With two minutes left to go in the final heat of the 2004 Roxy Haleiwa Pro, the entire cast of women's pro surfing flocked to the shoreline at Ali'i Beach sporting red-and-white "Sofia #1" trucker caps and victory shirts that proclaimed in sparkling gold, "La Numero Uno Sofia! Viva El Peru!" A slew of giant, novelty shaka and number-one Roxy sponges waved wildly in the air, and the champagne began to flow, as they welcomed the new world champion to the beach.

Weaving her way through a crowd of cheering spectators, 21-year-old Sofia Mulanovich got her first taste of world champion fame, stopping every few feet to hug a fellow teammate, pose for the cameras, and talk into the dozens of microphones that were thrust in her face. Earlier during the competition, thousands of emails poured in from South America, sending best wishes to the girl who would become their first-ever surfing world champion.

On the podium, four-time world title-holder and the most famous Roxy girl, Lisa Anderson, presented the ASP trophy cup to Sofia, who finished the contest in second place. Going out in a blaze of glory with a $20,000 first place victory, appropriately, was six-time world champion Layne Beachley, who graciously acknowledged that it should really be Sofia's day.

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