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Third placed South Africa bag six medals at ISA World Masters Surfing Championships in El Salvador

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:28:01 +0000

El Salvador ISA World Masters Surfing Championships

Punta Roca, La Libertad, El Salvador

October 16 to 23, 2011

The South African Masters surfing team placed third at the 2011 El Salvador ISA World Masters Surfing Championships and also bagged five individual medals, one in each of the age categories contested, at the premier international surfing event for surfers aged 35 and older.

Along with the bronze medal in the team standings, Heather Clark and Chris Knutsen clinched silver in the Women’s Masters and Grand Kahunas divisions respectively, Gary van Wieringen and David Malherbe secured bronze in the Men’s Masters and Kahunas and Andre Malherbe took the copper in the Grand Masters.

USA earned the team gold medal and Eduardo Arena ISA World Team Trophy in their first appearance at the event while Brazil placed second followed by SA, Puerto Rico, 2010 champions Australia and Hawaii.

The predicted increase in swell only produced occasional head-high waves and wave selection became critical in the crumbling 0.5 metre mostly knee to chest high waves at the famous Punta Roca point.

Clark (Port Shepstone) struggled to match the performance of Australia’s Layne Beachley in the conditions and the seven-time ASP Women’s World Champion went on to secure her first ISA Women’s World crown with Clark, the two-time and defending ISA champion, determinedly holding onto second place just ahead of Andrea Lopez (BRA) and Melissa Proud (HAW).

Knutsen (Durban) had no trouble in qualifying for the Grand Final in the Over 55 division earlier in the day and had a fast start in the finale. However, it was Craig Schieber from Puerto Rico, in his first year in the Grand Kahunas, who earned the gold medal with a ride of 6.33 out of 10 on the only head-high wave that came through during the 25 minute heat.

Van Wieringen went from Round 1 to the final of the Men’s Masters undefeated but his heat strategy of waiting for the best waves in the finale didn’t pay off. The Warner Beach local only rode two waves while gold medallist Mark Richardson (AUS) rode six, including an 8.17 and a 7.17 that gave him an overwhelming victory. Former Pipeline Masters champion Carlos Cabrera from Puerto Rio just pipped van Wieringen for the silver medal.

Expectations were high that David Malherbe (Coffee Bay) and younger brother Andre (East London) would better their respective Kahunas and Grand Masters bronze medals from last year.

David came through a difficult repecharge heat to make the Grand Final and went on the build an early lead. The legendary Tom Curren and fellow former World Tour stalwart Jim Hogan (both USA) managed to find longer running waves and grabbed the top two spots with ‘Herbie’ remaining in contention until the final minutes but having to settle for another bronze ahead of Brazilian David Husadel.

Andre staged a magnificent campaign, coming through five consecutive sudden death repecharge rounds to qualify for the Grand Final. But he could only post a pair of four point rides in the finale and will bring home a copper medal after finishing fourth behind four-time gold medallist Juan Ashton (PUR) and the Brazilian pair of Jojo de Olivenca and Fabio Gouveia.

A colourful closing ceremony took place at the podium stage immediately after the last final ended. The dignitaries present were El Salvador Minister of Tourism, Jose Napoleón Duarte; La Libertad Mayor, Carlos Molina; El Salvador Surfing Association President, Saburo Okuzawa; ISA Contest Director Marcos Bukao, and ISA Director General Bob Mignogna.

Final Results – Team Medallists
Gold: USA
Silver: Brazil
Bronze: South Africa
Copper: Puerto Rico

Final results – Women Masters
Gold: Layne Beachley (AUS)
Silver: Heather Clark (RSA)
Bronze: Andrea Lopes (BRA)
Copper: Alissa Cairns (USA)

Final results – Grand Kahunas
Gold: Craig Schieber (CRI)
Silver: Chris Knutsen (RSA)
Bronze: Nick Pearson (AUS)
Copper: Allen Sarlo (USA)

Final Results – Kahunas
Gold: Tom Curren (USA)
Silver: Jim Hogan (USA)
Bronze: David Malherbe (RSA)
Copper: David Husadel (BRA)

9^th – Colin Buitendag (RSA)

Final results - Grand Masters
Gold: Juan Ashton (PUR)
Silver: Jojo de Olivença (BRA)
Bronze: Fabio Gouveia (BRA)
Copper: Andre Malherbe (RSA)

8^th – Kevin O’Brien (RSA)

Final Results – Masters
Gold: Mark Richardson (AUS)
Silver: Carlos Cabrero (PUR)
Bronze: Gary Van Wieringen (RSA)
Copper: Ross Williams (HAW)

15^th – Graeme Field (RSA)

Country Final Standings
1 United States 9396
2 Brazil 9086
3 South Africa 8886
4 Puerto Rico 8618
5 Australia 8480
6 Hawaii 7664
7 Costa Rica 6090
8 Argentina 6016
9 France 5821
10 Peru 5548
11 Venezuela 5363
12 Trinidad & Tobago 5335
13 El Salvador 5230
14 Ecuador 5030
15 Uruguay 3640
16 Mexico 2240
17 Sweden 1905
18 Germany 1680
19 Switzerland 680
20 Panama 500
21 New Zealand 450

The El Salvador ISA World Masters Surfing Championships ended on Sunday and all the results from the event along with photo and video galleries can be found at www.elsalvadorisawmsc.com

Event coverage is also available through the ISA Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.

The SA Team’s preparations and attendance at the 2011 ISA World Masters Championships was made possible thanks to a R150 000 grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and a grant from Sport and Recreation SA.

Team kit has been provided by Quiksilver South Africa.

ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa

Robin de Kock

General Manager

C: 082 454 1149

E: surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

W: www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications

PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:               +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Team SA finish seventh at Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in Panama

admin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 22:00:13 +0000

South Africa finished in seventh place out of the 27 nations at the 2011 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in Panama which was completed in inconsistent one metre waves at Playa Venao, five hours drive west of Panama City on the Pacific coast of Panama yesterday (Saturday).

The eight person team collected one medal, a copper for placing fourth in the Aloha Cup event. The two South Africans in contentions for medals going into the final day, Nikita Robb in the Women’s division and Matthew Moir in the Longboards, were both eliminated before reaching their respective finals.

Robb was ousted in a wave starved Repecharge Round 7 heat where she placed fourth to finish equal eighth overall in the event, contributing 1 056 points to SA’s team total.

Moir, a two-time former ISA World Longboard Champion (2006 & 2008) had cruised through the Qualifying stream but slipped to fourth place in Round 5, one step away from the Grand Final. Dropping into the Repecharge Final, where he had a second chance to qualify for the final four and a medal, Moir came agonisingly short of the top two result required to qualify for the Grand Final, placing third in the heat for overall 5th place in the event and a haul of 1 220 team points.

These results combined with Argentina’s Santiago Muniz’s surprise victory in the Men’s division saw Team SA drop one place to seventh in the final rankings for the event.

Team Australia clinched the team gold medal for the first time in three years, providing five of the 12 individual medallists who earned two silvers, two bronzes and a copper. Brazil grabbed the runners-up team silver medal with France taking bronze and Argentina the copper.

Having contributed several of the highest individual wave and heat tallies during the seven-day event, Muniz was a worthy Men’s champion. Just 1.33 points separated first from fourth with Australia’s former ISA champion Mick Campbell taking the silver, 18 year-old South African born Thomas Woods (AUS) taking bronze and Ian Gouveia (BRA) the copper.

France’s Canelle Bulard wrote her name into the ISA history books by becoming the first surfer to hold both the Junior and Open titles simultaneously when she won the Women’s division by defeating 2004 World and ISA champion Sofia Mulanovich (PER) and Australians Jessi Miley-Dyer and Dimity Stoyle, who finished in that order in the final.

Tony Silvagni secured Team USA’s first Longboard gold in 15 years by overcoming the challenge of Harley Ingleby (AUS), Piccolo Clemente (PER) and Antoine Delpero (FRA).

Panama’s President, Ricardo Martinelli, and Tourism Minister, Salomón Shamah, were guests of honour at the closing ceremony and medal presentation where Martinelli thanked everybody and invited the world to Panama to surf and enjoy its excellent waves.

All the results from the 2011 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games, along with images and video footage of the action, can be found at www.billabongisawsg.com

The preparation, training and travel costs for the South African team were made possible by a grant from Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA). Skullcandy and Power Balance added their support to the team.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is recognised by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) and the International Surfing Association (ISA) as the governing body for the sport in South Africa. The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognised by the International Olympic Committee and is the governing body for World Surfing.

2011 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games
Playa Venao, Panama

Results

Final Team Standings
Gold: Australia – 15,000 points
Silver: Brazil – 12,132 points
Bronze: France – 11,816 points
Copper: Argentina – 11,312 points

7th – South Africa – 10 008 points

Men Medalists
Gold: Santiago Muñiz (ARG)
Silver: Mick Campbell (AUS)
Bronze: Thomas Woods (AUS)
Copper: Ian Gouveia (BRA)

South Africans
16. Klee Strachan
25. Gavin Roberts
25. Llewellyn Whittaker
37. Matt Bromley

Women Medalists
Gold: Cannelle Bulard (FRA)
Silver: Sofía Mulanovich (PER)
Bronze: Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
Copper: Dimity Stoyle (AUS)

South Africans
8. Nikita Robb
9. Tanika Hoffman

Longboard Medalists
Gold: Tony Silvagni (USA)
Silver: Harley Ingleby (AUS)
Bronze: Piccolo Clemente (PER)
Copper: Antoine Delpero (FRA)

South Africans
5. Matthew Moir
9. Justin Bing

Team points
1. Australia – 15 000
2. Brazil – 12 132
3. France – 11 816
4. Argentina – 11 312
5. Peru – 10 930
6. Venezuela – 10 342
7. South Africa – 10 008
8. Usa – 9 679
9. New Zealand – 7 816
10-Ecuador – 7 740
11. Costa Rica – 7 696
12. Tahiti – 7 575
13. Mexico – 6 618
14. Puerto Rico – 6 606
15. Uruguay – 6 466
16. Panama – 6 126
17. El salvador – 5 568
18. Switzerland – 5 328
19. Guatemala – 4 595
20. Japan – 4 080
21. Nicaragua – 3 516
22. Chile – 2 832
23. Israel – 2 436
24. Colombia – 1 920
25. Jamaica – 1 440
26. Canada – 1 296
27. Ireland – 540

/ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa
Contact: Robin de Kock – General Manager
Cell:  082 454 1149
Email:  surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:   www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Llewellyn Whittaker stars in great start for Team SA at Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in Panama

admin — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:43:04 +0000

Team captain Llewellyn Whittaker led Team South African to a great start on the opening day of the annual 2011 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games which got underway in tricky one metre waves at Playa Venao on the Pacific Ocean coast of Panama on Sunday.

Whittaker posted the highest heat tally in the Open Men’s division as all eight team members finished either first or second in their respective opening encounters to advance to Round 2 of the Qualifying stream in the double-elimination format used at the event.

Only Australia, Brazil and New Zealand from the 27 countries contesting the event matched SA’s clean sweep on a day when 173 registered surfers in the Open Men, Women and Longboard divisions competed in a full day of action at two surfing venues located 250 metres apart.

Whittaker, from Southern Cape, registered scores of 7.17 and an excellent 8.67, both out of 10, for a heat total of 15.84 out 0f 20, leaving his three opponents, including multiple South America champion Magnum Martinez (VEN), needing to improve on both their counting rides to overtake him.

“Our team arrived five days before the contest, and we had a lot of time to practice on these waves,” said Whittaker. “We are feeling very comfortable surfing here in Playa Venao. The level of competition is extremely high – you have the best surfers from every country at this event – but for those 20 minutes you have to believe you will get through your heat.”

The balance of SA’s men’s Open Men’s squad each finished second to Venezuelan opponents in their Round 1 match-ups with Gavin Roberts (SKZN) just four hundredths of a point behind Francisco Bellorin, Matt Bromley (WP) less than half a point short of Rafael Pereira and Klee Strachan (SKZN) just over a point adrift of Justin Mujica.

Former World Tour campaigner Nikita Robb (Border) posted the second highest heat tally – 14.67 – of the Open Women’s division to easily win her match-up and progress to Round 2 while teammate Tanika Hoffman (WP) was less than a point behind heat winner Dominic Barona from Ecuador and over four points ahead of the third placed competitor.

Team SA’s two longboard surfers, two-time ISA World Champion Matthew Moir and fellow WP competitor Justin Bing, both racked up comprehensive Round 1 victories with Moir’s 15.06 point heat total second only to the 15.66 awarded to Tony Silvagni (AUS) in the longboard division.

The 2011 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games runs until Saturday July 2 and all the action will be webcast live at www.billabongisawsg.com starting at 8am (3pm South African time) daily.

Schedule for Monday 27 June:

Podium 1 (will be webcast live)
Open Men Qualifying Round 2 (SA’s Whittaker, Bromley, Strachan & Roberts)
Longboard Qualifying Round 2 (SA’s Moir & Bing)
Open Men Qualifying Round 3 (TBC)
Podium 2 (will have scores online)
Women Qualifying Round 2 (SA’s Robb & Hoffman)
Open Men Repecharge Round 1
Longboard Repecharge Round 1
Women Repecharge Round 1

The 2011 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games were officially opened on Saturday when nearly 275 competitors and officials from the 27 national teams participated in the Parade of Nations through the streets of nearby Pedasi showing their country’s colours and cultural traditions. Thousands of locals lined the streets to welcome the athletes in traditional handcrafted dresses and headdresses adorned with gold jewellery as a sign of joy, celebration, love and respect.

As the entire entourage gathered at the stage in the town’s main plaza, the traditional ISA Sands of the World Ceremony began. Representatives from every National Team brought sand from their country’s beaches up to the stage, where they were mixed together in a glass bowl. The perennial ritual signifies the union of nations, beliefs and races through surfing and the Olympic spirit this event embraces.

The official opening of the event was made by Panamanian Tourism Department Minister, Salomón Shamah who said, “On behalf of the ISA and its President, Fernando Aguerre, it is my pleasure and greatest honour to declare this 2011 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games officially open!”

Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa
Contact: Robin de Kock – General Manager
Cell:  082 454 1149
Email:  surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:   www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
Compiled & Distributed by:

Unprecedented four medal haul for Team SA at Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in Peru

admin — Sun, 29 May 2011 00:17:18 +0000

The South African junior surfing team claimed an unprecedented four medals at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships which was completed in wild two to three metre waves at Punta Hermosa in Peru yesterday (Saturday).

Team SA finished runner-up to hosts Peru to claim the team silver medal for the first time and also provided a finalist in each of the three individual divisions with Dylan Lightfoot and Bianca Buitendag earning silver medals in the U16 Boys and U18 Girls respectively while team captain Davey Brand took the bronze in the U18 Boys.

In an inspiring comeback after seven SA surfers were eliminated in Day 5 action on Thursday, the five remaining team members produced stellar performances on the last two days to put the country back into contention for the team gold medal. However, it was not to be and the local knowledge of the host nation, Peru, paid off on the final day as the size of the waves grew to challenging proportions.

Dylan Lightfoot came within 30 seconds of claiming SA’s first individual junior gold medal in the event since Jordy Smith in 2003. Starting the final day in Round 8 of the U16 Boys Repecharge, the 16 year-old from Eastern Province blasted his way through three consecutive heats in the rising surf, including a confidence boosting heat win in the repecharge final, to reach the Grand Final,.

Lightfoot led for the majority of the 25 minute final encounter after posting the heat’s highest scoring ride of a 6.50 plus a 4.72, both out of 10. This gave him the lead going into the final minutes even though he and Peru’s Joaquín del Castillo were tied on identical two-wave tallies of 11.22 out of 20.

But while the leading pair battled for position in the heaving whitewater covered lineup, Brazil’s Felipe Toledo, needing 6.03 points for victory, slipped inside and racked up a series of manoeuvres on a smaller wave, finishing with a small aerial to be awarded 6.08 points and the gold medal by 0.06 of a point.

Bianca Buitendag started her final day campaign in the same situation as Lightfoot, three heats away from the Grand Final in the U18 Girls repecharge rounds. Undaunted the talented teenager from South Cape finished second behind Canelle Bulard in two heats before scoring a satisfying win over the French girl in the repecharge final.

However, the Grand Final belonged to Bulard who recorded rides of 7.30 and 6.56 to leave her three opponents in a combination situation before Buitendag fought back with a 4.62 and 5.54 to claim second place ahead of the two Australian girls.

With Davey Brand, Mikey February and David van Zyl all still in contention for U18 Boys’ medals on the final day, and the demise of the teams from surfing powerhouses such as Australia, the USA, Hawaii and Brazil, Team SA was in with a shout for the team gold medal.

Even after February and van Zyl were ousted from the event in equal 9th place following third place finishes in Repecharge Round 8, Davey Brand emerged victorious from the Qualifying stream final to complete an unbeaten run straight to the U18 Boys Grand Final to keep the dream alive.

Despite Brand leading the final with a couple of early low-scoring rides, the grand finale was dominated by local hero Cristobal de Col whose previous experience in the washy, double-overhead conditions saw him snag the better inside waves with higher scoring potential and ride them flawlessly to clinch the gold medal.

Brand delivered a gutsy performance and produced a 6.26 point ride with four minutes remaining to get back into contention but the 18 year-old from Western Province ultimately placed third behind de Col and Portuguese standout Vasco Ribeiro to earn a second bronze medal to go with the one he took home as an U16 surfer in Ecuador in 2009.

The four medal haul is the best return by a South African junior team in the nine year history of the event while the silver medal in the team standings is the first time South Africa has finished better than fourth in the annual gathering of the world’s best surfers aged 18-and-under.

All the results from the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships can be found at www.isawjsc.com along with video footage, an extensive photo gallery and the news.

2011 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships
Punta Hermosa, Peru

Final Team Standings:
Gold: Peru
Silver: South Africa
Bronze: Australia
Copper: Hawaii

Girls Under 18 Final Results:
Gold: Canelle Bulard (FRA)
Silver: Bianca Buitendag (RSA)
Bronze: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
Copper: Codie Klein (AUS)

South Africans
25th Sarah Baum
31st Emma Smith
37th Nikita Kekana

Under 16 Boys Final Results:
Gold: Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Silver: Dylan Lightfoot (RSA)
Bronze: Joaquín del Castillo (PER)
Copper: Juninho Urcia (PER)

South Africans
25th Diran Zakarian
25th Slade Prestwich
37th Benji Brand

Under 18 Boys Final Results:
Gold: Cristobal de Col (PER)
Silver: Vasco Ribeiro (POR)
Bronze: Davey Brand (RSA)
Copper: Miguel Tudela (PER)

South Africans
9th Mikey February
9th David van Zyl
41st Steven Sawyer

Final Team Points
1. Peru (5123)
2. South Africa (4860)
3. Australia (4651)
4. Hawaii (4546)
5. USA (4164)
6. France (4113)
7. Brazil (4060)
8. Portugal (3505)
9. Tahiti (3393)
10. New Zealand (2810)
11. UK (2640)
12. Costa Rica (2505)
13. Japan (2357)
14. Argentina (2198)
15. Barbados (2128)
16. Ecuador (2034)
17. Mexico (1910)
18. Venezuela (1736)
19. Chile (1652)
20. Germany (1649)
21. Ireland (1488)
22. Puerto Rico (1390)
23. Uruguay (1156)
24. Jamaica (1064)
25. Italy (960)
26. Guatemala (652)
27. Morocco (340)

/ENDS
Issued on behalf of:

Surfing South Africa
Contact: Robin de Kock – General Manager
Cell:  082 454 1149
Email:  surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:   www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Distributed by:

Border win Presidents Cup for the second year in a row at 2011 Billabong SA Championships

admin — Sun, 15 May 2011 23:43:51 +0000

Defending champions Border retained the coveted President’s Cup at the 2011 Billabong SA Surfing Championships which was completed in clean, offshore four foot surf at Seal Point in Cape St Francis on Sunday (May 15).

Not only did the team from East London win the 46th team title for the second year in a row but they also produced the Open Men’s champion in Greg Emslie, the runner up and Surfer of the Contest recipient Wayne Monk as well as the Women’s champion in Nikita Robb.

This was Emslie’s second title in a row and his fourth SA Championship victory. He joins George Thomopoulos on four SA Championship wins and one more will see him match Chris Knutsen.

Robb returned from competing on the World Qualifying Series to represent her beloved Border and it proved to be a good decision. 2010 National Team member Chantelle Rautenbach of Boland was second in the Women’s final.

Western Province surfer Nick Godfrey, who grew up surfing Seal Point, beat Steven Sawyer of Eastern Province to win his second Under 20 Boys crown in three years while Sarah Baum of KZN Central edged fellow National Junior Team member Bianca Buitendag of Southern Cape to take honours in the Under 20 Girls division.

The four new champions, who shared R30,000 in prize money, were awarded their trophies by Surfing South Africa President Mark Hoffman, Vice President Ant Brodowicz, Board Director Emile Zoetmulder and legendary coach Graham Hynes.

All the competitors earned 3A PST points by competing in the 2011 Billabong SA Championships.

Mark Hoffman presented the coveted Presidents Cup trophy to the Team Champions Border, who were also named as the team with the most spirit during the event. The East London side not only won the accolades and the bulk of the trophies but also took home ten cases of Carling Black Label from SAB for their efforts.

The Billabong SA Surfing Champs was proudly presented by Zigzag, fuelled by Monster, coordinated by Surfing South Africa, supported the Cape St Francis Resort and hosted by the Eastern Province Surfing Council.

Surfing South Africa is recognised by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) as the governing body for the sport and is a member of the International Surfing Association. (ISA)

Updated heat sheets, results and full image galleries available on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and on the official SA Champs 2011 media portal, hosted by: www.zigzag.co.za
Results:
Open Men
1st – Greg Emslie (Border)
2nd – Wayne Monk (Border)
3rd – Klee Strachan – (KZN Central)
4th- Casey Grant – (Southern KZN)

Open Women
1st – Nikita Robb (Border)
2nd – Chantelle Rautenbach (Boland)
3rd – Michelle Imeson (Southern KZN)
4th – Tasha Mentasti (Boland)

U20 Boys
1st- Nick Godfrey (W.P)
2nd – Steven Sawyer (E.P)
3rd – Matt Bromley (W.P)
4th – Dylan Lightfoot (E.P)

U20 Girls
1st – Sarah Baum (KZN Central)
2nd – Bianca Buitendag (Southern Cape)
3rd – Faye Zoetmulder (E.P)
4th – Emma Smith (E.P)

Surfer of the Contest
Wayne Monk (Border)

Team Spirit award
Border

President’s Cup
1st – Border                                        43,464 points
2nd – KwaZulu-Natal Central              41,836 points
3rd – Eastern Province                          41,200 points
4th – Western Province                       39,844 points
5th – Southern KwaZulu-Natal            37,634 points
6th – Boland                                         32,300 points
7th – Southern Cape                           29,630 points
8th – Zululand                                      19,910 points

ENDS

From Surfing South Africa
www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
0824541149

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South Africa claim team Bronze medal at Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in Peru

admin — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:44:12 +0000

The South African surfing team claimed the team Bronze medal by placing third amongst the 31 nations at the 2010 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games presented by Amarok of Volkswagen in Peru yesterday, matching the country’s best result in foreign waters since winning the Gold medal in Durban in 2002.

Despite having only one surfer in contention for an individual medal going into the final day of competition, Chantelle Rautenbach who placed fifth overall in the women’s division, Team SA equaled the third place finish achieved in Ecuador in 2004 thanks to the excellent results posted by each and every team member earlier in the event.

Host nation Peru clinched the team gold in the ‘Olympics of surfing’ for the first time, staving off the challenge of multiple ISA champions Australia, while SA finished ahead of Brazil with Tahiti fifth and defending champions USA slipping to sixth.

The men’s title went to Hira Teriinatoofa from Tahiti, Australia’s Chelsea Hedges won the women’s gold and Rodrigo Sphyer from Brazil took the longboard crown in the finals held in pulsing 1.5 metre left-breaking waves at Senoritas in Punta Hermosa, 60 Kms south of the capital Lima.

South African eyes were focused on Rautenbach on the final day. The 20 year-old from Melkbosstrand had stormed through the top-class women’s field, posting three heat victories and a second place to reach the qualifying stream final.

After a 50 minute delay during which three of the four girls left the water while the organisers reduced the judging panel from eight to the customary five, the heat got underway with former World and ISA champions and current World Nos. 3 and 6, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) and Chelsea Hedges (AUS) respectively, dominating proceedings and advancing directly to the Grand Final.

Rautenbach then contested the repecharge final and despite giving her all in an inspired performance she again placed third, this time behind former World Junior champion Pauline Ado (FRA) and current World No. 9 Paige Hareb (NZL), to end the event in fifth place overall, just outside the medals but contributing a priceless 1 220 points towards the team total.

Chad du Toit (Durban) was the star of SA’s men’s squad, placing seventh out of 114 in the biggest division, while captain Greg Emslie (East London) led by example, posting several of the highest scores on his way to seventh spot. Casey Grant (Scottburgh) went unbeaten until the penultimate day of the eight day event, finishing equal 11^th overall and Durbanite Warwick Wright, now living in Cape Town, ended his campaign equal 21^st.

Two-time ISA World Longboard champion Matthew Moir (Cape Town) couldn’t clinch a third title but contributed handsomely to the team effort by placing seventh with fellow longboarder Brad Weare coming in 15^th. And Stacey Guy delighted her teammates by claiming an excellent ninth place in the women’s division.

Team SA was well managed by Mike Sheppard and expertly coached by the legendary Graham Hynes, who celebrates his 81^st birthday today, and former World Pro Am champion and multiple ISA Masters medalist David Malherbe.

All the news and results from the 2010 Billabong ISA Word Surfing Games can be found at www.billabongisaworldsurfinggames.com, along with plenty of images and videos of daily highlights. Daily updates and images have been posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and further updates are available on the Facebook page Surfing SA.

The 2010 South African surfing team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Surfing South Africa along with Skullcandy, PowerBalance and Future Life.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is recognized by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) as the governing body for the sport. SSA is a member of the International Surfing Association (ISA).

Billabong ISA World Surfing Games

Punta Hermosa, Peru

Final Results:

Teams:
GOLD – Peru – 14370 points
SILVER – Australia – 13160 points
BRONZE – South Africa – 11820 points
COPPER – Brazil– 11340 points

Open Men:
Gold: Hira Teriinatoofa (TAH)
Silver: Gabriel Villarán (PER)
Bronze: Alan Jhones (BRA)
Copper: Mick Campbell(AUS)

South Africans:
Chad du Toit – 7^thGreg Emslie – 9^thCasey Grant – 11^thWarwick Wright – 21^st

Open Women:
Gold: Chelsea Hedges (AUS)
Silver: Paige Hareb (NZ)
Bronze: Sofia Mulanovich (PER)
Copper: Pauline Ado (FRA)

South Africans:
Chantelle Rautenbach – 5^thStacey Guy – 9^th

Longboard:
Gold: Rodrigo Sphyer (BRA)
Silver: Josh Constable (AUS)
Bronze: Harley Ingleby (AUS)
Copper: Benoit Clemente (PER)

South Africans:
Matthew Moir – 7^thBrad Weare – 15^th

Final Nations Ranking:

1 – Peru
2 – Australia
3 – South Africa
4 – Brazil
5 – Tahiti
6 - USA
7 - France
8 – New Zealand
9 – Costa Rica
10 – Spain
11 – Venezuela
12 – Puerto Rico
13 – Chile
14 – Argentina
15 – México
16 – Great Britain
17 – Panamá
18 – Japan
19 – Ecuador
20 – Germany
21 – Uruguay
22 – Switzerland
23 – Guatemala
24 – Portugal
25 – Canada
26 – Sweden
27 – Dominican Republic
28 – Israel
29 – Jamaica
30 – Ireland
31 – Barbados

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Surfing South Africa
Contact:            Robin de Kock – General Manager
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:                www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

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Team SA assured of a team medal at Billabong ISA World Surfing Games

admin — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:42:02 +0000

Team South Africa slipped out of contention for the team gold medal at the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games presented by Amarok of Volkswagen in Peru after a disastrous penultimate day of competition where five of the remaining six team members were eliminated from the event yesterday.

SA’s medal hopes now rest on the shoulders of Chantelle Rautenbach who placed second behind former ISA and ASP World champion and local heroine Sofia Mulanovich (PER) in a stacked women’s qualifying Round 4 heat where she outscored World Tour campaigner Paige Hareb (NZL) and Kulia Doherty (USA).

By reaching the qualifying final Rautenbach now has two chances of reaching the women’s Grand Final and earning an individual medal, either by placing in the top two in her next heat and advancing directly or, if she finishes third or fourth there, the 20 year-old from Melkbosstrand can still progress with a top two finish in the repecharge final.

Thanks to the great performances by the whole team earlier in the event, Team SA is still assured of a team medal, a significant step up from their fifth place finish in last year’s event in Costa Rica. Whether that medal will be bronze (third overall) or copper (fourth) will be determined by Rautenbach’s final placing in the event as Brazil is a slender 180 points behind SA but still has two surfers in contention for honours.

The team title will be fought out by multiple champions Australia and host nation Peru who will be bidding for their first ISA World Surfing Games title. The teams are neck and neck with each still having six members in contention going into the eighth and final day of the event.

In yesterday’s action, Matthew Moir was the first South African to take to the head-high left breaking waves of Senoritas and the two-time former ISA World Longboard champion lost his first heat in three events when he was relegated to the repecharge rounds after placing third.

Despite convincingly winning his next heat, Moir did not find the best waves in repecharge Round 7 at the end of the day and was eliminated in equal seventh place overall in the longboard division, contributing 1 110 points to the team total.

Next up for Team SA was Casey Grant whose eye-catching repertoire of radical fins-free turns and aerial manoeuvres had seen him advance to the last eight in the men’s qualifying stream. However it was not be the Scottburgh local’s day and after placing fourth and dropping into the repecharge rounds, Grant again failed to post a double digit heat total and was ousted in 11^th place overall with 1 900 team points.

Stacey Guy was the next to go when she too struggled to find the best waves in her women’s repecharge Round 6 heat where she finished third behind former World Junior champion Pauline Ado (FRA) and Kulia Doherty (USA) to end her campaign in creditable ninth place overall and contributing 1 000 points to Team SA’s total.

Team captain Greg Emslie, who had surfed superbly through seven rounds of cutthroat repecharge heats and contributed several of the highest of the highest heat totals of the entire event, finally came up short against fellow former World Tour campaigners Drew Courtney and Mick Campbell, both Australians.

Needing any one of the half-a-dozen 8.0 point rides he had recorded earlier in the event to progress to the next round, Emslie’s last ride came in at 7.17 and the East Londoner ended ninth overall with 2 000 points.

Meanwhile Chad du Toit, the youngest of the four SA men, posted an outstanding 14.43 point heat total to clinch second place in his first heat of the day, advancing to repecharge Round 9. Up against the selfsame Aussie duo of Courtney and Campbell in his next heat, the 20 year-old Durbanite led early on with a solid 6.33 ride.

However, despite riding another five waves, du Toit was significantly disadvantaged by a shocking display of sub-standard officiating when the judges only recorded his second and third rides with two minutes remaining in the 20 minute clash, and dropped his final three scores after the heat ended. Had the commentators been able to tell him that he only required a 5.50 to snatch second place and a spot in the repecharge final, du Toit would have been more selective and waited for the bigger waves with higher scoring potential instead of catching every wave that he could get onto.

As it turned out, he ended up third, just 0.17 of a point behind Courtney. Nevertheless, du Toit was SA’s highest ranked member in the men’s division, placing seventh overall and adding 2 220 points to the team tally.

Today’s final day of action gets underway at 3.30pm SA time with Chantelle Rautenbach set to compete in women’s qualifying final, the second heat of the day, around 20 minutes later. The contest continues with the repecharge finals, featuring the top two competitors in the repecharge stream against those who finish third and fourth in the qualifying finals.

After a 45 minute demonstration of Caballos de Tortora, the reed fishing canoes that Peruvians have ridden waves in for thousands of years, the Grand Finals of the longboard, women and men’s divisions start at approximately 6.30pm

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the event, expect a new swell to fill in today producing head-high and occasional bigger waves at Senoritas.

All the action at the 2010 Billabong ISA Word Surfing Games can be followed live on www.billabongisaworldsurfinggames.com starting at 8.30am daily (3.30pm in South Africa). Daily updates and images will be posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and further updates will be available on the Facebook page Surfing SA.

The 2010 South African surfing team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Surfing South Africa along with Skullcandy, PowerBalance and Future Life.

Ends

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Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock – General Manager
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:                www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

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Team SA stay in contention for team gold at Billabong ISA World Surfing Games

admin — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:13:06 +0000

Team South Africa go into today’s penultimate day of the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games presented by Amarok of Volkswagen still in contention for a historic team gold medal despite having two competitors eliminated from the event in the head high waves at Punta Hermosa in Peru yesterday.

SA, who won team gold in home waters in 2001, slipped to second place in the team standings, a minuscule 150 points behind hosts Peru, as the two frontrunners each lost one of their men and a longboarder in the cutthroat repecharge rounds.

Warwick Wright was the first South African to be ousted from the event, the 2002 ISA World Junior champion finishing fourth in his repecharge Round 6 heat to place equal 21^st overall in the men’s division.

Longboarder Brad Weare was the next to go. Relegated to the repecharge rounds after placing third in qualifying Round 3, the Durbanite fought his way through his repecharge Round 4 heat but came up short in a high scoring Round 5 heat where he ended fourth to finish the event ranked equal 15^th.

Wright’s final placing earned 1 520 points towards SA’s team total while Weare contributed 850. With Peru losing Javier Swayne (1 800 points) and longboarder Juan Jose Corzo (720 points), the host nation now holds a slender statistical lead after six days of competition.

However, both SA and Peru will be watching the powerful Australian team nervously. The multiple ISA World Games champions lost Mark Richardson early in the event and Rebecca Woods in the women’s division yesterday and currently sit 510 points behind SA, while defending team champions USA are 2 880 points further back in fourth place after losing three men and one woman.

In yesterday’s action SA’s Chantelle Rautenbach posted an outstanding heat victory to move into the last eight in the women’s qualifying rounds. The current SA Open women’s champion posted a 15.73 point heat total, comprising rides of 7.33 and 8.40, and will go into today’s heat against World Tour stars Sofia Mulanovich (PER) and Paige Hareb (NZL) and 14 year-old American Kulia Doherty full of confidence.

Meanwhile Stacey Guy put her disappointment at being relegated to the repecharge rounds behind her with two gutsy second place performances to move into today’s Round 6 of the women’s division.

Matthew Moir remained in contention for a third ISA Longboard gold medal in as many events by holding onto second place in his qualifying Round 3 match-up to progress to the last 12 in the division.

Meanwhile SA’s captain courageous, Greg Emslie, continued his charge towards a medal by convincingly winning both his repecharge heats. Emslie, who has vowed not to lose twice in the event after surprisingly dropping into the repecharge rounds in the huge and wild surf on Day 2, even had time to assist teammate Chad du Toit while they were competing against each other in Round 7.

Having already locked in scores of 8.0 and 7.03 for a heat winning 15.03 point tally, Emslie then used the smart heat tactics he perfected in his nine years on the World Tour to ensure that third placed Javier Swayne (PER) did not catch a wave that could see him overtake du Toit for second place, ensuring that both South Africans progressed to the next round.

“As the heats go on, the competition is definitely getting harder and you have to surf smarter,” Emslie said in his post-heat interview.

Today’s second last day of competition will see the event moved to the left breaking waves of Senorita’s which picks up more swell than the right breaking Caballeros on the other side of the Punta Hermosa bay.

The action starts at 3.30pm SA time with the penultimate qualifying rounds of Longboard, Men and Women, featuring SA’s Matt Moir, Casey Grant and Chantelle Rautenbach respectively. That is followed by two rounds of repecharge heats across the three divisions where SA’s Greg Emslie, Chad du Toit and Stacey Guy will be fighting tooth and nail to stay in the top two places in each heat and progress to tomorrow’s final day.

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the event, expect the current swell to hold up with waves around chest to head high today as a new swell fills in and produces occasional overhead waves that remain for the finals tomorrow.

The 2010 South African surfing team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Surfing South Africa along with Skullcandy, PowerBalance and Future Life.

Ends

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Surfing South Africa

Contact:            Robin de Kock – General Manager
Cell:                  082 454 1149
Email:               surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com
Web:                www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

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Another clean sweep for Team SA on Day 5 at Billabong ISA World Surfing Games

admin — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:22:05 +0000

Team South Africa completed another clean sweep on Day 5 of the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games presented by Amarok of Volkswagen with team members winning six of the nine heats they contested in Peru yesterday (Sunday) and advancing in second place in the other three.

South Africa now heads the team point’s standings along with hosts Peru, who also still have all eight of their competitors still in contention. Each of the other 29 participating nations have ‘lost’ at least one of their team members with three days remaining before the medalists are decided on Wednesday..

Once again team captain Greg Emslie led by example with a devastated performance in his men’s Repecharge Round 4 heat where he racked up scores of 8.33 and 9.33 for a 17.66 heat total, the highest of the day and one of the highest of the entire event, that left second placed Tommy Bursian (CRC) comboed and eliminated USA’s Trevor Thornton from the contest.

Emslie was just as effective in Round 5, opening his account with a ride of over eight points out of 10 for the third heat in succession before adding a 6.50 that left runner-up Julian de Pozo (SPA) needing 8.74 for victory and ousted competitors from Costa Rica and Brazil.

Also competing in the solid two metre right-breaking waves at Caballeros, Warwick Wright utilised the backhand repertoire that took him to the ISA World Junior title back in 2002 to win both his Repecharge heats, accumulating a pair of seven’s for a 14.33 total in the first heat of the day before delivering a pair of 7.50’s for a 15.0 total in Round 5.

Not to be outdone, Chad du Toit earned 12.50 points in both his heats, winning the first and finishing second to Wright in the next that saw all three South Africans safely through to Repecharge Round 6 and among the last 24 men remaining in the event from the 114 that started out last Wednesday.

Meanwhile Casey Grant continued his challenge for a medal through the men’s Qualifying stream by finishing runner-up behind Darren O’Rafferty (AUS) and sending third and fourth placed Cristobal del Col (PER) and Vincent Duvignac (FRA) to the Repecharges.

SA’s two longboarders also got in on the act with Brad Weare, competing in his first ISA event, winning his Round 2 heat. Weare was joined in the last 16 in the Qualifying stream by teammate and two-time ISA World Longboard champion Matthew Moir who, despite losing his record of winning every heat he had contested in three ISA events, still placed second to advance.

The schedule for today’s action in Peru sees Moir and Weare in Longboard Qualifying Round 3 in the rights at Caballeros starting at approximately 3pm (SA time). They are followed by Emslie, Wright and du Toit in men’s Repecharge Round 6 in the lefts at Senoritas from approx. 4.20 pm with the two SA women, Chantelle Rautenbach and Stacey Guy, in women’s Qualifying Round 3 at Caballeros at the same time. Men’s Repecharge Round 7, hopefully featuring Emslie, Wright and du Toit, will be up again at about 8.20pm at Caballeros.

Casey Grant gets the day off as men’s Qualifying Round 5, where he faces 2004 ISA champion Hira Teriinatoofa (TAH), former World Tour campaigner Drew Courtney (AUS) and local hero Gabriel Villaran (PER) in his next heat, will not be run today.

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the event, expect the surf to drop slightly today but still produce two metre sets before dropping further to head-high tomorrow (Tuesday) with a new swell filling in on Wednesday, the final day, when waves should remain head-high or bigger.

All the action at the 2010 Billabong ISA Word Surfing Games can be followed live on www.billabongisaworldsurfinggames.com starting at 8am daily (3pm in South Africa). Daily updates and images will be posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and further updates will be available on the Facebook page Surfing SA.

The 2010 South African surfing team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Surfing South Africa along with Skullcandy, PowerBalance and Future Life.

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Greg Emslie posts highest scores on Day 4 of Billabong ISA World Surfing Games

admin — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 08:26:11 +0000

Team South Africa captain Greg Emslie posted the highest scores of Day 4 of the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games presented by Amarok of Volkswagen as he charged through two rounds of Repecharge heats at Caballeros in Peru yesterday.

A nine-year veteran of the World Tour, the inform Emslie was surprisingly relegated to the Repecharge rounds when he placed third in his Round 2 Qualifying stream heat held in the massive unruly waves on Thursday.

An acknowledged expert in the four-man heat format used at the event, the East Londoner kick-started his challenge for a medal at the event with an outstanding 8.77 point ride and backed that up with 6.87 on his next wave to completely dominate the Repecharge Round 2 heat with a total of 15.64 out of 20, the highest heat tally of the day.

Two hours later Emslie was back in the two metre surf, racking up opening rides of 6.83 and 8.67 for a 15.0 point total, the second highest of the day, that left his closest opponent needing a near-perfect 9.93 point ride to overtake him.

“It’s very tough out there,” said legendary South African coach Graham Hynes. “But we South Africans love a good fight. When our backs are against the wall, we thrive!”

Further endorsement of Emslie’s skills came from Adam Replogle, Billabong resident pro and one of the contest announcers. “That was a serious demonstration of high performance surfing,” Replogle said. “It was textbook technique coupled with knowledge and confidence.”

Their captain’s stellar performances has ensured that Team SA has joined defending ISA team champions USA, host nation Peru and surprise package Costa Rica as one of just four nations with all eight team members still in contention for honours at the halfway stage of the event.

Powerhouse surfing nations that have slipped down the rankings include Australia, who suffered a major setback when one of their men was eliminated as early as Repecharge Round 3; Brazil, who had one of their girls ousted yesterday, and France, last year’s team runners-up France, who only have one of their four men remaining in the event.

With 31 nations represented at what is dubbed the ‘United Nations of surfing’, there were a number of fairy-tale stories and surfers from the likes of Israel, Sweden, Venezuela, Great Britain, Tahiti, Chile, Switzerland, Uruguay, Germany, Puerto Rico and Canada are still keeping their dreams alive.

While Emslie was the only South African in action yesterday, he and team mates Chad du Toit and Warwick Wright, both of whom dropped into the men’s Repecharge rounds on Friday, will be competing again today when men’s Repecharge Rounds 4 and 5 are run in the right-handers at Caballeros.

The trio faces seven heats of sudden-death Repecharge heats, where anything other than a first or second place finish will see them eliminated, in order to qualify for the Grand Final and a gold, silver, bronze or copper medal.

Also in action on what will be a crucial day in determining the 2010 team champions will be Casey Grant in the last 16 of the men’s Qualifying stream and Matthew Moir and Brad Weare in Qualifying Round 2 of the Longboard event.

SA’s Chantelle Rautenbach and Stacey Guy are already through to the last 16 of the women’s Qualifying rounds and are likely to be back competing tomorrow.

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the event, expect the surf to remain in the two metre range with occasional bigger waves today (Sunday) before dropping on Monday and Tuesday with a new swell filling in on Wednesday, the final day, when waves should remain head-high or bigger.

The 2010 South African surfing team is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and Surfing South Africa along with Skullcandy, PowerBalance and Future Life.

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