Filipe Toledo soaring to victory in Huntington Beach. Photo: Shannon Marie Quirk
It’s over. Yep, no riots to report. The only real news is surf news — and that is a damn nice thing to be able to say. Sure, people are strange, a 16-year-old was allegedly arrested for making terrorist threats towards the US Open, and Kelly Slater pulled out before the competition even began, but for the most part, it was all about the surfing.
The day began overcast with slight drizzle every which way, but the skies soon cleared and sun tore through the bleariness for an energetic semis and finals. In an all-Brazilian bout, Filipe Toledo came out on top in the men’s bracket, beating fellow countryman Willian Cardoso with his aerial game. In fact, it was South Americans’ aerial games that lifted them above the two to three-foot peaks into the final. Perhaps it was the similarities to their waves down along their home coastlines, but they found pop where others could not. The boy traded jabs, with Toledo striking first, taking to the air a couple of times for an 8.73. But Cardoso struck right back, linking together three snaps before hopping his way to the inside and scoring a 9.03. However, Toledo was not done and snagged an 8.73 that combined for a 17.56 he would ride the rest of the way to the title.
Photo: Shannon Marie Quirk
On the women’s side — a true power surfing affair — it was an all-Australian engagement that saw a restart as neither competitor rode a wave the first 10 minutes. But the swell would pick up and Stephanie Gilmore got off to a fast start with two waves including a then-high 7.33, but Tyler Wright quickly countered grabbing a 8.67 and following with a 6.10, forcing a lead change with 10 minutes left. The lead would not change again, as the five-time champion struggled to to catch the second 7-point ride she needed.
Yesterday, Matt Banting (AUS) and Bailey Nagy (HAW) won the Junior Men and Women titles respectively.
