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| Friday 30th of May 2008 |
Five South Africans in contention going into last day of Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
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Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Seignosse, France
Saturday May 24 – Sunday June 1, 2008
Five South Africans in contention going into last day of Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Five of the 12 members of the South African surfing team have advanced to the last 12 in their respective divisions and remain in contention for medals going into the final day of the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships at Seignosse Le Penon in France.
Shaun Joubert and Chad du Toit in the U18 boys, Bianca Buitendag and Sarah Baum in the U18 girls and Beyrick de Vries in the U16 boys all dropped into the repecharge rounds today (Friday) as consistent one to two metre waves and still, sunny conditions provided exceptional performances from the world’s best 18-and-under surfers.
The SA team members received rave reviews from the commentators as they ripped into the waves with Joubert posting the event’s highest scoring ride of the U18 boys, 9.83 out of 10, and the third highest heat total of the division, 18.0 out of 20, which matched his total on the opening day of the event.
Du Toit was equally convincing in joining Joubert in Round 7 of the repecharge stream and the pair will have to successfully negotiate four more heats to qualify for the Grand Final in the division.
Team captain Matt Bromley battled bravely through the repecharge rounds, winning four consecutive heats including eliminating the 2006 U18 champion Jadson Andre (BRA). Competing in the same heat as Joubert in Round 6, Bromley bowed out to a last minute ride by Australian Chris Salisbury to finish 13th overall and contribute 450 points to the team total.
In the girls, Bianca Buitendag was the top SA performer, surfing her way into the last six in the qualifying stream before being relegated to the repos where she will start her challenge for a place in the final from Round 8 on Saturday.
Sarah Baum and Tarryn Chudleigh both lost out in qualifying Round 4 and then had a to-and-fro battle for second spot in their repecharge heat. Baum finished just seven hundredths of a point ahead of her team-mate to progress and Chudleigh emulated Bromley’s 13th place overall with an identical contribution of 450 points to the team tally.
Like Buitendag, Beyrick de Vries also cruised into the last six of his division before finishing third behind a rampant Peterson Crisanto as the 15 year-old Brazilian opened his account with a 9.0 and then added the first perfect 10 point ride of the event.
De Vries is the last remaining SA surfer in the U16 boys after Michael February waited in vain for the better waves as the tide dropped and was eliminated, becoming the third SA surfer to finish an unlucky 13th overall.
Earlier in the day Dane Staples and David Brand finished equal 25th in the U16’s and as the team total is made up of the best three results from the four surfers in each division, 360 points will be added to SA’s total on behalf of one of this pair.
South Africa, the USA, defending champions Australia, Hawaii, Brazil, New Zealand and host nation France are all contenders for the top five positions in the team standings.
With excellent wave and weather conditions forecasts for Saturday and small waves, rain and onshore winds predicted for Sunday, event organisers have opted to finish the contest a day early. The 2008 ISA world junior champions in U18 girls and U18 and U16 boys will be crowned on Saturday, along with world’s top junior surfing nation.
The day’s action will start at 7.30am with the Grand Finals scheduled to get underway around 11.30am.
All the action from the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships can be followed live via the webcast. Go to www.quiksilver.com , www.isasurf.org or www.isaworldchamp.com .
Previous releases from the event and a photo gallery, along with a link to the webcasts can be found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
The SA junior team is supported by Lotto and travelled to France on Emirates
Surfing South Africa, the recognised governing body for surfing in South Africa, is proudly supported by:
Lotto
Emirates
SAEL
Sport and Recreation SA
Ends
About International Surfing Association (ISA):
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for surfing, bodyboarding and surfriding. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980.
ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 50 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided by Fernando Aguerre, first elected in 1994 in Rio, and re-elected six times since. The ISA's four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Maile Aguerre (Hawaii) and Mike Gerard (USA).
Issued on behalf of:
Surfing South Africa
Contact: Robin de Kock
Email: surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Mobile: 0824541149
Compiled & Issued by:
Life's a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax: +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za |
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