Chelsea Tuach's story starts on the 2nd of December 1995 when she was born on the tropical Caribbean island of Barbados. Inspired by  two older brothers, she started surfing at a young age. After watching them represent Barbados competitively overseas, she wasdetermined to follow in their footsteps.

It was through passion for surfing and a driven competitive nature that in 2013 hercareer with the ASP started.She became the North American Pro Junior Regional Champ in 2013 and then again in2015. Her drive and skill took her  to  3rd at the ASP World Junior SurfingChampionships in 2013 and again in 2014. She carried this momentum onto the WorldQualifying series in 2014 and after winning the Pantin Classic Galicia Pro WQS6000in 2015, Chelsea earned a spot on the Women’s World Championship Tour.

This was a first for any Caribbean surfer in the history of the sport. In 2018 she was crowned the Martinique Surf Pro WQS3,000 Women’s Champion and recently theVolkswagen South African Open of Surfing WQS3000 champion in 2019.This talented lady has many other passions including traveling,yoga, nutrition and wellness, Sporting Barbados had a chat with her about Covid 19 Challenges and the road to the Olympics.

Q: Usually, you are traveling all over the world to various surfing competitions, what’s the past year been like with Covid 19 raging?

A : It's been quite a different year for me! Put simply, 12 months without competing has been strange and I'm dying to get back into a jersey. But looking at the positive, I'm grateful for the down time. I've been able to focus on myself and dissect areas of my surfing and training that need improvement. A luxury I'm not always afforded when my off season is only a month long. I've had the chance to spend quality time with loved ones and pick up new hobbies like tennis and baking. I've also full-filled a different goal and am now a certified Pilates instructor.

Q: You are due to represent Barbados in the Olympics in Japan- how have you been coping with training?

A: Let's not jinx it! I am heading to El Salvador at the end of May to compete in the ISA World Surfing Games where I will fight for my spot in Surfing's debut at the Olympics.

Q: What are your hopes for the Olympics?  Who are your main sponsors? Are there other Barbadians in the surfing world at your level?

A : I'm hoping for a big year ahead. My dream is to qualify for the Olympics, and fly our Barbados flag as high as I can when I get there, hopefully coming home with something big and shiny around my neck. I'd also like to finish in the top 6 of the professional WSL QS rankings and secure my spot on the Women's Championship Tour for 2022.My main sponsors are Suzuki Caribbean, Dragon Alliance and The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.

Q: What does Chelsea Tuach do when she’s not surfing?

A : I'll be spending time with family, learning new things, moving my body and finding a way to put a smile on someone else's face.