Cory Arrambide and Teppei Tajima advance to Round 4 of ASP 4-Star Vans Pier Classic – Surfing News
America’s Cory Arrambide and Japan’s Teppei Tajima advanced through into the fourth round (Round of 64) of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 4-Star Vans Pier Classic after claiming top honours in their respective Round 3 (Round of 96) heats
that got underway at the Huntington Beach Pier in California, America, on Thursday, March 29.
America’s Philip Goold and his fellow countryman Blake Jones made their way into the next round of the event as well after finishing in runner-up position in the first and second heat of Round 3 respectively.
The surfing conditions prevailing at the primary event site had not improved on day 2 of the competition, making it yet another challenging task for the surfers to hunt for decent scores. The local and international talent found their skills and experience
being put to test, making it a battle of wits along with skills.
As the opening heat of Round 3 heat got underway, Arrambide got off to an excellent start, catching a juicy wave in the opening minutes of the four-man battle to unload a string of impressive manoeuvres to earn an 8.00 for the effort. Adding another 3.83
points to his account, the American surfer finished with a heat-total of 11.83 points, consequently walking away with the win.
Goold rounded out the runner-up place after scoring a 4.43 and 3.23 off his best-two waves for a heat-total of 7.66 points. As a result, he got added to the Round 4 line-up as well.
Japan’s Rikiya Kitada and Hawaii’s Makuakai Rothman struggled to cope with the demanding conditions at hand and therefore ended up getting eliminated after finishing with an inadequate heat-total of 5.26 and 4.63 points respectively.
The second heat featured an impressive performance by Tajima as he downed Jones, his compatriot Tayler Brothers and Hawaii’s Jason Shibata to advance through into the next round.
The Japanese surfer scored a 5.00 off his first business-wave and soon followed it up with a 6.57-point wave to end up with a heat-total of 11.57 points. The score proved decisive, sealing the fate of the four-man battle in his favour.
Jones successfully extended his life in the event as well after earning a couple of scores in the five-point range to finish with a heat-total of 11.23 points.
Shibata finished third with a heat-total of 9.30 points, whereas Brothers rounded out the bottom-position after scoring a heat-total of 5.84 points. Both the surfers were consequently forced to step out of the contention for the event title.
Tags: