O’Neill Europe is very proud to announce the signing of European surf prodigy Caroline Sarran. As one of the brightest talents of her generation, Caroline joins the O’Neill’s women’s surf team on a multi-year sponsorship deal.

The 21-year-old French surfer has been a shining light in European surfing ever since 1998, when she won the first of a remarkable four under-18 French and European Championship titles. Caroline’s remarkable early promise was more than enough to set the industry alight with anticipation, and her potential was officially confirmed in 2004 when she stunned the surf world with 5th place finishes in World Championship Tour (WCT) contests in both Fiji and Anglet, France. Having announced her arrival on the global surfing stage, Caroline wasted no time in cementing her reputation by claiming the 2005 ASP Europe Championship (EPSA) title and a 10th place in the World Qualifying Series (WQS) overall ratings.

True to form, Caroline has continued blazing a path to glory in 2006 with three top five finishes on this season’s WQS tour. Her magnificent 3rd place in the WQS 4-star Gallaz Surf Jam in Florida, USA behind fellow O’Neill team surfer Melanie Bartels, has helped propel the young French woman into her current position of 7th in the overall women’s WQS ratings. With qualification to the WCT set as her goal for the year, Caroline is well on her way to joining the elite of surfing on a full-time basis.

O’Neill team manager Franck Corbery is delighted with the latest signing to the women’s surfing team, adding: “Caroline’s arrival in the team really serves to reinforce the female side of our global surf team. As one of Europe’s best and most promising surfers, her presence represents another important step for O’Neill. As well as her super-consistent results on the QS battleground, we’re just as pumped on her dedication and passion for the sport which mirror our own brand values. Caroline is all about progression and the same can be said for O’Neill. It’s pretty special to see someone like Caroline opening up doors for the next generation of girls, and we’re quite simply stoked to welcome such a talented surfer to our team.”

With everything to play for in the WQS season finale Op Pro Hawaii later this month, Caroline has the world at her feet.

For more information about the O’Neill surf team, visit www.oneilleurope.com