Jesse Horner and Ramzi Boukhiam prevail in Round 1 of CHIKO Pro Junior at Newcastle Surfest festival
Australia’s Jesse Horner and Morocco’s Ramzi Boukhiam emerged triumphant in their respective Round 1 (Round of 112) heats of CHIKO Pro Junior during Newcastle Surfest that continued at Merewether in New South Wales, Australia, on Thursday, March 8.
The surfing conditions at the primary event site turned out to be pretty demanding on the first day of the competition. With six-foot waves accompanied by offshore winds on offer, the surfers had their work cut out for them.
The latest Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 4-Star Men’s Junior Qualifying event had attracted a huge field of talented young surfers from around the globe who were expected to possess the ability to tame the conditions and put on decent-to-impressive
performances.
The third heat of the first round of CHIKO Pro Junior pitted Horner against fellow countryman Michael Barber and Japan’s Ryo Miura. Kurt Kiggins from Australia was also slated to compete in the heat, but he failed to show up for the contest and therefore
the heat became a three-man battle.
While the surfers in the previous heats struggled to catch waves and earn big scores, Horner adjust exceptionally well to the conditions and put on a spectacular show, much to the delight of the crowd and surfing fans. He managed to reach a heat-total of
16.00 points, which help up until the end to seal the fate of the heat in his favour, consequently sending him through into Round 2 (Round of 96).
Barger did not seem at ease during the course of the heat, but his heat-total of 8.50 points turned out to be sufficient to earn him runner-up place, thus adding him to the Round 2 line-up.
Miura rounded out the third place after scoring an over-all score of 5.60 off his best-two waves, getting eliminated from the competition as a result.
The competition continued with the fourth heat, featuring Boukhiam and Australia’s Phoenix Graham, Willy Coy and Harry Musgrove.
Boukhiam put on a solid performance, earning a heat-total of 12.10 points off his top-two waves, advancing through into the next round as a result.
Graham barely missed out on victory after finishing with a heat-total of 11.90 points. However, he successfully made the Round 2 cut after securing runner-up place.
Coy rounded out the third place, earning a 6.35 off his best-two waves, while Musgrove finished fourth with a two-wave total of 4.50 points.
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