Sierra Kerr is headed to the big leagues. The 19-year-old daughter of surfing legend Josh Kerr just qualified for the 2027 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour.
Kerr cemented her spot at the 2026 Ericeira Pro in Portugal. She clinched after advancing to the final, where she would finish in third overall. This not only earned her enough points to make qualification a mathematical certainty, but solidified her spot at the top of the women’s Challenger Series rankings.
The placement is the latest high-ranking result in what’s been a banner year for Kerr. She finished second at the World Junior Championships, won the 2026 US Open of Surfing, and placed fifth and ninth at the Ballito and São Sebastião Pro, respectively.
The result is made all the more impressive for the fact that Kerr has faced significant challenges out of the water. In 2025, she received a diagnosis of Lyme disease with neurological and GI involvement. The condition often made it difficult to walk or even lift her legs, along with numerous other symptoms, and she was out of the water entirely from February through April of that year.
“I don’t know what I’m feeling right now, it’s just crazy,” she said in a post-heat interview at the Ericeira Pro. “To tell me a year ago that I’d be the first person to qualify – no words. It’s been hard, so I’m just so grateful. It shows you can go for really hard things and still come out on the other side even better than when you went into it.”
You can watch our GenUp video feature with Sierra Kerr here.
