Leihani Zoric almost didn't compete in El Salvador, but now the 13-year-old is the youngest International Surfing Association (ISA) Under 18 World Junior Champion in history.
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"When I went over there, I was extremely sick," Zoric told ABC Weekend Breakfast.
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"I wasn't even going to go, my mum and dad were like, 'Leihani don't go, you're that sick'.
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"I was like, 'no, I'm going to go.
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I believe that I can go all the way'," she told her parents.
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And all the way she went, using visualisation to help her through.
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"I wrote it down about 1,000 times [and] I said to myself, 'I'm going to become this year's Under 18 ISA gold medallist'," Zoric said.
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"So, when it happened, I was like, oh my God, this is crazy."
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Across more than a week of competition, Zoric was part of a 12-strong Australian team that went head-to-head with the world's best junior surfers.
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She competed three age divisions above her own, to take out the title.
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"It feels amazing," Zoric said.
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"I'm really proud of myself for all my hard work and effort I've put in, and all the people that have helped me along the way.
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It comes after a stand-out year so far, which includes winning the Junior Girls and Open Women's divisions at the 2026 Indigenous Surfing Titles.
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And she's taking it all in her stride, with a maturity that's beyond her years.
"I'm just so grateful to have been able to go to El Salvador and represent my culture and my country as best as I can," she said.
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Creating a proud history
Zoric, from Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, is also the first Indigenous world champion surfer at any level.
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"I'm really proud to have represented my Yued mob over in Western Australia," she said.
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"We have such important history in our culture and I feel like [that] has really shaped me as a person."
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Zoric first got a feel for surfing at two days old, when her dad put her on a surfboard in the shallows at Broken Head.
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From then on, she just loved the water.
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She takes inspiration from Soli Bailey, the first pro surfer to compete under the Aboriginal flag in the World Surfing League, and Cathy Freeman.
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"Having those people inspire me has definitely made me want to be like them one day," she said.
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Along with looking up to others, Zoric wants to be a positive role model herself.
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When she's not in the water, she's busy creating connection, with things like Lei's Lu'au, a community day celebrating girls and women in surfing.
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"I hope that I inspire, not just as an athlete, but being a good person and always caring about others, being encouraging and just having a positive attitude all the time," she said.
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"Bringing people up and lifting their spirits and attitudes and just [making] them feel like they belong here in this world.
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Locana Cullen (Under 16 men's) and Lucy Darragh (Under 16 women's) also claimed individual golds at the World Junior Championships, with Australia winning three out of the four divisions.
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The Australians also won their third consecutive team gold at the event.
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The Aporia