Salt Rock’s Shane Sykes cruises through first round of Ballito Pro
Slade Prestwich and Luke Thompson also advanced, while Jordy Smith, Daniel Emslie, Jordy Maree, Eli Beukes and Tide-Lee Ireland were unfortunately knocked out.
Three of the eight South Africans who have so far competed in the men’s Ballito Pro pres. by O’Neill advanced to the second round of heats today.
This includes Salt Rock’s Shane Sykes who finished first in his heat with a score of 12.17, beating out Frenchman Gatien Delahaye this afternoon.
Sykes will have good memories of Willard Beach after he won the South African Championships there last December.
Sixteen of 24 heats have so far been concluded in the men’s event, which will see a total 96 surfers fighting for supremacy.
Slade Prestwich, Luke Thompson and Sykes advanced, while Daniel Emslie, Jordy Smith, Jordy Maree, Eli Beukes and Tide-Lee Ireland were unfortunately knocked out.
Max Elkington, Joshe Faulkner, Nate Colby and defending champion Adin Masencamp have yet to surf, with their heats taking place tomorrow morning, weather permitting.
Photo: Pierre Tostee/WSL.
This first round cuts the field in half, with the top two in each heat competing in the round of 48.
The same system is used all the way until the round of 16 stage, when only the winner of each heat continues in the competition.
So over the next week, Ballito will see a round of 48, 24, 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final to determine the men’s winner.
In the women’s draw, 64 surfers compete in a similar format, which means one less round of heats, but with the exact same qualification process from the round of 16 onwards.
The women’s surfing will kick off tomorrow, dependent on the quality of weather and waves available.
Seven South Africans will take to the break at Willard Beach amid partisan shore-side support.
Natasha van Greunen, Sarah Baum, Sarah Scott, Zoe Steyn and Gabriella Herbst have been joined by Louise Lepront and Danielle Powis as wildcard entries.
To follow the action live, including live footage that you can stream for free, visit the World Surf League website at www.worldsurfleague.com/events/2022/cs/22/ballito-pro/results.
Follow The North Coast Courier on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube for breaking news
Telegram Broadcast Service: https://t.me/joinchat/yJULuN8NaCs5OGM0
WhatsApp Broadcast Service: Add The Courier to WhatsApp at 082 792 9405 and WhatsApp your name and surname to be added.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here, or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.
