Though the World Cup is happening a bit further south and not yet into its single-elimination play, the Los Cabos Open of Surf started immediately with a knockout round and of the six Kauai kane to enter the 6-Star event,
Though the World Cup is happening a bit further south and not yet into its single-elimination play, the Los Cabos Open of Surf started immediately with a knockout round and of the six Kauai kane to enter the 6-Star event, just Dylan Goodale and Kaimana Jaquias remain as the competition enters the Round of 48.
Quiet in comparison to neighboring Cabo San Lucas, the town of San Jose del Cabo is hosting both the men’s and women’s World Qualifying Series events this week. The men got the first crack at the Mexican wave, hitting the water Monday with 144 surfers hoping to add big points to their QS season rankings. Six of that large pool call Kauai home, with Goodale, Jaquias, Evan Valiere, Gavin Gillette and Alex and Koa Smith all in the field.
Half of the crew survived their opening heats with Goodale, Jaquias and Alex Smith advancing into the Round of 96. Goodale was the first to make it through, winning his four-man heat and moving on alongside Brazil’s Rafael Teixeira. Goodale got going early, earning a 6.50 on his second wave and then slamming a 7.77 on his third ride for what would hold as a 14.27 total. Teixeira took second with a 13.20, while American Taylor Clark (10.34) and Spain’s Vicente Romero (9.50) fell by the wayside.
Alex Smith followed suit in a competitive heat, taking first place with a 12.83 total, including a 7.00 on his third wave. He just outpointed Uruguay’s Marco Giorgi, who moved on with a 12.60 score, while Peruvian Cristobal De Col (11.27) and Mexican Angelo Lozano (9.93) were each eliminated.
In the 24th and final heat of the opening round, Jaquias earned second place and a spot in the second round with a two-wave total of 11.40, behind just Brazil’s Heitor Alves (12.54). A 6.43 on his third ride put Jaquias in position to stay ahead of South African David Van Zyl (10.66) and Mexican Martin Olea (8.16).
Gillette was in position to advance, but fellow Hawaii surfer Tanner Hendrickson scored a 5.93 on his eighth and final wave to bump him out of second place. Gillette’s 10.23 total came up short of Hendrickson (10.63) and Brazil’s Italo Ferreira (15.10).
Wave scores began to dip for everyone when the 11th heat of the first round came about, including Valiere, who rode eight waves but managed just an 8.87 two-wave total. That kept him behind both Brazil’s Ian Gouveia (11.83) and Japan’s Arashi Kato (10.53).
Scores were similar for Koa Smith, who also took third in his heat with an 8.80 total, eliminated by Japan’s Masatoshi Ohno (12.14) and Peru’s Gabriel Villaran (10.17).
The second round was yet another showcase for Goodale, who pulled off a tight win with a 7.00 on his first wave and a 6.33 on his fourth for a 13.33 total. It was barely ahead of second-place finisher Carlos Munoz (13.23) of Costa Rica, but both moved on to clinch a spot in the final 48.
Jaquias followed suit with one of the day’s best performances. He earned a 9.40 on his very first wave to set the tone and backed it up with a 7.43 on his final wave to outpace the rest of his competitors, including Oahu’s Mason Ho eliminated in third (10.60).
Conditions were much better overall in the second round, allowing for bigger scores. Alex Smith had a strong heat and put together a 12.60 two-wave total, but that was good for only fourth in his tough group that saw Brazil’s Flavio Nakagima (16.24) and American Brett Simpson (14.50) move on. American Parker Coffin (14.37) was also eliminated in third. Smith had a quick start and was in position to advance, but Nakagima scorched his final two rides to jump the pack.
Goodale will next be competing against a trio of Brazilians, paddling out with Gouveia, Willian Cardoso and Wiggolly Dantas in the fifth heat of round three. Jaquias is among an eclectic group that includes one of the favorites in Australia’s Dion Atkinson, Brazil’s Messias Felix and American Tim Reyes in the 12th and final heat of the Round of 48.
The first round of the women’s event could go today, featuring Kauai’s Brianna Cope in the Round of 60. Five more Kauai wahine – Alana Blanchard, Leila Hurst, Malia Manuel, Nage Melamed and Tatiana Weston-Webb – will all start in the Round of 36 of the accompanying 6-Star event.
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