Rachael Tilly and Kai Ellice-Flint Win World Longboard Titles at 2025 Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships

There's no better place to hold a championship longboard contest than the venue of El Sunzal in El Salvador. From the long and unraveling wave itself to the surrounding jungle and beach community, it's a true surfer's paradise. That's why, when there is a contest at El Sunzal, it's going to be historic, and that one word describes the 2025 Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships held in November.

Your 2025 champs: Rachael Tilly and Kai Ellice-Flint.

The event, a single day competition format, featured three person heats in the initial matches, along with a head to head bracket format in the later and final rounds.

On the women's side, Rachel Tilly entered the event seeded No. 7 out of eight places. But that just goes to show that while you can measure someone's past results, you can't measure their motivation and passion. She methodically battled through heat after heat, with her runs including buzzer beaters and combo-ing her opponents.

In her first three matches, she posted 8.00+ (out of 10) high scores, besting a world-class field including the likes of Kelis Kaleopa’a (USA), three-time Longboard Champion Honolua Blomfield (HAW), and 2024 World Longboard Champion Soleil Errico (USA). 

Video courtesy Surf City El Salvador

Even after so much surfing and battling in the El Sunzal arena, she seemed energized as she headed into the final match with Avalon Gall. In the first match, she combo-ed Gall, and in the second match, she matched Gall's wave for wave with her own better score. The end result: a chair up the beach on El Sunzal'ss dark sands.

“It feels unreal. I feel really tired and in that heat, I just thought, please just get it done in this heat, because now all of the work today is really catching up,” she said. “Obviously, it was well worth it. I have no words. Honolua [Blomfield] and Soleil [Errico] have had three World Titles forever, and I’ve always been so inspired by them, and they set that bar. I’ve just been reaching for that bar. I’ve worked hard for this, and I love Sunzal, I love El Salvador. I walked into today with no expectations, and no part of me thought that this was possible."

Tilly's 2025 title is her third. Photo courtesy Surf City El Salvador

“Walking into that last heat thinking that three times is possible and just glory to God on all of this. I’ve been talking to him all day, starting from that buzzer-beater in that first heat, and I was just praying so much. He just continued to provide opportunity after opportunity.” 

On the men's side, Aussie Kai Ellice-Flint had to his own set of challenges to reach the final match. After displaying power and style all day throughout the event, he met No. 1 seed Edouard Delpero in the final match.

Video courtesy Surf City El Salvador

In the first title match, he posted a 9.50 and 17.67 (out of a possible 20) heat total. The question amongst those in attendance was whether or not he could do it again for the second match. His training and mental mettle proved that he was up for the task. He jumped ahead of the number 1 seed early, and then left Delpero needing a 10-point ride to overtake him as time expired.

“I wish I had words for it. I have so much love for what CJ [Nelson] has done for me, what my family has done for me, with all the support and how they’ve been there for me through my sacrifices in this life for me,” said Ellice-Flint. “It’s been a hell of a journey. I lack a little bit of self-confidence and critique everything all the time, always trying to better something - a better board design or something. It’s ingrained in me. I want to do better, be better, and be the best. Build the best boards that I possibly can and put them under my feet.”

Your 2025 champ: Kai Ellis-Flint. Photo courtesy Surf City El Salvador

2025 Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships Women's Results:

Title Match 2: Rachael Tilly (USA) 13.50 DEF. Avalon Gall (USA) 12.54

Title Match 1: Rachael Tilly (USA) 15.20 DEF. Avalon Gall (USA) 12.44

Match 4: Rachael Tilly (USA) 13.40 DEF. Soleil Errico (USA) 12.97

Match 3: Rachael Tilly (USA) 15.10 DEF. Honolua Blomfield (HAW) 12.00

Match 2: Rachael Tilly (USA) 14.67 DEF. Hiroka Yoshikawa (JPN) 14.36, Chloe Calmon (BRA) 13.23

Match 1: Rachael Tilly (USA) 15.83 DEF. Kelis Kaleopaa (HAW) 15.27, Tully White (AUS) 10.37

2025 Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships Men's Results:

Title Match 2: Kai Ellice-Flint (AUS) 16.00 DEF. Edouard Delpero (FRA) 10.33

Title Match 1: Kai Ellice-Flint (AUS) 17.67 DEF. Edouard Delpero (FRA) 12.84

Match 4: Kai Ellice-Flint (AUS) 15.27 DEF. Taylor Jensen (USA) 9.17

Match 3: Taylor Jensen (USA) 16.17 DEF. Declan Wyton (AUS) 14.50

Match 2: Declan Wyton (AUS) 13.36 DEF. Max Weston (AUS) 10.90, Kevin Skvarna (USA) 6.67

Match 1: Declan Wyton (AUS) 12.73 DEF. Steven Sawyer (RSA) 11.83, Rogelio JR Esquievel (PHL) 10.43

The Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships is proudly supported by Surf City and Corona Cero.