LIHU‘E — It was Ewa Beach’s Keanu Asing who came away with first place at the Arnette Pro Junior All Day Antics at Newport Beach, Sunday. Asing, a member of the Hawai‘i Junior surf team, held off a strong group
LIHU‘E — It was Ewa Beach’s Keanu Asing who came away with first place at the Arnette Pro Junior All Day Antics at Newport Beach, Sunday. Asing, a member of the Hawai‘i Junior surf team, held off a strong group of competitors for the title, while Kaua‘i’s Nathan Carvalho made a deep run into the event’s final stages.
“I’m just so psyched,” Asing said. “I kind of had not such a good run at the last two Grade-2 events, so coming here, getting this one, especially after the runner up finish here last year, I felt like I had a bit of a confidence booster. I’m just happy to have a win and to make a final again is just epic.”
While some of the juniors were able to start further into the competition, Carvalho made it all the way from the Round of 80 to the semifinals. He began his event with a second-place finish in his opening heat, putting up a 9.83. That was followed up by a 12.77 in the Round of 64 to win his heat and advance.
In the Round of 48, Carvalho upped his game again and scored a 13.43 to move into the Round of 32, where he was pitted against some familiar faces in the round’s first heat. Albee Layer and Tyler Newton, a couple of Hawai‘i’s brightest talents, paddled out with Carvalho and California’s Andrew Doheny.
It was Layer who continued his hot season and put up a 13.50 for first, while Carvalho advanced once again with an 11.90. Kaua‘i’s Newton was eliminated with a 9.50.
The same scenario played out in the quarterfinals as Layer took first with an 11.67 and Carvalho notched second with a 10.00. They eliminated Conner Coffin and Luke Davis to head into the semifinals with eight surfers remaining.
That would be the final heat for Carvalho, though he did not go quietly and scored a 9.07. Layer ripped another good score with an 11.30 and Kolohe Andino moved on with an 11.10.
Asing ended up winning the talented final with a 16.67 score, topping Evan Geiselman (14.70), Layer (11.27) and Andino (8.83).
“I’m definitely psyched on the Grade-3 points at the event,” Layer said. “I just really want to get to the Bali event. I think I’ll try and get back for Huntington now to try and qualify.”
Alex Smith was another of Kaua‘i’s seven surfers in the event. Smith began in the Round of 48 and won his first heat with a 13.40 showing. He moved on to the Round of 32, where he again took first with an 11.83, topping Asing who was second with a 9.07.
Smith was knocked out in a very competitive quarterfinal heat, as Kiron Jabour grabbed first with a 12.60 and Asing was second with a 12.14. Smith scored a 10.17.
Kaimana Jaquias was eliminated in the Round of 48, taking second in his Round of 64 heat with a 9.47 score to move on.
Newton began his event in the Round of 48 and moved on alongside John John Florence, who took first with a 14.50. Newton scored a 9.87, but was eliminated in his next heat by Layer and Carvalho.
Lima takes Movistar Peru Classic
Brazil’s Silvana Lima, 25, has claimed the Movistar Peru Classic presented by IPD over Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons, 19, in clean two-to-three foot righthanders in San Bartolo, Tuesday.
Lima wasted little time in the final bout, assaulting the glassy righthanders with a barrage of hi-fi fin throws and searing carves, amassing the highest heat total of the event, a 16.50 out of a possible 20, to best her young Australian opponent.
“I feel great!” Lima said after exiting the water. “I knew I needed to put up high scores early on because Sally (Fitzgibbons) has been surfing so well all event. I have some really good boards and I fell like I have been surfing well. I’m so stoked right now!”
Quotes provided by the Association of Surfing Professionals
