Anwar’s keeping it simple in title hunt
FUN and patience are underlining Oney Anwar’s bid for the Gold Coast Open.
Armed with a strong record at Burleigh Point, the Palm Beach-based and Indonesia-born surfer yesterday eased through his Round 2 heat against Tweed and Gold Coast trio Dextar Muskens, Tane Bowden and Luke Hynd.
Incredibly clean and crisp 2-3 foot waves welcomed competitors in the morning and Anwar made the most of it, managing to take to the air on multiple waves, impressing the judges and raising applause from the crowd.
“I was reading the ocean and watching the waves for a while before my heat,” he said. “I definitely don’t want to think too much before a heat, I just want to go out there and have fun – which usually works.
“I could potentially have a wildcard spot at the upcoming WSL CT event in Keremas, Bali but I’m going to focus on this one for now.
“Winning another event at Burleigh would be so special to me. My family want to come down on the weekend and watch, it’s such an awesome spot to have an event.”
Fellow Gold Coast talent Pacha Light surfed her way into Round 2, after progressing through her Round 1 heat with Keala Tomoda-Bannert. Light stylishly worked her way through the rocky section of Burleigh, tearing apart the clean right-handers.
“It’s definitely great to get those first-heat jitters out of the way,” said Light.
“It’s such a fun wave to surf. When everyone sits on the headland and the waves get really clean it’s an awesome vibe. I’m definitely looking forward to the swell coming this weekend, I’m excited to see some great surfing from everyone and hopefully score some good waves.”
Lennox Head local and former World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) surfer Stuart Kennedy thrashed past his Round 2 heat, defeating Nick Vasicek (Gold Coast), Riley Laing (The Entrance) and Benjamin Hucker (Central Coast).
“I’m pretty stoked to get through Round 2, especially with my good friend Nick (Vasicek),” said Kennedy.
“We’ve had some good heats together over the years, and we normally end up progressing together. I gave him a wave in that heat, and he got the score he needed which was great.
“It would be awesome to take out this event. To earn those 1500 points would be a huge booster for me this year. The prize money couldn’t hurt either.”