Alyssa Spencer of USA surfing during Round of 64 of the Roxy Pro France on October 16, 2021 in Hossegor, France. (Photo by Damien Poullenot/World Surf League)
- Hennessy Posts Strong Heat Win in Hossegor
- Spencer Kicks Off French Campaign with Hot Start
- Next Call Sunday 8:05 a.m (CET)
- More at www.WorldSurfLeague.com
Stop No.3 on the Challenger Series, the Quiksilver and ROXY Pro France launched today in good two-to-three foot waves and ran through the opening 7 heats of the women’s Round of 64.
The event went on hold around noon as waves were starting to fade with the high tide approaching, and unfortunately could not restart late this afternoon on the outgoing tide.
Hennessy Posts Strong Start in Hossegor
In Heat 5, the first 10 minutes were eerily quiet but a first set of waves rolled in seconds before judges may have re-started the clock. From then on, it was a crazy flurry of action that went down, and Olympian Brisa Hennessy (CRI) came out on top with a solid 13.57 total to take the win into Round 2, unfortunately eliminating local surfer Maud Le Car (FRA) in the process.
“The same thing happened to me in my first heat in Portugal, luckily I was in position and I was able to get on that first wave,“ Hennessy said. “It was such a cat and mouse game of who was going to have the inside position so I was grateful to be in the right spot at the right time.”
Fresh off a good Quarterfinal finish in Portugal, the Costa Rican is in second position on the rankings and will look to add another big result in France.
Spencer Kicks Off French Campaign with Hot Start
Coming off two decent results at the US Open and Portugal, Alyssa Spencer(USA) put another step in the right direction with the biggest total of the morning to advance into the Round of 32. The light goofy foot tore apart the perfect little lefts on offer at Culs Nus to easily take the win ahead of Yolanda Hopkins (PRT).
“This little left is the best bank to have right now,” Spencer said. “It was a little bit of a slow heat but you only ever need two waves to make it. I had a lot of fun in the morning free surfs and am really enjoying myself right now.”
Early Upsets See World No. 2 Bow Out on Day 1
It didn’t take long for the fickle French beachbreaks to play their part in the drama of Day 1 as World No. 2 Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) couldn’t quite find her rhythm in the very first heat of the morning and was eliminated in third place. The Basque Country’s Ariane Ochoa who had a fantastic start in her Challenger Series campaign suffered a similar fate in the following and will need a big finish in Hawaii in hopes of staying on the rankings Top 6.
Silvana Lima (BRA) and Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN) were also eliminated early, alongside French hopefuls Juliette Lacome (FRA) and Maud Le Car (FRA).
Event officials will reconvene at 8:05 a.m (CET) Sunday for the next call of both the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France.
Jeremy Flores Rendez-Vous Brings Together A-List Crew
This afternoon, huge crowds appeared out of nowhere despite the event being called off for the rest of the day. The reason behind it? Quiksilver had put together an expression session for local legend Jeremy Flores (FRA) and some of his best friends.
The likes of Joan Duru, Michel Bourez, Marc Lacomare, Miky Picon, Mikey Wright, Zeke Lau, Billy Kemper, Jérôme Sahyoun, Tiago Pires, Stephen Bell and more paddled out and put on a show for the fans and most of all for Flores in recognition of a highly successful career competitively and a massive influence on European and French surfing.
“We had good fun,” Flores said. “No matter the waves when you’re out with these guys it’s always great vibes and good energy. All these years on tour I’ve made connections that are like family now and it’s great to all get together and for the fans here too.”
Watch Competition LIVE!
All the Quiksilver and ROXY Pro France action will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL app and the WSL’s Facebook Page. A broadcast with French commentary is also available on the WSL French broadcast partner MCS Extreme’s platforms.
Action will be called by Franck Lacaze, the voice of surfing in French, as well as competitor turned coach Romain Laulhe and former CT surfer Caroline Sarran. MCS Extreme also has exclusive programming including a Jeremy Flores documentary, plus giveaways on their social platforms.
The 2021 Quiksilver and ROXY Pro France will unfold from October 16-24, 2021, at Capbreton / Hossegor / Seignosse, Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine – France. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to worldsurfleague.com.
The Quiksilver and ROXY Pro France are made possible with the support of the cities of Capbreton, Hossegor and Seignosse, MACS, Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Quiksilver and ROXY, Oakley, Hydro Flask, Tourtel Twist.
COVID-19 Updates
The health and safety of athletes, staff, and the local community are of the utmost importance and there are a robust set of procedures in place to keep everyone safe. Athletes, staff, media and the public will be required to show proof of the “Health Pass” before accessing any of the event facilities or the beach.
About Quiksilver
Quiksilver is an emblematic boardsports brand of Boardriders, Inc., founded by a group of surfing enthusiasts in Australia in 1969. True to a unique lifestyle, Quiksilver holds passion, authenticity and innovation to be fundamental values. The brand’s identity is represented by its logo, a mountain inside a wave symbolizing its attachment to boardsports and its playgrounds, the sea and the slopes. Quiksilver products cover the whole range of sportswear, accessories and boardsports gear. Quiksilver is also intimately associated with the very best athletes and the biggest events in the history of boardsports. www.quiksilver.com
“The Pro France is not just another event for Boardriders, it sparks emotions and memories for us but also for the surfers and public. These surf spots and this event are part of the history of Quiksilver and ROXY and we take pride in providing continued support. To see the world’s best surfers battle it out on world class waves is always something special and can provide magical moments you don’t want to miss.” Nicolas Foulet, Boardriders Europe President
About ROXY
ROXY, a brand of Boardriders, Inc., has been empowering female pioneers since 1990. The first and only exclusively-female global action sports brand, ROXY specializes in the development and design of trend-leading, technically innovative lifestyle and performance wear inspired by the Mountain & the Wave. By creating first-of-its-kind products designed for surfing, winter sports, fitness and yoga & cultivating a breed of female pioneers who changed the course of sport, ROXY has empowered all women to challenge the status quo in every arena of their lives.
About the WSL
Established in 1976, the World Surf League (WSL) is the home of the world’s best surfing.
A global sports, media and entertainment company, the WSL oversees international tours and competitions, a studios division creating over 500+ hours of live and on-demand content, and via affiliate WaveCo, the home of the world’s largest high performance, human-made wave. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.
The WSL annually crowns the men’s and women’s surfing World Champions. The global Tours and Competition division oversees and operates more than 180 global contests each year across the Championship Tour, the development tiers, including the Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, as well as longboard and big wave properties.
Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, which provide unprecedented access to athletes, events, and locations around the world. WSL events and content are distributed on linear television in over 743M+ homes worldwide and across digital and social media platforms around the world, including WorldSurfLeague.com.
WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the utilizing and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.
The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
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