The Quiksilver Pro France turned into an air show this afternoon. Edgard Groggia (BRA) in action. Credit: © WSL / Poullenot
- Sawyer Lindblad Puts On Clinic, Moves into Quarters
- 8s the Norm in Men’s Round of 48 Matchups
- Long List of Upsets Grows Even Longer in France
- Next Call Thursday 8:35 a.m (CET)
- More at www.WorldSurfLeague.com
Waves pumped again for Stop No.3 on the Challenger Series, the Quiksilver and ROXY Pro France today, despite a fairly rough start with howling onshore winds at first.
The lineup cleaned up throughout the morning to distill super fun three-to-five foot peaks all along the beach giving organizers the opportunity to run double podiums again. The events ran an impressive 39 heats and made up for lost time during the first couple of flat days.
The remaining men’s Round of 96 battles were completed as well as the women’s Rounds of 32 and 16, and the men’s Round of 48 while conditions degraded slightly again towards the end of the afternoon, before cleaning up again at dusk.
Sawyer Lindblad Puts On Clinic, Moves Into Quarterfinals
Californian Sawyer Lindblad (USA) absolutely dominated on the lefts of the South bank in her Round of 16 heat against Carolina Mendes (PRT). The 16 year-old goofy foot posted two excellent waves (8+ scores) with a collection of powerful and radical rail turns and snaps. For the second time in her young career she will be surfing in the Quarterfinals of a Challenger Series event after the US Open, with a legitimate chance to go all the way if waves keep pumping lefts that suit her approach perfectly.
“I was amping before that heat, I just wanted to go out there and surf some good lefts,” Lindblad stated. “It reminded me of Lowers from home, I can’t believe how fast it switched from kind of OK conditions to really really good conditions.”
Dimity Stoyle (AUS) will join Lindblad in Quarterfinal 1 when the event resumes. The second Quarterfinal will be one to watch as well with two form surfers facing off in what could easily be a Final in other circumstances. Alyssa Spencer (USA) and Brisa Hennessy (CRI) both brilliantly surfed their way to a win over Tia Blanco(USA) and Macy Callaghan (AUS) respectively to validate their ticket into the Quarters.
Molly Picklum (AUS) posted the day’s biggest upset by eliminating World No. 4 and former Semifinalist at the ROXY Pro France Johanne Defay (FRA). Defay’s surfing was a little soft and her wave selection a little off surprisingly while Picklum selected running lefts with a good wall that she attacked fearlessly.
“I really look up to Johanne, she’s an incredible surfer,” Picklum admitted. “I think there were enough waves for us both to have opportunities and I’m really stoked to come out on top. With the tide quite high you had to be a little bit picky, I ended up in the sand and I was fully committed to win that heat.”Pauline Ado (FRA) was also eliminated today and Vahine Fierro (FRA) will be the sole French surfer in the ROXY Pro France when competition is called back on.
8s the Norm in Men’s Round of 48 Matchups
By the time the Quiksilver Pro France second round paddled out, the tide maxed out and brought waves breaking directly in the shorey much like yesterday. This coupled with a light onshore wind made for exceptionally difficult conditions but competitors stepped up and committed again to finish their waves despite the imminent danger.
Surfers on the North podium seemed to have a little more room to work with before facing the shorebreak and the biggest scores mainly came from that peak. Local pro Maxime Huscenot (FRA) took an important win with a solid backhand combination of turns rewarded by an 8.27 and now finally sees some light in a rather disappointing first half of the Challenger Series season.
“It was so beautiful all day and I stayed here watching the waves not really knowing when I’d go out,” Huscenot explained. “It was a lot of waiting for sure, and when the waves got pretty bad I knew that’s probably when I’d have to surf so I’m just happy to make it through.”
Marcos Correa (BRA) had a similar experience but on his backhand and posted his own excellent ride of 8.67 for two massive turns to continue a very fructuous French campaign. His compatriot Edgard Groggia (BRA) took it to the air on a right and on the South podium in the following heat for an 8.43 to reach the Round of 24 for the second time this season.
“I felt good but that situation was so tough in the water,” Correa commented. “I had one excellent score and a pretty terrible backup, so I’m happy to make the heat but I would have loved to secure it better with another good wave.”
“I’m super stoked to make that heat and especially with a good air which is my specialty,” Groggia added. “I’m training really hard so it’s nice when things work out and I’ll always push for one more win in the next heat!”
Contrasting with a poor campaign in Ericeira, the Brazilian crew trusted a lot of advancing spots today with 9 surfers advancing into the Round of 24.
Speaking of Brazilian exploits, Samuel Pupo (BRA) sure stamped the day with an incredible moment in the very last heat of the day. The high-flying regular foot did just that and more, launching into the craziest aerial move we’ve seen so far this week in France, a full rotation perfectly executed for a near-perfect 9.43.
The list of upsets continues to grow in France as we say Au-Revoir to a lot more leaders from the Challenger Series and beyond. Local hero and World No. 4 Johanne Defay (FRA) came up short, much like rankings leader Ezekiel Lau(HAW), recent Semifinalist Nat Young (USA), long time Championship Tour surfer Coco Ho (HAW) among countless others.
Event officials will reconvene at 8:35 a.m (CET) Thursday for the next call.
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.
UPCOMING ROXY PRO FRANCE QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS:
QF 1 : Sawyer Lindblad (USA) vs. Dimity Stoyle (AUS)
QF 2: Alyssa Spencer (USA) vs. Brisa Hennessy (CRI)
QF 3: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. India Robinson (AUS)
QF 4: Vahine Fierro (FRA) vs. Caitlin Simmers (USA)
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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