Johanne Defay

Johanne Defay
Johanne Defay
	Johanne Defay at the 2016 US Open of Surfing
Personal information
Born	19 November 1993 (age 31); Le Puy-en-Velay, France
Residence	La Réunion, France
Height	5 ft 5.6 in (1.67 m)
Weight	134 lb (61 kg)
Surfing career
Best year	Ranked #3 WSL CT World Tour – 2022
Sponsors	Wakanda, GoPro Cameras, Smith Optics, Superdry Surf Company, Smoothstar Skateboards, Tim Spirit, Seventyone Percent Skincare
Major achievements	US Open of Surfing 2015 champion; WSL Championship Tour event wins: 6;
Surfing specifications
Stance	Natural (regular) foot
Shaper(s)	Channel Islands
Medal record
Women's surfing
Representing France
Olympic Games
World Games

Johanne Defay (born 19 November 1993) is a French professional surfer. She was born in Le Puy-en-Velay in the Auvergne region of France. She qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games where she won bronze.

She began surfing at the age of 8 off the beaches of Reunion Island, which is her home today. After Johanne's first competition when she was only ten years old, she quickly moved through the European amateur ranks to eventually take on the WSL World Qualifying Series. In 2008 Defay almost gave up competing. She was finding it difficult to transition from the juniors to the WQS and then the economy crashed causing many surf companies cancel their sponsorships. At that time, Johanne found herself without sponsors and also without decent results. However, with her parents’ encouragement, Johanne was able to qualify for the World Championship Tour within two years.

She has won five World Surf League events, the Vans US Open of Surfing 2015, the Fiji Women's Pro 2016, Uluwatu CT 2018, the Jeep Surf Ranch Pro 2021^[1] and the Quiksilver/ROXY Pro G-Land 2022.

Competitive highlights

2024 Bronze Medal Olympics - Paris (Tahiti)
2016 WSL 2016 Rank: 5
2016 1st Fiji Women's Pro – Fiji
2016 3rd Roxy Pro Gold Coast – Australia
2015 8th World Championship Tour
2015 3rd Fiji Women's Pro – Fiji
2015 5th Rip Curl Pro Bell's Beach – Australia
2015 1st Vans US Open of Surfing – California
2015 5th Cascais Women's Pro – Portugal
2015 5th Roxy Pro – France
2014 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – 8th on Final Ranking
2014 3rd Swatch Women's Pro – California
2014 3rd Roxy Pro – France
2014 5th Fiji Women's Pro – Fiji
2014 5th Vans US Open of Surfing – California
2014 5th Cascais Women's Pro – Portugal
2014 5th Target Maui Pro – Hawaii
2013 3rd Junior World Championship Florianopolis – Brazil
2013 1st France Champion Brétignolles sur Mer – France
2013 1st Pontevedra Junior Pro Surf – Spain
2013 Open European Champion
2013 Junior European Champion
2013 Finalist of the 6 stars WQS Swatch Girls Pro – France
2013 1st Swatch Girls Junior Pro – France
2013 1st Soöruz Junior Pro – France
2013 1st Gijòn Junior Pro – Spain
2013 2nd O’Neil Junior Pro – Spain
2013 1st Soöruz Junior Pro – France
2013 4th Coupe de France – France

Career victories

Year	Event	Venue	Country
WCT Wins
2024	MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal	Supertubos, Peniche	Portugal
2022	Quiksilver/ROXY Pro G-Land	G-Land, Banyuwangi	Indonesia
2021	Jeep Surf Ranch Pro	Lemoore, California	United States
2018	Uluwatu CT - Women's	Uluwatu, Bali	Indonesia
2016	Fiji Women's Pro	Namotu, Tavarua	Fiji
2015	Women's Vans US Open of Surfing	Huntington Beach, California	United States

WSL World Championship Tour

Tournament	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Roxy Pro Gold Coast	13th	13th	3rd	3rd	9th	5th	Cancel due to covid-19 crisis^[2]
Drug Aware Margaret River Pro	9th	9th	13th	9th	Canceled and finished at Uluwatu^[3]	9th
Rip Curl Women's Pro Bells Beach	13th	5th	5th	5th	5th	9th
Rio Women's Pro	13th	9th	5th	2nd	9th	9th
Corona Bali Protected	-	-	-	-	13th	9th
Uluwatu CT	-	-	-	-	1st	-
Fiji Women's Pro	5th	3rd	1st	5th	-	-
Corona open J-Bay	-	-	-	-	5th	5th
Vans US Open of Surfing	5th	1st	13th	5th	5th	-
Swatch Women's Pro Trestles	3rd	9th	5th	9th	-	-
Surf Ranch Pro	-	-	-	-	5th	2nd
Roxy Pro France	3rd	5th	9th	9th	5th	3rd
Cascais Women's Pro	5th	5th	3rd	13th	-	-
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal	-	-	-	-	-	5th
Maui Pro	5th	9th	13th	13th	5th	5th
Rank	8th	8th	5th	9th	5th	8th

References

^ Boxscore World Sportswire (21 June 2021). "Johanne Defay and Filipe Toledo Win Jeep Surf Ranch Pro presented by Adobe". boxscorenews.com. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
^ "Breaking: 2020 WSL Tour Canceled". 17 July 2020.
^ "Cancelled Margaret River Event to Finish at Uluwatu". 10 May 2018.

External links

[1] Boxscore World Sportswire (21 June 2021). "Johanne Defay and Filipe Toledo Win Jeep Surf Ranch Pro presented by Adobe". boxscorenews.com. Retrieved 21 June 2021.

[2] "Breaking: 2020 WSL Tour Canceled". 17 July 2020.

[3] "Cancelled Margaret River Event to Finish at Uluwatu". 10 May 2018.

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