GoPro Adds Eight Young 'Stars Of Tomorrow' To Its Professional Athlete Team
GoPro has announced the addition of eight young athletes to its elite team of professional athletes.
The athletes, ranging from 9 to 17 years old, were selected through GoPro's Grom Quest Challenge, a video-submission-based talent search designed to identify the next generation of top action sports athletes.
Grom Quest participants were asked to submit video clips of their best performances in their given sport. Submissions are made through GoPro's Quik app and must be captured on a GoPro camera. The Grom Quest Challenge is ongoing and open to athletes around the world aged 17 and younger.
The eight newly signed athletes will receive monetary and equipment sponsorship from GoPro to help advance their professional careers and will be showcased on GoPro's social channels to help grow their personal brands. They will also have the opportunity to meet and learn from GoPro's world-class roster of established pro athletes.
"GoPro is committed to helping today's top young action sports athletes realize their dream of going pro," said Rick Loughery, GoPro's Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications. "Through our Grom Quest Challenge, we've identified some of the most impressive young athletes in the world, and we're excited to help them achieve their goals and showcase their talent to the world."
Grom Quest Challenge winners include top young athletes from a wide range of action sports:
- Ned Hart: Surf | Age 17 | Australia. Ned is a highly decorated surfer having won the 2023 Young Gun Big Wave award, Tracks Magazine's 'Wave of 2023' award and was a finalist for several Australian Surfing Awards in 2023.
- Ema Kawakami: Skate | Age 9 | Japan. Ema won the Japan Skateboarding Federation vertical contest in 2023 and the Wingram Cup 2023 Vertical Series Vol. 1 and holds the Guinness World Record for the most backside 540 skateboard tricks in one minute – eight tricks.
- Connor Stitt: BMX | Age 13 | USA. Connor set the record for the world's youngest person to land a triple backflip on a bike.
- Duke Woodman: Freeride Ski | Age 12 | USA. Duke is the youngest member of Atomic's North American Junior Freeride Team and went undefeated in his rookie International Freeskier & Snowboarder Association (IFSA) freeride season, having won all four of his regular season events.
- Zoey Carroll: Wakeboard | Age 12 | USA. Zoey is a 2022 World Wake Association national champion in the 10-13 girls' division and now competes in the Junior Pro division.
- Axel Dominguez: Surf | Age 16 | France. Axel finished 4th in the European Championship and is currently ranked 17th in the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Surfing Championship.
- Finley Davies: Mountain Bike | Age 15 | United Kingdom. Finley took the wildcard win at the BikePark Wales + Red Bull Vanta Jam in 2023.
- Jaydin Smart: Motocross | Age 10 | USA. Jaydin is an elite rider and a three-time Loretta Lynn's Amateur Motocross national champion.
The Grom Quest Challenge is an ongoing contest open to all sports and athletes around the world who are 17 years old or younger. Participants can submit their clips to the GoPro Grom Quest Awards Challenge via the GoPro Quik App or at GoPro.com/Awards. Learn more about the challenge here.