Bianca Buitendag and Ellie-Jean Coffey to clash in CHIKO Pro Junior Final – Surfing News
South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag and Australia’s Ellie-Jean Coffey emerged triumphant in the first and second Semi-final of women’s division at CHIKO Pro Junior that continued at Merewether Beach in New South Wales, Australia, on Sunday, March 11.
Buitendag got the better of Australia’s Nikki Van Dijk in the first Semi-final, while Coffey defeated her compatriot Kirsten Ogden in the second Semi-final to advance through into the next stage of the 4-Star Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s
Qualifying event at Newcastle’s Surfest.
The surfing conditions prevailing at Merewether Beach during the first two days of the event had kept the young female surfers from unleashing their true potential. However, their pursuit of the coveted $20,000 and ASP Junior rating points became considerably
easier as the event reached its final stages. Clean three foot waves on offer at the primary event site enabled the surfers to post big scores on the score-board, making the stage ideal for an ideal finish to an exciting competition.
Buitendag and Van Dijk had showcased promising forms since the first day of the competition, surviving the demanding conditions to gradually make their way through the early rounds and into the crucial Semi-final stage.
As the battle got underway, the Australian surfer opened her account with a 4.25-point wave and later followed it up with a 6.25-point wave to finish with a heat-total of 10.50 points.
Buitendag got off to a relatively slower start but went on to steal the show as she began her charge. Locking her first business-wave, she posted a 7.00 on the score-board and backed it up with a near-perfect 9.50-point wave in the dying minutes of the heat
to finish with a heat-total of 16.50 points. The score proved to be a decisive one, taking her through into the next stage of the competition.
The second Semi-final pitted Coffey against Ogden in a battle to determine who got to advance to the final stage of the event.
As the heat kicked-off, Coffey asserted her dominance over her rival by opening her account with a spectacular 8.75-point wave and adding an additional 8.25 to her account off her second business-wave in the final minutes of the heat to finish with a decisive
heat-total of 17.00 points.
Ogden failed to offer any resistance to her rival’s onslaught and only managed to get to a heat-total of 6.10 points, which comprised of a 3.10 and 3.00-point wave, consequently giving away a rather easy win.
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