Sanoa Dempfle-Olin, 18, a Canadian surfer, won the Tofino Rip Curl Pro at the age of 12, making her the youngest female surfer to do so. She also won a silver medal in the women’s shortboard competition at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, in 2023. She is also qualified for the surfing competition in the Paris Olympics 2024.
Sanoa Dempfle-Olin Qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics
Dempfle-Olin became the first ever Canadian to qualify for the Olympics in surfing. She did this by reaching the women’s final at the Pan Am Games on October 30th, where she won a silver medal, losing only to Tatiana Weston-Webb from Brazil. After the Pan Am Games, the 18-year-old returned to her home in Tofino, British Columbia for just four days. During this short time, her friends and family celebrated her achievement before she went back to competing.
Sanoa had the highest single wave score of 9.17 and the highest total heat score of 17.70 at these world championships, scoring better than the reigning Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore from Honolulu.
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“I guess we didn’t optimize everyone’s potential in every heat and came up a little short,””I believe she had three of the top six wave scores, the strong performance should see the Tofino, B.C., resident seeded high for the Olympic competition. “She has the firepower to compete with the best in the world. It’s just [being] consistent heat to heat.”
Dominic said over the phone from Arecibo.
Sanoa Dempfle-Olin Sports oriented Family
Sanoa Dempfle-Olin was born on July 3, 2005, in Tofino, British Columbia. She was born into a family that loved surfing. Besides surfing, Sanoa also enjoys other activities like boating, camping, hiking, yoga, and cooking.
Her parents are Dion and George Dempfle. Her mother Dion was a dancer. Her father George was a member of the German national ski team and worked as a helicopter ski guide. Sanoa has an older sister named Mathea Dempfle Olin who was born on February 2, 2003. Mathea is also a surfer from Canada.
Sanoa Dempfle-Olin’s Early Start to Her Surfing Career
As a very young child, Sanoa was introduced to the ocean. She got her first surfboard when she was 6 years old – it was a 5-foot soft-top skateboard. According to family stories, that same winter Sanoa accidentally followed her mom and older sister Mathea out past the breaking waves and rode her first shoulder-high wave.
Four years later, when Sanoa was 10 years old, she followed in her sister’s footsteps by winning the ‘Princess of the Peak’ title at the Queen of The Peak competition on Vancouver Island. At age 12, Sanoa became the youngest female surfer ever to win the Tofino Rip Curl Pro event.
When Mathea was 14 years old in 2017, she won Canada’s first international surfing medals – a gold and a bronze at the Pan American Surf Games. Sanoa also won a bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
In 2018, Sanoa took part in the Women’s Junior Tour. At the Los Cabos Open of Surf championship, she finished in 41st position, scoring a total of 113 points.
In 2019, also in the Women’s Junior Tour, Sanoa competed at the Vans US Open of Surfing championship. She secured the 17th position, earning 200 points total. However, she lost to Rachel Presti. That same year, Sanoa also participated in the Ron Jon Roxy Junior Pro event. Again, she finished in 17th place with 200 points, losing to Ella McCaffrey.
Sanoa had dreamed of competing in gymnastics at the Olympics. But her dream changed when surfing was added as an event for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan at the 128th IOC Session.
Sanoa Recent Years and Olympics
In 2020, Sanoa joined the Women’s Qualifying Series. At the Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro, she finished in 160th position, losing to Sophie Fletcher. Later that year, she competed at the Mothernest Great Lakes Pro, securing 9th place by scoring a total of 350 points. However, she was defeated by Noah Klapp.
In 2021, Sanoa competed in the Women’s Qualifying Series. At the O’Neill Cold Water Classic, she finished 25th, earning a total of 150 points. She lost to Emma Stone in this event. Sanoa also took part in the Nissan Super Girl Surf Pro, where she secured the 33rd position with 200 total points. However, she was defeated by Alyssa Spencer.
In 2022, Sanoa participated in various championships and had some remarkable performances. At the CAL Open in Morro Bay, she finished in 2nd place by scoring 800 points in total, though she lost to Ella McCaffray. Sanoa also competed in the WRV Outer Banks Pro, where she secured the 1st position and earned 1000 points.
2023 was a very successful year for Sanoa in surfing. She provisionally qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning a silver medal in the women’s shortboard event at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago. Additionally, she competed in the official Olympic test event for Paris 2024 held in Teahupo’o, Tahiti. Sanoa’s achievements in 2023 marked an important milestone in her career, showcasing her great talent and potential on the international surfing stage.
In 2024, in the Women’s Junior Tour, Sanoa participated in the Ron Jon Roxy Pro Junior, securing 7th position with 445 total points. She was defeated by Kylie Pulcini in this event. However, Sanoa also took part in the SLO CAL Open at Pismo Beach JQS1,000, where she finished in 1st place, earning 1000 points.
