SEIGNOSSE, France — Hawai‘i’s Keala Kennelly edged Layne Beachley of Australia by a mere five one-hundredths of a point Friday to advance to Round 3 of the Rip Curl Pro Mademoiselle at Seignosse, France. Kennelly finished with 11.40 points. Beachley,
SEIGNOSSE, France — Hawai‘i’s Keala Kennelly edged Layne Beachley of Australia by a mere five one-hundredths of a point Friday to advance to Round 3 of the Rip Curl Pro Mademoiselle at Seignosse, France.
Kennelly finished with 11.40 points.
Beachley, who finished Round One with 11.35 points, will also advance to Round 3, but Hawai‘i’s Rochelle Ballard will have to surf Round 2 after finishing third in Heat Six.
Ballard will be be surfing with Australians Melanie Redman-Carr and Chelsea Georgeson, ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the world, respectfully, in the event’s first elimination round.
Former world champion Sofia Mulanovich of Peru won her heat. Surfing in one of the early morning heats while the wind was still offshore, Mulanovich posted the day’s highest heat total of 15.75 out of a possible 20.
“It feels good to surf here because there is more time to go down to the bottom and turn it hard off the top,” Mulanovich said. “I’m pretty happy. Every time I say I’m feeling good though, I lose my next heat so I’m not even going to say it anymore. I’m just happy to have made it through.”
Indications are strong that Rounds 2 and 3 will run today.
