Epic surf and the world’s up-and-coming junior surf stars produced an unforgettable day at the 2010 edition of the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in New Zealand today.
And what a show it was. With only two days to go in the prestigious tournament, competitors hit their straps, shredding apart the barrelling 6-8ft (1.5-2m) waves that marched through for day six of competition at Piha Beach.
USA surfing sensation Kolohe Andino dealt with the pressure in a consummate fashion, setting the standard for the day with both the highest individual wave score (9.25) and two-wave heat total (18.00) in his main event round four Under 16 boy’s heat.
The skilful natural foot continued on with the form he displayed in the opening rounds, backhand blasting the peeling lefthanders to beat fellow USA surfers Parker Coffin and Trevor Thorton and Tahitian Tefaafana Ariihoe.
Final scores: Andino (18.00), Coffin (14.00), Ariihoe (10.65) and Thorton (9.00).
“The waves looked kind of hard out there,” said Andino. “The waves had a lot of wall and it was howling offshore, and not like anything I surf back home. But a bomb wave come through when I paddled out and it set up a good heat for me. It worked out pretty good for me.”
Andino, 15, added he’s not getting ahead of himself heading into the business end of competition.
“The contest has really just started for me,” he said. “There are so many rounds and it’s really hard to get to the finals. I’m just going to take it heat by heat and make every heat count. I just want to make it through.”
Joining Andino as main event round four Under 16 boy’s heat winners included Australian Matt Banting and Hawaiian Koa Smith.
| Ben Poulter – Image Craig Levers / ISA |
South African surfer Beyrick De Vries rose to the occasion in his blue ribbon, main event round four Under 18 boy’s heat, taking down Portugal’s Fredericko Morais and the Brazilian pairing of Gabriel Medina and Jesse Mendes.
In a heat marked by interferences, De Vries stuck to himself to amass a heat-winning 15.00 total. The Brazilian duo of Medina and Mendes both scored interferences in the heat to be relegated to the repecharge round.
“It’s always nice to get through a heat,” said De Vries. “Especially to win gives my confidence levels a little boost. I’m feeling good.”
Post heat, De Vries said he steered clear of his fellow competitors in the action-packed affair.
“At this point of an event everyone wants it so bad,” he said. “It’s so close; you can just smell the finals. People are willing to do anything to win. I just stayed away from my fellow competitors and tried to do my own thing.”
Tahiti’s double act of Tamaora McComb and Jocelyn Poulou also tasted victory, taking line honours in their main event round four Under 18 boy’s heat.
Frenchman Dimitri Ouvre, who resides in Reunion Island, impressed the large crowd that gathered with his classy tube riding skills in his repercharge four Under 16 boy’s heat.
In a barrel-fest of a heat, Ouvre weaved through the belly of two Piha tubes to take the heat with the day’s second highest combined heat total (17.90).
Ouvre netting an 8.25 and 9.00 to defeat Spain’s Kosme Molera and Hawaiian Kaimana Jaquias.
“This was probably one of the best heats of my life,” said Ouvre. “I wanted to get out there again. It was unbelievable.”
New Zealand’s hopes remain with Sarah Mason (Cabarita, Aus), Ben Poulter (Raglan) and Alex Dive (Mt Maunganui) after all three surfers progressed through their heats today.
Mason won her sudden-death repercharge round five Under 18 girl’s heat, Poulter progessed through his main event round five Under 16 boy’s heat, while Dive took line honours in his repercharge round five Under 18 boy’s heat.
Team Australia celebrated their national day with a mixed bag of results. Lennox Head’s Tyler Wright and Trigg’s Felicity Palmateer followed in the footsteps of Banting to remain in contention in the Under 18 girl’s division.
Wright taking a win and Palmateer finishing in second in their respective main event round four Under 18 girl’s heats.
North Stradbroke Island’s Tim MacDonald was also victorious in his repercharge round five Under 18 boy’s heat.
Fellow Aussies Ellie-Jean Coffey (Crescent Head) and Creed McTaggart were both eliminated from the prestigious event.
The semi-finals of the ISA Aloha Cup, where five competitors from the top participating nations battle it out in a tag-team format, were held on the main event podium to round out the day.
South Africa came up trumps in semi one beating Australia, New Zealand and Portugal.
Team South Africa accrued a 52.40 total to progress alongside Australia (50.35) into the final.
Semi two was a tight affair, with Hawaii finishing in the lead with a 46.3 total. In second was France (40.60), with Tahiti just .45 of a point behind on 40.15 and Peru in fourth on 36.55.
Competition is expected to kick off at 8am tomorrow, with the ISA Aloha Cup to cap off the day.
Please find below the results from day 6 of the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship being held at Piha Beach, Auckland, New Zealand from the 21-28 Jan.
All Kiwi surfers are in BOLD.
Under 18 Boys Qualify Round 4
Heat 1
1, Beyrick de Vries, ZAF, 2, Frederico Morais, POR, 3, Gabriel Medina, BRA, 4, Jesse Mendes, BRA
Heat 2
1, Poulou Jocelyn, TAH, 2, Maxime Huscenot, FRA, 3, Kieran Bulard, FRA, 4, Evan Geiselman, USA
Heat 3
1, Tamaroa McComb, TAH, 2, Jordin Watson, AUS, 3, Thomas Woods, AUS, 4, Martin Jeri, PER
Under 18 Boys Repechage Round 4
Heat 1
1, Keanu Aising, HAW, 2, Tim McDonald, AUS, 3, Alex Baker, UK
Heat 2
1, Andrew Doheny, USA, 2, Alex Dive, NZL, 3, Bourez Kevin, TAH
Heat 3
1, Ezekiel Lau, HAW, 2, Santiago Muniz, ARG, 3, Ian Fontaine, FRA
Heat 4
1, Dimitri Ouvre, FRA, 2, Kosme Molera, SPA, 3, Kaimana Jaquias, HAW
Heat 5
1, Tanner Hendrickson, HAW, 2, Ian Gouveia, BRA, 3, David Brand, ZAF
Heat 6
1, Evan Thompson, USA, 2, Michael February, ZAF, 3, Johnny Hicks, NZL
Under 18 Boys Repechage Round 5
Heat 1
1, Alex Dive, NZL, 2, Keanu Aising, HAW, 3, Ezekiel Lau, HAW, 4, Kosme Molera, SPA
Heat 2
1, Tim McDonald, AUS, 2, Tanner Hendrickson, HAW, 3, Michael February, ZAF, 4, Andrew Doheny, USA
Heat 3
1, Dimitri Ouvre, FRA, 2, Evan Thompson, USA, 3, Ian Gouveia, BRA, 4, Santiago Muniz, ARG
Under 18 Girls Qualify Round 4
Heat 1
1, Malia Manuel, HAW, 2, Felicity Palmateer, AUS, 3, Lakey Peterson, USA, 4, Canelle Bulard, FRA
Heat 2
1, Tyler Wright, AUS, 2, Sarah Baum, ZAF, 3, Alessa Quizon, HAW, 4, Taylor Pitz, USA
Under 18 Girls Repechage Round 4
Heat 1
1, Johanne Defay, FRA, 2, Kaleigh Gilchrist, USA, 3, Nao Oomura, JPN, 4, Jayda Fitzharris, NZL
Heat 2
1, Alexis Poulter, NZL, 2, Maud Lecar, FRA, 3, Leila Hurst, HAW, 4, Phillipa Anderson, AUS
Heat 3
1, Sarah Mason, NZL, 2, Courtney Conlogue, USA, 3, Garazi Sanchez, SPA, 4, Tassy Swallow, UK
Heat 4
1, Bianca Buitendag, ZAF, 2, Ellie-Jean Coffey, AUS, 3, Nage Melamed, HAW, 4, Maria Abecasis, POR
Under 18 Girls Repechage Round 4
Heat 1
1, Sarah Mason, NZL, 2, Maud Lecar, FRA, 3, Johanne Defay, FRA, 4, Ellie-Jean Coffey, AUS
Heat 2
1, Kaleigh Gilchrist, USA, 2, Courtney Conlogue, USA, 3, Bianca Buitendag, ZAF, 4, Alexis Poulter, NZL
Under 16 Boys Qualify Round 4
Heat 1
1, Matt Banting, AUS, 2, Ben Poulter, NZL, 3, Ian Gentil, HAW, 4, Jake Halstead, USA
Heat 2
1, Kolohe Andino, USA, 2, Parker Coffin, USA, 3, Tefaafana Ariihoe, TAH, 4, Trevon Thorton, USA
Heat 3
1, Koa Smith, HAW, 2, Hiroti Arai, JPN, 3, Carlos Mario Zapata, PER, 4, Steven Sawyer, ZAF
Under 16 Boys Repechage Round 4
Heat 1
1, Mataiea Hiquily, TAH, 2, Jarred Veldhuis, ZAF, 3, Miguel Tudela, PER
Heat 2
1, Vasco Ribeiro, POR, 2, Kain Daly, HAW, 3, Lucas Silveira, BRA
Heat 3
1, Braye Mihimana, TAH, 2, Martin Jeri, PER, 3, Andy Criere, FRA
Heat 4
1, Isaiah Moniz, HAW, 2, Leo Fioravanti, ITA, 3, Luan Wood, BRA
Heat 5
1, Natxo Gonzalez, SPA, 2, Tane Wallis, NZL, 3, Cooper Chapman, AUS
Heat 6
1, Creed Taggart, AUS, 2, Dylan Lightfoot, ZAF, 3, Gianni Porcari, PER
Under 16 Boys Repechage Round 5
Heat 1
1, Braye Mihimana, TAH, 2, Leo Fioravanti, ITA, 3, Mataiea Hiquily, TAH, 4, Kain Daly, HAW
Heat 2
1, Dylan Lightfoot, ZAF, 2, Vasco Ribeiro, POR, 3, Natxo Gonzalez, SPA, 4, Jarred Veldhuis, ZAF
Heat 3
1, Martin Jeri, PER, 2, Isaiah Moniz, HAW, 3, Tane Wallis, NZL, 4, Creed Taggart, AUS
Press Release: Surfing NZ Jake White, 26 Jan