Jonathan Gonzalez, Caio Ibelli and Alejo Muniz advance to Round 2 at Mr Price Pro Ballito
Canary Island’s Jonathan Gonzalez, Brazil’s Caio Ibelli and his fellow countryperson Alejo Muniz walked away with top honours from their respective Round 1 (Round of 96) heats at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime Mr Price Pro Ballito that
continued at Willard Beach in KwaDukuza, South Africa, on Thursday, July 5.
Ireland’s Glenn Hall, Hawaii’s Sebastien Zietz and Peru’s Gabriel Villaran successfully secured a spot in the next round (Round of 48) as well after finishing in runner-up place in their respective Round 1 heats.
With one-metre waves on offer at the primary event site, the stage was set for a series of thrilling battles and exciting performances by huge competition field that comprised of both local and international talent.
The 22nd heat featured an impressive performance by Gonzalez as he made his way to a convincing victory after registering a heat-total of 14.40 points, consequently advancing through to the second round.
Hall accompanied him into the next round after finishing just behind him in runner-up with a heat-total of 12.40 points.
Brazil’s Jano Belo and Japan’s Yujiro Tsuji finished with a heat-total of 11.34 and 10.03 points respectively, which resulted in their elimination from the competition.
Ibelli put on outstanding performance to dominate his rivals during the 23rd heat of Round 1. The Brazilian surfer made the perfect wave choices to eventually get to a heat-total of 17.17 points, which served to earn him a comprehensive victory.
Zietz successfully made the Round 2 cut as well after finishing behind Ibelli in runner-up place with a heat-total of 14.36 points.
America’s Gabe Kling and South Africa’s Dale Staples finished with a heat-total of 11.70 and 10.03 points respectively. The bottom-two finish resulted in their ejection from the contention for the event title.
The final heat of Round 1 featured a superb performance by Muniz as he cruised to a comprehensive victory with a well-deserved heat-total of 15.84 points.
Villaran managed to extend his life in the event as well after securing second place with a heat-total of 12.83 points, whereas Australia’s Chris Friend and South Africa’s Steven Sawyer rounded out the bottom-two positions with a heat-total of 9.20 and 9.10
points respectively, which consequently led to their premature exit from the competition.
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