Adam Melling and Damien Hobgood advance to round of 12 of the Saquarema Surf Pro International
The 11th and 12th heat of Saquarema Surf Pro International’s round of 24 wrapped up at the beach-break of Itauna in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday, May 28th. Australia’s Adam Melling won the 11th heat by defeating
his compatriot, Josh Kerr, while America’s Damien Hobgood clinched the win in the final heat by besting South Africa’s Royden Bryson.
The surfing conditions at the event site turned out to be a nightmare for majority of the surfers. The day started off with six-foot tides, but they kept rising as the day progressed. To make matters worse, stormy wet weather prevailed at Itauna, presenting
surfers with an additional challenge.
The showdown between Melling and Kerr was expected to be an intense one, with both the surfers in good form. However, the conditions caused problems for both the surfers, making them struggle to catch waves and execute manoeuvres. Melling earned 3.93 points
from the very first wave that he locked and it remained his second best score of the heat. He earned his best score half-way through the heat, catching a wave to score 6.33 from it, finishing with a two-wave total of 10.26.
Kerr, on the other hand, was outdone by the conditions completely. He got a disappointing 1.10 off his first wave and would have ended his heat with a humiliating score if it wasn’t for his final wave that earned him 5.27 points. The 3.89 deficit forced
him to surrender victory to his Australian rival and get eliminated from the competition.
Talking to a reporter after his heat, Melling commented on the conditions, saying, “It’s really tough. It kept getting bigger throughout the day and I didn’t even know what size board to use.”
In the final heat of the round of 24, America’s Hobgood faced the South African surfer, Bryson. Both the surfers had a tough time in the sea, though the American surfer refused to give in to the difficult conditions and kept on putting up a fight. He kept
on catching waves and attempting tricks off them, but the efforts remained futile for almost half the heat. Eventually, the persistence paid off and he locked a wave to score 5.67 from it. He then followed it up with a 3.90 wave to finish with a heat total
of 9.57.
Bryson found it hard to cope with the conditions and struggled to catch waves. He got a decent score of 5.17 from his first wave and stood a good chance to walk away with the win. However, he was unable to get anything decent after his first wave and only
managed a 2.20 from his second-best wave. The poor finish to the heat eliminated Bryson from the competition, while confirming a place for Hobgood in the next round.
While everyone else was complaining about the conditions, Hobgood found the conditions enjoyable. “It’s not easy to find waves out there, but I like to surf when it’s like this,” said the American surfer. “It’s almost like Margaret River, where I won a Prime
earlier this year. I hope it’s like this tomorrow.”
With their victory on Saturday, both Melling and Hobgood will compete in the round of 12 for a place in the quarter-final of the Saquarema Pro International, the fourth stop of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime event.
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