Dominic Barona and Bianca Valenti move to Round 2 at ASP 6-Star Movistar Women’s Pro
Ecuador’s Dominic Barona and America’s Bianca Valenti successfully made the Round 2 (Round of 48) cut at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 6-Star Movistar Women’s Pro presented by Rip Curl and Petrolera Sapet after claiming top honours in their
respective Round 1 (Round of 60) heats that went down at the left-hand point-break of Lobitos in Piura, Peru, in Tuesday, July 24.
While Barona took the win in the fifth heat, Peru’s Mara Garcia finished behind him in second place to advance to the next round of the competition as well. Her compatriot Carolina Thun was forced to leave the contention for the event title after finishing
in third place.
Peru’s Leilani Vizquerra finished behind Valenti in second place during the sixth heat of Round 1 to make her way into the next round of the competition as well. Venezuela’s Rosanny Alvarez and Peru’s Noelia Arata finished in third and fourth place respectively,
consequently getting eliminated from the competition.
The female surfers were expected to deliver a series of impressive performances with an ideal canvas comprising of sunny skies, off-shore conditions and two-to-three foot waves on offer at the primary event site.
The fifth heat saw Barona, who is also looking to defend her ASP South America Women’s title, get the better of Garcia and Thun after finishing with a heat-total of 11.25 points, which included a 5.00 and 6.25-point ride. The score proved decisive to see
her through to victory.
“I think it was great to have this event here in Lobitos, where the waves are at an international level,” said Barona. “I feel very comfortable surfing these lefts and it was really important for me to qualify into the next round because the waves are going
to get a lot better and we’re sure to have quite a show in store for Lobitos. All of the competitors are surfing at such a high level and it’s motivating us to do our best in this event.”
Garcia made the Round 2 cut as well after finishing in runner-up place with a heat-total of 6.45 points, which included a 3.25 and 3.20-point wave.
Thun failed to make much of an impact during the heat, only managing to reach a heat-total of 5.25 points, which comprised of a 2.50 and 2.75 points.
The final heat of Round 1 saw Valenti walk away with top honours after putting on an impressive performance. She unloaded a series of powerful turns on her first business-wave to earn a 6.25 for the effort and went on to back it up with a 5.75-point ride
to eventually finish with a decisive heat-total of 12.00 points.
Vizquerra successfully extended her life in the competition as well after finishing with a heat-total of 9.50 points, which included a 4.25 and 5.25-point ride.
Alvarez finished in third place with a heat-total of 7.70 points, while Arata rounded out the bottom-position with a two-wave total of 5.65 points.
Day 1 of ASP 6-Star Movistar Women’s Pro concluded with the completion of Round 1.
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