Six winners crowned at eThekwini Surf Pro
There were several crowns on offer for the Qualifying Series (QS) 2000, Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) 1000 and Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) 1000 divisions.
IT was a victory to savour for several athletes in the World Surf League (WSL) Africa eThekwini Surf Pro at North Beach over the weekend.
There were several crowns on offer for the Qualifying Series (QS) 2000, Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) 1000 and Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) 1000 divisions.
This was the second edition of the eThekwini Surf Pro and the finals culminated on the most apt day, International Surfing Day, celebrated on the third Saturday of June.
There were also a few local longboard surfers in the form of Sam Christianson in the men’s division and Christy Gilmour who made it to the semi-finals of the women’s longboard surf competition.
Elsewhere former Durban local, Sarah Baum, had a standout event in winning the eThekwini Surf Pro QS 2000 women’s division with Morocco’s Lilias Tebbai finishing second.
Surfing in the eThekwini Surf Pro QS 2000 men’s division, Luke Thompson earned a repeat victory like he did last year, with Connor Slijpen finishing second.
The women’s Pro Junior competition was won by Emily Jenkinson while Slijpen triumphed in the eThekwini Surf Pro Junior men’s competition.
Longboard competition brings the drama
Expertly navigating the bumpy conditions on Saturday in the eThekwini Surf Pro Longboard Final, Crystal Hulett beat Cara Stubbs in the region’s only World Longboard Tour (WLT) qualifier.
The two traded waves back-and-forth, but Hulett’s wave selection was the point of difference, offering her longer rides that allowed her to cross-step and hang 10 her way to the win, successfully defending her title and earning a ticket to the WLT.
In a rematch of last year’s men’s final, Durban North’s Christianson, the defending champion, squared up against Steven Sawyer from Jeffreys Bay.
Christianson and Sawyer were on the 2024 World Longboard Tour and requalified for this year’s tour.
It was Sawyer though that pipped Christianson to the line.
With Sawyer and Christianson already requalified for the WLT, the regional spots were awarded to Hulett and Oliver Packham.
For more information visit www.worldSurfLeague.com.
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