Kenta Hayashi grabs top honours in Round 1 heat at Murasaki Quiksilver Jeju Open of Surfing
Japan’s Kenta Hayashi advanced to the second round (Round of 16) at the inaugural Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Murasaki Quiksilver Jeju Open of Surfing following his convincing victory in the fifth heat of Round 1 (Round of 32) that continued
at the Jungmun Beach in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, on Friday, June 15.
Japan’s Takayuki Wakita finished just behind Hayashi in second place to accompany the winner of the heat into the next round of the competition. Their compatriot Naoto Takanashi was forced to make a premature exit from the event field follow his third-place
finish.
The latest edition of Murasaki Quiksilver Jeju Open of Surfing was making history by being the first-ever ASP-sanctioned professional surfing event in Korea. Murasaki Sports had been playing an active role to promote surfing in the region, but it was only
this year that they were able to get the ASP involved.
The inaugural ASP 2-Star event attracted a huge field of surfers, both local and international, offering them an opportunity to get their hands on a winning prize of US$5, 000 and also earn up to 500 ASP ranking points.
The conditions on the opening day of the competition seemed ideal for a day full of exciting surfing action. The one-to-three foot waves and sunny weather worked well together to serve as an ideal canvas for the up-and-coming talent to paint with their best
performances.
The fifth heat of Round 1 pitted Hayashi against Wakita and Takanashi in a three-man bout for the Round 2 spot.
As he battle got underway, all three surfers got off to a shaky start. Wakita eventually found his rhythm halfway through the heat to post a 6.00 on the score-board. Backing it up with a 4.90 off his second business-wave, he reached a heat-total of 10.90
points.
Hayashi took his time to adjust to the surfing conditions at hand before unwinding in the later stages of the heat. Locking his first business-wave, he managed to earn a 5.50 off it. In the dying minutes of the heat, the Japanese surfer unloaded a series
of exquisite tricks to score an average of 7.00 points, moving to a heat-total of 12.50 points as a result. The score took him ahead of Wakita to earn him the win, leaving the latter to settle for a runner-up finish.
The third surfer in the heat, Takanashi, remained pretty much overshadowed during the course of the better. Scoring a 3.50 and 5.40 off his best-two waves, he finished in last place, consequently getting eliminated from the event.
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