Nine-year-old Maldivian surfer wins gold at Sri Lanka’s Arugam Bay

Aaliyah Latheef, the nine-year-old surfer from Maldives has won the Open Girls category at Arugam Bay Series of the SFSL Surf Championships 2026 – an open surfing tournament in Sri Lanka.

The tournament took place this past weekend, from Thursday to Saturday. The girls’ final heat saw Aaliyah earn the top spot in her category after surfing against Sri Lanka’s junior champion Sayuni Anjana, and Switzerland’s Camille Etter.

Following her individual achievement, the Maldives Surfing Association shared in a statement that “Aaliyah Latheef demonstrated remarkable skill, determination, and sportsmanship against top talent twice her age”. This was not just her first international podium finish, but Aaliyah has also become the youngest Maldivian surfer to earn an international gold medal.

Just last year, at the very first U18 Girls Surfing Championship organized by MSA, Aaliyah Latheef was crowned the winner, at the mere age of eight.