A local from Strand is currently busy preparing for the World Bodyboarding competition.
Iain Campbell (31), a professional bodyboarder and 2017 Bodyboard World Champion, is getting ready to represent his country at the International Bodyboarding Corporation (IBC) Arica Cultura Bodyboard competition in Chile from 29 April to 7 May.
He started doing bodyboarding when he was a lifesaver in Durban. “I used to race bodyboards through the waves and around buoys. This love grew into a passion that soon became my life. Now I am making a living doing something I really love, riding waves on a bodyboard.”
Campbell always loved being in the ocean and it is a passion that has never left him, and he still loves to get in the ocean and go swimming. “Riding a bodyboard fast and having the successes has made this love for it all that much better. I can’t imagine not being able to get in the ocean on my board.”
At the age of 11 he started with bodyboard competitions in KwaZulu-Natal, and he took a second-place spot in the first nationals he competed in. From then he was hooked on competitions.
“I then entered the nationals and won twice as an under-15. From that point I kept on competing locally until my first year overseas in 2012 when I won an ISA World Games Gold Medal. In 2016 I managed my first World Tour win in Arica, Chile. In 2017, after achieving seven podium finishes in eight events, I won the world title. In 2018, I tried for the title and could only manage runner-up to fellow South African Jared Houston. Lastly, in 2020, after spending the last seven seasons travelling to Hawaii, I won the Pipeline event. I have spent a lot of time in the water at this famous break and that one event made it all worth it. I won the event by getting a 10-point ride in the final five seconds of the heat.”
According to Campbell it takes dedication, hard work and a supportive team of trainers, friends and family to help one get to the top.
“I am fortunate enough to have a great group of individuals taking me through the process of getting me to the top. I have missed a lot of birthdays, reunions, weddings, and anniversaries in the quest of achieving my goals. This is not easy for everyone to do, but I am grateful for the support of all my friends and understanding on how I have been to achieve what I have.”
The biggest competition he has taken part in (so far) is the Pipeline event in Hawaii.
He was crowned the Arica Chilean Challenge Champion in 2016. In the same year he was named the Association of Professional Bodyboarders Sportsperson of the Year. In 2018 he was the World Tour Runner-up, and in 2020 was the Pipeline Invitational Champion.
In 2017, he hit a low light in his career when diagnosed with an ulcerative colitis.
“It is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation in the large intestine. It is a tough topic to talk about as issues with the stomach are never talked about. I was very quiet about it until 2019, when I suffered a bad spell, and it was affecting my life. This affected me a lot to the point where, in 2021, I landed up in hospital struggling to walk due to the inflammation getting so bad in my lower large intestine.”
He battled through the remainder of 2021 with little to no surfing being done.
“This got me depressed and kept me bedridden until I received medication in 2021 called Humira. This helped me dramatically, especially in terms of getting back to where I was before, both physically and mentally, and I am excited to get back to travelling on the World Tour.”
Iain has spent six weeks in Hawaii preparing for the Arica Cultura Bodyboard competition.
“This is a great place as the waves on offer are of high consequence and quality which makes for a great start to the year. This trip has always been something I have used to grow my riding and get dialled into all my gear. Now I am back home I will work with my high-performance trainer, Philip Nel, to get me to my optimal performance both physically and mentally.”
He plans to keep doing bodyboarding for as long as possible.
“I am currently working hard to grow my following on all social media platforms while focusing on vlogs and tutorials on YouTube,” Campbell said. “I have just had a successful season in Hawaii with some good moments captured and placed on my YouTube. It is awesome to be able to show everyone my life as a bodyboarder travelling the world.”
V Visit Iain Campbell’s YouTube-channel at: https://youtube.com/c/IainCampbellSA
