Barton first Brit to reach WSL Challenger Series

Barton first Brit to reach WSL Challenger SeriesImage source, BBC SportImage caption, Alys Barton won all her heats at the WSL Pro Taghazout 4,000 Regional Qualifier in MoroccoByGareth BaileyBBC Sport WalesPublished7 hours agoAlys Barton says she is "ecstatic" to become the first British surfer to qualify for the WSL (World Surf League) Challenger Series.The 21-year-old finished second in a regional qualifier in Morocco to secure the ranking points needed to earn her spot.The WSL Challenger Series is the second tier of the WSL pyramid and serves as the pathway to qualification for the elite Championship Tour.Barton will compete in five different events across the world, beginning her campaign in South Africa in July."The emotions of finals day were really overwhelming," she told BBC Sport Wales."It's fantastic to be able to come back to the Gower, to Swansea and to say I am the first British surfer to be on the Challenger Series."British surfers Patrick Langdon-Dark and Sky Brown previously had one-off event wildcards to compete on the Challenger Series, but Barton is the first Briton to qualify for the whole series."I was sitting in 12th when we arrived in Morocco," added Barton."I went out there going, okay let's just get through the event, I want to win the event and anything after is a bonus."I had no idea going into the semi-final that morning that I had to win that heat to be on the Challenger Tour."I had my mum, and everyone watching, writing down the ranking points I needed to qualify."It was such a surreal moment when I qualified." Barton says she caught the surfing bug when she first competed in the Welsh nationals, coming fifth out of five in the final."I was over the moon, I got so excited by that and after that I just kept competing and entering competitions."It was a changing point in my life where I was like I really enjoy this, the competitive environment, being unde...