Sanoa Dempfle-Olin

Biography

In her first Pan American Games at Santiago 2023, Sanoa Dempfle-Olin won the silver medal in women’s shortboard to qualify herself for Paris 2024 where she will become the first Canadian to compete in an Olympic surfing event.

Two months before the Pan Am Games, Dempfle-Olin achieved a career highlight when she won her first World Surf League Qualifying Series event, the WRV Outer Banks Pro in North Carolina. In January 2024, she won the SLO CAL Open at Pismo Beach, California for her first WSL Pro Junior victory.  

In April 2023, Dempfle-Olin helped Canada to a fourth-place finish as a team at the Pan American Surf Games. Individually, she finished fourth in the women’s shortboard event.

In 2017, Dempfle-Olin became the youngest female surfer to ever win the Tofino Rip Curl Pro, a month and a half before her 12^th birthday. She went on to compete at the ISA World Junior Championships in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023. In that last appearance, she reached the semifinals of the women’s U18 event, finishing in a tie for fifth. In her first appearance at the ISA World Surfing Games in 2022, Dempfle-Olin finished in a tie for ninth.   

A Little More About Sanoa

Getting into the Sport: Was born into a family of surfers and was introduced to the ocean as a toddler… Got her first surfboard at age 6… Entered her first contest at age 8, but didn’t really get into the sport until age 11… Always wanted to keep up with older sister Mathea and do what she was doing, which was surfing… Loves the adventure the sport brings and the way it connects her to the ocean and nature… Outside Interests: Enjoys boating, camping, hiking, yoga, cooking… Odds and Ends: Older sister Mathea represented Team Canada at the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games where she won bronze in the longboard event… Favourite motto: Everything happens for a reason…