Durbanites place at surf event
Chad du Toit and Luke Thompson made second place in the finals of their respective categories at the Nelson Mandela Surf Pro.
DURBAN surfers Chad du Toit and Luke Thompson made second place in the finals of their respective categories at the Nelson Mandela Surf Pro on Sunday.
Joshe Faulkner from Jeffreys Bay and Minami Nonaka from Japan clinched the men’s and women’s titles respectively at the competition.
The final day’s action was held in solid head high waves and gusty offshore winds at Pollock Beach in Port Elizabeth. The Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro, Stop No. 2 on the WSL Africa Tour, comprised Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000 rated events for men and women and JQS 1,000 events for Junior Men and Women aged 18 and under.
Du Toit, the only finalist over the age of 20, forced his way into contention with the best ride of the final, for which he earned an excellent 8.25 and briefly took the lead, but he couldn’t find another good second score and ended runner-up. Koby Oberholzer from Warner Beach appeared to peak in the semis and could only muster a pair of threes and finished fourth overall.
Eli Beukes from Kommetjie captured the hotly contested Junior Men’s crown with a dominant performance from start to finish. Two good rides put the Kommetjie local into the lead and he then dropped a 9.0 that left his peers scratching for second place.
Durban’s Luke Thompson came closest, completing a couple of powerful rail turns followed by an innovative tail reverse on his last ride that impressed the judges sufficiently to award him 7.75 which was enough for the runner-up berth. Fellow Durbanite Karl Steen and surprise finalist Ntando Nqdala from Muizenberg, were left needing to replace both their scores when the final ended.
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