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Hawaii Qualifying Series Back at Sunset Beach

Hawaii Qualifying Series Back at Sunset Beach

Date: 2019-01-25

The countdown to Hawaii's professional surf season is officially underway as competition begins next week at the Sunset Open/Pro Junior, the first event of the World Surf League (WSL) Hawaii/Tahiti Nui 2019 regional calendar.

One hundred sixty athletes from 15 countries will compete in the Men's Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000, Men's Junior, and Women's Junior divisions at Sunset Beach, one of the most iconic venues on Oahu's famed North Shore.

2017/8 Big Wave Tour World Champion and defending event winner Billy Kemper is seeking his second Sunset Open title, coming off a stellar 2018 in which he became the only three-time Jaws (Pe'ahi) Challenge champion.

Fellow big-wave charger and all-around waterman Kai Lenny joins Kemper in the deep field of 112. Lenny, who only began competing on the QS circuit a mere two years ago, finished runner-up to Kemper in the 2018 Jaws Challenge and is also no stranger to Sunset's powerful, big-wave conditions and notoriously challenging lineup.

The Sunset Open/Pro Junior is presented by the Hawaii Youth Surfing Development Organization (HYSDO), a 501c3 non-profit providing greater opportunities for local youth in and around surfing. The event will be contested on the four best days of conditions during the January 18 through January 28 window. (Competition may not run on January 21, Martin Luther King Day, per local ordinance.)

Equal prize money will be awarded across the Men's and Women's Pro Junior divisions. Live scores and results will be available on competition days at worldsurfleague.com, and on the free WSL app.