Glenn Hall prevails over Royden Bryson in an intense Final to win the inaugural Hainan Classic
Ireland’s Glenn Hall got the better of South Africa’s Royden Bryson in what was truly an enthralling Final to win the inaugural Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 4-Star Hainan Classic at the Riyue Bay in Wanning, China, on Saturday, January 14.
The primary event site had been enjoying the blessings of Mother Nature since the very first day, with the waves lying in the three-to-six foot range. While there was no denying the fact that surf had been considerably juicier on the third day of Hainan
Classic, the size of the waves did not disappoint on the final day either.
Both Hall and Bryson had been nothing short of sensational in nearly all their heats during the last three days. Despite pitted against a line-up of intimidating competition from around the world, the two surfers had managed to hold their own and countered
the challenges through their exquisite performances to steadily make their way forward in the event.
On the final day of the competition, both Hall and Bryson had spent the morning analysing waves instead of free-surfing with the intention of making themselves familiar with the conditions that now prevailed at the primary event site.
As the Final of Hainan Classic got underway, Hall got off to a solid start, pulling off multiple turns and other tricks on his first business-wave to post an 8.83 on the score-board. Rather than relaxing after a strong start, the Irish kept locking waves
to search for another competitive score. In the final minutes of the heat, he managed to add another 7.50 points to his account to move to a heat-total of 16.33 points.
Bryson locked his first business-wave half-way through the heat to perfectly pull off a double-grab air-reverse for 8.43 points. Requiring a big score off his second business-wave, the South African fell short of Hall’s heat-total of adding an additional
7.73 points to his account to finish with a heat-total of 16.16 points, thus conceding victory to his Irish rival.
Talking to a reporter after the Final, Bryson said, “I’m stoked for Hally, he’s a good friend of mine, so I couldn’t have picked a better person to win the final, besides myself. All in all, I am just stoked to have come here; it’s an amazing place, and
I cannot believe the quality of the waves. It’s a place I’ll definitely visit again in the future.”
Hall took home the beautiful Hainan Classic trophy, along with a winner’s cheque of $15,000.
The inaugural ASP 4-Star Hainan Classic was the second event of the Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival Presented by Quiksilver.
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