Coco Ho downs Sarah Mason to secure place in Round 3 of Billabong Women’s Rio Pro
Hawaii’s Coco Ho advanced through into the third round of Billabong Women’s Rio Pro, the fifth of seven stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Title Series, after putting on a spectacular performance to claim victory in
the sixth heat of Round 2 that went down at the alternative venue of Arpoador in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, May 10.
Ho got the better of New Zealand’s Sarah Mason to make it out of the elimination round alive, pushing her rival out of the contention for the event title in the process.
“Arpoador is pretty fun when there are waves, it was just inconsistent and scary for a heat,” Ho said. “I got my two, so I’m really stoked. I’m really happy that I just got to surf, because in my Round 1 heat, I didn’t even get to surf.”
The surfing conditions prevailing at Arpoador on Wednesday had convinced the event organisers to move the opening round of the competition from the main event venue of Barra da Tijuca to the secondary event site. However, the decision to stick to Wednesday’s
decision did not work too well for the second round. The one-to-three foot waves on offer turned out to be pretty demanding, with the tide exhibiting a really inconsistent nature and thus making the surfers work really hard for a couple of decent scores during
their battles for survival.
Ho, current No.12 on the ASP Women’s World Title rankings, was pitted against Mason in the sixth heat of Round 2 after failing to make much of an impact during her Round 1 bout.
The challenging during the elimination round heat kept Ho on the back-foot for most part of the heat. Her persistence and perseverance allowed her to eventually get hold of two waves. She made the most of the two potential scoring opportunities that she
secured, earning an 8.00 off her first business-wave and backing it up with an 8.57-point ride for a heat-total of 16.57 points.
Mason failed to offer a strong resistance to her rival’s domination, scoring a mere 2.67 and 7.33 off her best-two waves to finish with a heat-total of 10.00 points. As a result, she was forced to concede victory and thus the Round 3 spot to Ho.
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