NAMIKA YAMASHITA CROWNED WORLD CHAMP AT THE 2026 ARCELORMITTAL WAHINE BODYBOARD PRO

September 18, 2026· Javier Ceballos

Coming off huge wins in the Maldives and Sintra, Yamashita only needed to make the quarterfinals in Brazil to secure the IBC World Tour crown.

JACARAÍPE, BRAZIL – September 18, 2026

Japan’s Namika Yamashita just officially locked in the World Bodyboard Title in the flagship Women’s Division on day two-to-last at the 2026 ArcelorMittal Wahine Bodyboard Pro, the biggest women's event of the year, held at Praia do Solemar (Jacaraípe, Espírito Santo).

Coming off huge wins in the Maldives and Sintra, Yamashita only needed to make the quarterfinals in Brazil to secure the IBC World Tour crown. She sealed the deal in style during Round 6, dropping an 8.5 wave score by chaining together two el rollos and a reverse combination.

Women’s Division

• Repechage Round: Two-time world champ Joana Schenker took first in Heat 1, with Maira Viana right behind her (0.25). Heat 2 was an absolute nail-biter, separated by less than 1.5 points across all four riders, with Kyra Shirahase (13.00 pts) and Filipa Broeiro (12.75 pts) punching their tickets.

• Round 6: Neymara Carvalho put on a veteran clinic to win Heat 1 ahead of Schenker. In Heat 2, Yamashita officially claimed her world title by taking top spot alongside Broeiro. Yuka Nishimura, one of the event's breakout stars, dominated Heat 3 with a 7.5 single wave score, accompanied by junior rider Alice Teotonio. In the final heat, local star Luna Hardman dropped the day's highest total score (14.50 pts), with Maira Viana taking second.

• Quarterfinals (Man-on-Man):

◦ Neymara Carvalho vs. Filipa Broeiro: Broeiro barely edged it out to secure a podium spot. Bodyboarding legend Neymara Carvalho bowed out to massive applause.

◦ Namika Yamashita vs. Joana Schenker: Cruising in with her brand-new world title, Yamashita moved on to the semis, keeping her streak alive to hunt for a third trophy this season. Schenker wrapped up in 5th.

◦ Maylla Venturin vs. Yuka Nishimura: Venturin squeezed into the next round in a super tight heat by a razor-thin 0.75 margin.

◦ Luna Hardman vs. Alice Teotonio: Heat of the day! Defending champ Teotonio pulled off a clutch 0.40 victory over world No. 2 Luna Hardman, who wraps up the year as World Title runner-up and 5th in the event.

Master Women (Quarterfinals)

• Marta Leitão (BRA) took down Nicool Calheiros.

• Elizangela Fragoso locked up a podium spot over Francis Otro.

• Defending champ Joselani Amorim was on fire, dropping the division's best total score of 14.50 (including a 7.00 single wave) to eliminate Maylla Venturin.

• Soraia Rocha out-surfed fellow countrywoman Juliana Dourado.

Junior Women (Quarterfinals)

• Melissa Souza battled through the rain against Mayra Gonçalves to lock in a home-soil podium spot.

• Defending champ Alice Teotonio dominated her heat against Sophia Veiga with a solid 7.00 wave.

• Portugal’s Luana Dourado cruised past Karen Souza with authority.

• French breakout rider Emie Padois knocked out Carolina Dias to score her first-ever tour podium.

FINAL DAY & UPCOMING TITLES

Action picks back up tomorrow (Saturday) with the semifinals and finals across all three divisions. We’ll crown three Wahine Bodyboard Pro champions, plus the new Master and Junior World Champions!

• Next Call: The official morning call time will be posted shortly by event organizers.

• Watch Live: Catch all the action streaming live at www.ibcworldtour.com.