You could argue the Kanoa Igarashi versus Connor O’Leary in a round-three heat was actually the final. Photo: Sean Evans//ISA
Japanese teammates Kanoa Igarashi and Connor O’Leary had the bad luck of facing off not once, but twice, at the 2026 Asian Games, the first Olympic qualifier for LA 2028. The men’s and women’s winners of the event earn provisional Olympic slots. While O’Leary beat Igarashi in the non-elimination round one, Igarashi beat O’Leary in the higher-stakes round three, eliminating the goofy-footer.
Due to how Olympic events sell television rights, the event is not streamed around the globe. But the International Surfing Association posted the scoring waves from the heat, explaining how Igarashi’s 15.67 total bested O’Leary’s 15.26.
The waves were knee-high, requiring aggressive pumping to keep surfboards afloat. But even so, both slipped in a few tight snaps, and each landed an air reverse. But Igarashi’s final air earned him an 8.67 — the best score of the battle — to turn the heat and narrowly surpass O’Leary.
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Igarashi advanced to the quarterfinals, where he’ll face Indonesia’s Bronson Meydi.
O’Leary and Igarashi were the only two compatriots to draw the same heat in the first three men’s rounds. Because the men’s draw has 23 surfers, awkward for a bracket, Igarashi got an automatic pass through round two, then matched up with O’Leary again in round three. O’Leary’s 15.26 total would have won any other heat in the round by more than three points, but it couldn’t overcome Igarashi.
If Igarashi wins the event, it will serve as insurance to get him into the LA 2028 Olympics. In all likelihood, he will qualify through the Championship Tour, which takes precedence in the hierarchy. The qualification system takes the rankings as per the events between August 15, 2027 and June 15, 2028. One crucial update from previous editions of the Games is that CT qualification will be limited to one surfer per country, which bodes well for surfers like Igarashi from countries that are not well-represented on the tour.
If we take the top eight qualifiers looking at the current CT rankings, Igarashi would be the fourth of eight men to qualify. So, if Igarashi wins the Asian Games and qualifies for the Olympics via the CT, the Asian Games is a race for second place. His slot would go to the next eligible athlete, which currently includes surfers from Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, China, and India.
