Whatshot
Saffers Still At It!
Saffers Still At It!
Anchor Point, Taghazout Bay where the QS5,000 Pro Taghazout Bay got away at the backup location of Anza with the remaining eight heats of Round 1 in slightly smaller surf.
The last two South Africans in Round 1 both advanced, after finishing in the top two positions of their respective heats. Max Elkington (ZAF) held onto second place in his heat and Shane Sykes (ZAF) is back on the Qualifying Seriesand bagged a convincing win in the last heat of Round 1.
In an incredible third day of competition with pumping surf at Anza.A fresh new push of swell arrived, and while the first few hours didn't show the full potential of Anza, when the tide hit that mid-high mark the lineup changed completely from good to epic.
The South African contingent encouraged and inspired each other to advance to the next round. As the first event counting on the African rankings, surfers not only battle for the 5,000 QS points on offer but also for an early lead in the regional title race.
Adin Masencamp (ZAF) gave his fellow countryman a big confidence boost with a heat win over Renan Peres Pulga (BRA), Crosby Colapinto (USA) and Diogo Martins (POR) respectively.David van Zyl's (ZAF) experience paid off when he came up against Vasco Ribeiro (POR), Tiago Carrique (FRA) and Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) in Heat 11. Van Zyl secured his second place behind Ribeiro with excellent surfing under pressure.
In one of the highest-scoring heats of the day, Jake Elkington's (ZAF) good performance couldn't match the excellent surfing from Marco Mignot (FRA) and Jake Marshall (USA). Elkington was eliminated in third place, alongside Kai Tandler (AUS). After seeing their fellow teammates give it their all, both Jordy Maree (ZAF) and Luke Slijpen (ZAF) finished second in their respective heats to book a spot in Round 3. Max Elkington (ZAF) survived the French flair of Charly Quivront (FRA) in Heat 19 when he managed to get the required score in the dying seconds, advancing ahead of Paul Cesar Distinguin (FRA) and Adrien Toyon (FRA).
Marco Mignot (FRA) and Jake Marshall's (USA)30-minute bout was another forehand surfing masterclass with a mix of power carves and fins release in and above the lip from the two young competitors. Marshall got the highest single score with a 9.37, the best of the whole event up until now, but Mignot got the edge with his 17.47 heat total over the Californian's 17.37.
The Pro Taghazout Bay will unfold from January 25 - February 1 at Anchor Point, Taghazout Bay - Morocco. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to worldsurfleague.com.