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Taiwan Open World Junior Championship
Taiwan Open World Junior Championship
Jinzun Harbour, Taitung, Taiwan where Quiksilver team member, 17-year-old Brazilian prodigy Mateus Herdy from Brazil, has claimed victory at the Taiwan Open World Junior Championship in solid windblown conditions at Jinzun Harbour.
Herdy was the surfer to beat, posting excellent scores in every heat he surfed. He saved his best performance for the Final where he posted a two-wave total of 18.37 (out of a possible 20) to overcome Californian Eithan Osborne (USA). This included a near perfect 9.77 (out of a possible 10) for two air reverses and a number of turns on one wave. Osborne battled hard but was left in a combination situation (needing two scores) for the majority of the 35-minute match up.
"This has been the best few weeks of my life," Herdy said. "I just got here to Taiwan and loved it straight away -- the waves are fun, the people are so nice and it's a beautiful place, I'm definitely coming back. I was talking to my friends before the final and knew to win I was going to have to surf better than I ever had. The conditions were great for airs so I just went for it and am just so stoked I got the win."
After a Final finish at the Hawaiian Pro QS10,000 event, Herdy dropped out of the Sunset QS event early and decided to jump on a plane and get to Taiwan and take a wildcard spot in the WJC. Herdy's last-minute decision has seen him join the likes of his heroes Adriano de Souza and Gabriel Medina as a Brazilian World Junior Champion.