In the hunt at Huntingdon
US-turned-Japan surfer Igarashi to defend title at his local beach
WITH a successful South African leg of the WSL already in the history books, the global surfing spotlight now shifts to California for an event that will influence the race for the women’s world title and qualifying for the men’s 2019 Championship Tour.
Formerly known as the West Coast Surfing Championship and first held in 1959, the Vans US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach, from July 28 to August 5, features a men’s 10,000 Qualifying Series (QS) event and a Women’s Championship Tour (CT) event.
The United States-based Kainoa Igarashi, who recently switched his allegiance from America to Japan ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, secured the biggest win of his life when he went on to win the 2017 edition of the US Open in his backyard.
After coming so close in the Open, with two third place finishes, Igarashi finally stepped onto the top step of the podium with a win over Brazilian Tomas Hermes in last year’s final.
For a surfer who was born and raised in Huntington Beach, and learned to surf alongside the famous Huntington Pier, it was fitting for Igarashi to post his biggest victory of his career at his local beach.
Currently ranked 17th in the race for the 2018 world title, Igarashi secured his best result of the 2018 season, an equal third place alongside our own Jordy Smith, in the recent Corona Open J-Bay.
With his Japanese status attained through his father’s citizenship and his ranking on the WSL Championship Tour, Igarashi is the first surfer to be granted a wildcard into the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Matthew McGillivray from Jeffreys Bay also made a name for himself in last year’s edition of the Open by securing a wildcard into the main event after he won the men’s US Open trials. While McGillivray surfed through four rounds of tough competition to win the trials, his run for the Open title was cut short in Round One (Round of 96) of the main event.
Cape Town’s Michael February was the top placed South African at Huntington Beach with his quarter-final finish and fifth overall placing. Durbanite Beyrick de Vries also competed in the Open but he fell in Round Two (Round of 48) of the main event. The South African trio will be back in action at Huntington Beach next week with Durbanite David van Zyl also seeded into the main event.
The women’s event will most likely see the continuation of the titanic battle between six-times world champion Stephanie Gilmore and Lakey Peterson who, between them, have already won five of the six events on tour this year.
Last week Australian Gilmore edged past American Peterson in the Corona Open J-Bay to snatch the Yellow Jersey in the race for the 2018 world title. Gilmore and Peterson, surprisingly, both suffered early round losses last year and will be eager to turn their 2017 misfortunes around for the better.
Californian Sage Erickson, currently ranked 14th in the world title race, won her first ever Championship Tour event with her win over Brazilian Tatian Weston-Webb in last year’s US Open final.