That looks painful. Photo: Mark Tierney // WSL
Alonso Correa experienced all the highs and lows of competitive surfing in one heat at this year’s US Open. The 28-year-old Peruvian created quite possibly the most exciting sequence of events seen at a competition best known for being somewhat of a sleepy affair.
The moment came in the third heat of the round of 32. There, Correa squared up against Lucas Cassity, Deivid Silva and Alan Cleland. Early on in the heat, he launched into a high-flying air attempt that quickly went awry. Correa separated from his board and ended up landing squarely on top of it. He emerged from the water with bruised ribs and totaled board (which honestly was the best case scenario, given the fact he easily could have landed on the fins instead).
However, that did not deter him in the slightest. Correa quickly swapped out the broken stick and headed back out. Soon after, his perseverance was rewarded with a wild double-barrel that scored him a whopping 9.60 and quite possibly bragging rights for wave of the day.
Remarkably, even with a 9.60 in hand, Correa was unable to make it out of the heat. But even if Cassity and Silva were the ones to actually advance to the next round, Alonso won in my book.
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