It’s the third day of the Visit Maldives Pro 2024.
The weather conditions today weren’t quite as good as the previous days; the waves have shrunk a bit, but we still got to see some awesome moves from competitors across all divisions. We’re now at a crucial point in the competition where every heat feels like a final, and there’s a lot on the line.
Check-in was at 7:00 AM local time, and the agenda included Round 4 for the Men, Round 4 for the Women, and Rounds 3 and 4 for the Junior Men.
MEN’S DIVISION (Round 4)
We’re down to the top 24 in this division, so the action is guaranteed with the best in the world competing. In this round, they faced off in heats of 3, with two advancing to Round 5.
One of the standout performers has been Japan’s Hayato Enokiko, who once again took first place, leaving Hawaiian Dave Hubbard in second.
French surfer Ethan Capdeville is also making waves, advancing as the top competitor in his heat, ahead of another surprise of the event, junior rider Ethan Pérez, who’s doing great in both divisions.
Maxime Castillo from France is standing out with the highest score of the championship. He pulled off an awesome ARS followed by two super clean rolls that scored a 9.5. Right behind him, the Portuguese rider Joel Rodrigues also hit his goal of moving forward in the competition.
Heat 4 was dominated by Brazilian athletes, with Gabriel Braga, currently ranked number 2, still in the race for the title of best in the world. Eder Luciano took second place, just 0.20 points behind. Aamin Moosa, the local rider who made it the furthest in this division, wrapped up his competition with a solid performance.
Tristan Roberts, ranked number 3, is keeping it strong, making it clear he won’t make it easy for his opponents. He finished second to Frenchman Yann Salaun.
Current leader Armide Soliveres from the Canary Islands showed off his top form with a perfect heat, scoring 14.25 and pulling off a radical ARS rated at 8.75. Amaury Lavernhe also did his job and moved on to the next round.
French surfer Pierre Louis Costes managed to take the lead in a super tight heat, just ahead of one of the event’s breakout stars, Aitor Ojeda from the Canary Islands, who keeps showing off his skills.
Brazil’s Uri Valadao is still going strong, advancing again with a score of 13.75. Just 0.10 points behind him was French surfer Clement Lodeho. Another breakout star, junior Alexander Montes, wrapped up his participation with a solid result.
That’s a wrap for the Men’s division today, leaving only 16 riders who will go head-to-head tomorrow.
WOMEN’S DIVISION (ROUND 4)
Now it’s time for the Women’s division. This round is a repechage, featuring 2 heats of 4 competitors each, where the top two from each heat move on to the next round, making it into the top 12 of this edition.
Japan’s Namika Yamashita proved her high level again, advancing in first place, followed closely by another breakout star, junior Luana Dourado, who moves on to the next round.
The second and final heat of the day for this division was super close, decided by just tenths of a point. South Africa’s Pamela Bowren took the top spot with a score of 10.55. The second place went to the current Junior Women’s world champion, Luna Hardman, with 10.5. Unfortunately, Japanese surfer Kaira Shirahase had to say goodbye, just missing the cut with a score of 10.15.
Tomorrow, the top 12 athletes from this stage will face off in heats of 3, where only 2 will make it into the top 8 of the Visit Maldives Pro 2024.
JUNIOR MEN’S DIVISION (ROUNDS 3 and 4)
ROUND 3 (Non-elimination)
The junior athletes took to the water in this non-elimination round, with heats of 4 competitors where the top two move directly to round 5, while the third and fourth place finishers get another shot in round 4.
Guilherme Montenegro from Brazil and Jai Taylor from Australia put on an intense heat, both ending up with a total of 13 points. In case of a tie, the highest wave is used, and in this case, it was held by the Brazilian rider. Luckily, both of them made it to round 5.
Another exciting heat featured these juniors, which was decided by just tenths of a point.South African Hugo Naude surprised everyone by advancing in first place with 11.75. The current division leader, Alexander Montes, came in second with 11.35, and American Drake Kinghorn took third with 11.25.
Jorge Hernández is still on track as one of the favorites, snagging first place in his heat with a total of 13.9. The second spot went to Frenchman Milo Lautier. Another surprise of the championship is 14-year-old junior Vicente Campos, who continues to win his heats, this time pushing the current world champion, Micheel Yancce, to second place.
ROUND 4 (Elimination Round)
This elimination round was split into 2 heats of 4 competitors. The top two advanced to round 5, while the other two said goodbye to the competition.
Spanish rider Ethan Pérez advanced in first place, showing a high level in both divisions. Moroccan rider Abdi Mohamed came in second, and his fellow countryman Sami Laabi was close behind in third, leaving the competition along with American Drake Kinghorn.
Current world number 2, Mikelle Arraigada, didn’t miss his chance and advanced in first place on his way to the title. The second spot went to Spanish rider Hugo Medina. Portuguese Frederico Castelo and the last local rider in the junior division, Eyan Ahmed, who had a fantastic run, are out of the competition.
There are 12 athletes left in the WOMEN’s division, 16 riders in the MEN’s division, and 12 riders in the JUNIOR Men’s division. So, the show is definitely on for the final rounds of the Visit Maldives Pro 2024.
That wraps up today’s competition. The organizers will check in early tomorrow to assess the conditions.
Tomorrow, on day 4 of the competition, the schedule is as follows:
– 7:00 am Check-in
– Round 5 and Quarterfinals for Men
– Round 5 and Quarterfinals for Women
– Round 5 and Quarterfinals for Junior Men
Stay tuned for the live broadcast at:
www.ibcworldtour.com
Photographers: @ramankamaldeen / @h.u.m.a.i.d.h / @witteyy
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