Sarah Baum of KZN is into the quarters with another top score at Billabong World Junior Surfing Championships
Sarah Baum stormed into the quarterfinals of the Billabong World Junior Surfing Championships at Burleigh Heads in Australia this morning, posting the highest heat total of the day to dispatch highly rated Frenchwoman Maud Le Car from the event.
Competing in stormy one metre conditions, Baum, who turned 18 yesterday, opened her account with an excellent 8.77 point ride that included two massive manoeuvres. While Le Car caught eight rides with a best score of 4.50, Baum waited patiently for 15 minutes before sending her opponent into comboland and needing to improve on both her rides with an 8.17 at the five minute mark.
Baum has now recorded three of the top six single ride scores in the women’s event, including a near-perfect 9.93 out a possible10 in her Round 1 heat, the highest score of the entire event to date. She also holds the events highest heat total – 18.53 out of 20 – and her powerful backhand surfing and canny heat strategies make her one of the favourites to clinch the women’s event title.
Compatriot Bianca Buitendag (George), the defending Billabong Women’s World Championships champion, surfed brilliantly in defence of her crown, but was eliminated by Nage Melamed (HAW) in the dying moments of their Round 3 clash.
Buitendag posted scores of 7.0 and 6.8, leaving Melamed needing a massive 8.33. With just five minutes remaining the Hawaiian stroked into the wave of the day and executed a series of radical manoeuvres to earn 9.80 from the judges and progress to the quarters.
Baum is now the sole South African remaining in the event and she comes up against Alessa Quizon (HAW) when women’s conpetition resumes.
Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga), SA’s last hope in the men’s event, was ousted by Brazilian Felipe Toledo whose multiple high-flying aerial manoeuvres left de Vries combo’d and out of the event in equal 9th place overall with earnings of US $1 550 (approx. R12 000)
A call will be made at 7.30am local time tomorrow (11.30pm Friday SA time) to decide on whether to get the competition underway.
The Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast runs until 29 January and all the action will be webcast live via www.billabongpro.com
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
BILLABONG WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD COAST WOMEN'S ROUND 3 RESULTS:
HEAT 1: Philippa Anderson (AUS) 9.43 def. Quincy Davis (USA) 4.23
HEAT 2: Sarah Mason (NZL) 13. 57 def. Ellie-Jean Coffey (AUS) 11.67
HEAT 3: Nage Melamed (HAW) 15.63 def. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 14.16
HEAT 4: Joanne Defay (FRA) 10.16 def. Holly-Sue Coffey (AUS) 5.96
HEAT 5: Leila Hurst (HAW) 12.17 def. Eden Putland (AUS) 11.33
HEAT 6: Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 10.67 def. Nao Omura (JPN) 10.57
HEAT 7: Sarah Baum (ZAF) 16.94 def. Maud Le Car (FRA) 7.83
HEAT 8: Alessa Quizon (HAW) 12.90 def. Dimity Stoyle (AUS) 11.93
BILLABONG WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD COAST MEN'S ROUND 4 RESULTS:
HEAT 1: Medi Veminardi (REU) 12.50 def. Mateia Hiquily (PYF) 7.67
HEAT 2: Jack Freestone (AUS) 10.20 def. Arashi Kato (JPN) 10.13
HEAT 3: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 10.90 def. Conner Coffin (USA) 5.77
HEAT 4: Wade Carmichael (AUS) 11.50 def. Vasco Riberio (PRT) 6.33
HEAT 5: Garrett Parkes (AUS) 14.43 def. Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 6.60
HEAT 6: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.30 def. Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 10.44
HEAT 7: Nathan Carvalho (HAW) 12,77 def. Evan Thompson (USA) 8.43
HEAT 8: Dean Bowen (AUS) 10.20 def. Soli Bailey (AUS) 10.07
