Hiroto Arai and Koa Smith advance to Round 3 of the ASP 4-Star Vans Pier Classic – Surfing News
Japan’s Hiroto Arai and Hawaii’s Koa Smith emerged triumphant in their respective Round 2 (Round of 128) heats of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 4-Star Vans Pier Classic that continued at the Huntington Pier Beach in California, America,
on Wednesday, March 28.
With their win in their Round 2 heats, both Arai and Smith made their way through into the third round (Round of 96). Hawaii’s Dege O’Connell and Mexico’s Travis Southworth confirmed their place in the next round as well after securing runner-up place in
the fifth and sixth position respectively.
The challenging surfing conditions prevailing at the event side put the skills and experience of surfers to a test. There were far more poor waves on offer than decent rippable ones, keeping the surfers on their toes as they desperately hunted for an opportunity
to earn a good score.
The 17-year-old Arai managed to claim top honours in the fifth heat, which pitted him against O’Connell, his compatriot Cheyne Willis and America’s Evan Thompson.
The Japanese surfer drew first blood with a 7.33 off his first business-wave and went on to back it up with a 5.90-point wave to finish with a heat-total of 13.23 points.
“I’m so happy, the waves are really slow out there but I could get a couple and get a few scores,” Arai said. “I’m doing the Pro Juniors in Australia and America, but I only get points from the events in Japan, so I’m doing the Pro Junior here too for practice.”
O’Connell successfully extended his life in the next heat as well after finishing with a heat-total of 10.14 points, which included a 5.17 and 4.97-point wave.
Thompson finished in third place with a heat-total of 6.99 points, which included a penalty for getting called for interference. Willis finished in fourth place with a heat-total of 3.20 points after remaining short on luck throughout the heat. Both the
surfers were consequently forced to make a premature exit from the competition.
The sixth heat saw Smith make his way through into the next round after finishing with a heat-total of 11.17 points, which included a 4.50 and 6.67-point wave.
Southworth remained busy during the four-man battle, putting in a determined effort to save himself from getting elimination. Locking his first business-wave halfway through the heat, he posted a 4.77 on the score-board and immediately followed it up with
a 5.33-point wave to finish with a heat-total of 10.10 points.
America’s Eric McHenry finished with a heat-total of 6.57 points, whereas Hawaii’s Liam McNamara rounded out the bottom-position after scoring a two-wave total of 5.90 points. This resulted in the elimination of both the surfers from the competition.
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