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Peruvian Surfing Legend Magoo De La Rosa Leads Charge At 2008 ISA World Masters Surfing Championship
April 1, 2008
PRESS RELEASE
PERU got a taste of world surfing action for the first time in over forty years with the opening day of the 2008 ISA World Masters Surfing Championship kicking off in Peru today.
Punta Rocas, which last held the ISF World Championship won by local Peruvian Felipe Pomar in 1965, provided the ideal forum for the world's premier masters surfers with near perfect 1.5-2-metre right-hand point break waves welcoming competitors.
24 heats of the Masters (Over 35), Kahunas (Over 45) and Grand Masters (Over 40) were completed on day one of the prestigious competition.
Reigning Grand Masters champion and seven-times national champion Magoo De La Rosa (Peru) made his intentions clear, netting both the day's highest individual wave score (9.00) and combined heat total (17.17) to storm through to round two.
The Peruvian surfing legend was in a league of his own; utilising local knowledge to outpoint French surfer Peirre Thouron, Argentina's Luiz Radziunas and Sweden's Henio Skaldin.
"I felt really good out there today," said De La Rosa.
"As always I tried to surf the best I could. I was lucky to find two good waves in which I could perform lots of maneouvres.
De La Rosa, who has been consistently ranked among the top surfers in Latin America for the past two decades, is in good shape heading into the next round and is eager to perform well in front of his nation.
"I never had the opportunity to surf at this level in my country," he said.
"Of course I have pressure to perform, but I really like it. It's all new to me."
Final scores: De La Rosa (17.17), Thouron (8.50), Radziunas (6.37) and Skaldin (5.00).
Puerto Rican Juan Ashton set the pace for day from the opening heat, easily disposing of highly rated Brazilian Ricardo Toledo and England's Jesse Davies to advance through to round two.
Continuing on with the form that saw him win the Masters title at the 2007 ISA World Masters Surfing Championship in Puerto Rico, Ashton dominated the heat from the opening siren, scoring a 6.83 and 6.50 to finish with a 13.33 combination (out of a possible 20) to Toledo's 12.67.
"I was feeling a little bit nervous before the heat," said Ashton.
"The waves are really good, but Punta Rocas is a really tricky place for wave positioning. It's very unpredictable, but if you choose the right waves you'll win the heat."
Ashton is gunning for back-to-back titles when round two commences tomorrow and is in high hopes of defending his crown.
"Being defending champion feels really good," he said.
"I don't feel the pressure. Last year the pressure was higher because I was competing in front of my people. This year I just want to have fun."
South African heavyweight Justin Healy (Capre Town) was equally impressive in heat four of the Masters round, netting the morning's highest individual wave score en route to trouncing Drum Drummond (Jamaica) and Carlos Alvarado (Ecuador).
Healy, who honed his wave riding skills on the intense waves neighboring Dungeons, South Africa, was at ease in today's solid conditions, posting a 6.50 before unloading a series of potent forehand maneouvres to jag a high scoring 8.50.
Healy accruing a two-wave combined total of a 15.00 to Drummond's 6.00.
"This place is so rippable," said Healy.
"If you connect some good turns together you'll score well. There is also a high caliber of surfers and everyone is pushing each other to get high scores. Its going to be interesting to see what level the surfing will get to by finals time."
Fellow South African Andrew Banks also featured on the day's winners list, overcoming Jamaica's Eugene Miller and Ecuador's Xavier Aguirre to book a spot in the next round.
Australian surfers Rob Page and Jay Sharpe faired well in their respective round one Masters heats, directly advancing through to round two.
Page, the 1988 Pipeline Masters Champion, finished in second behind local Peruvian Titi De Col (Punta Rocas), while Sharpe was beaten by Frenchmen Olivier Salvaire.
Other impressive round one Masters winners included the Tahitian pairing of Heifara Tahutini and Noel Chave as well as Brazil's Jair de Oliveira.
Not to let their younger team members grab all the limelight, the Kahuna division ripped the Punta Rocas line-up to shreds.
Australian Rob Baldwin led the charge, notching the division's highest individual wave score (8.67) and combined heat total (16.67) to breeze through to round two.
Joining Baldwin as round one Kahuna winners included Francisco Posada (Ecuador), Robert Reid (Dominican Republic), Nick Pike (South Africa), Marc Wright (South Africa), Jorge Posso (Peru), Andrew Millar (Trinidad and Tobago), Aurelio Prieto (Ecuador).
To culminate the day, the Grand Masters hit the water for their opening round 1 heats.
Competition is expected to continue tomorrow with an increasing swell predicted.
The 2008 ISA World Masters Surfing Championships will be broadcast live on the Internet, at the ISA website, www.isasurf.org. Photos, news and results will be updated continuously throughout each day of competition.
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