because I'm embarrassed and not for any other reason (laughs).