Lau honors home with World Cup win

The flag draped around Honolulu’s Ezekiel Lau was not just for show.

Lau added a second Vans World Cup of Surfing championship to his resume Thursday at Sunset Beach, and wearing the Hawaiian flag over his shoulders served notice that there is more to come.

Lau is carrying the Native Hawaiian banner in the surfing universe, something his ancestors from the birthplace of the sport would be proud of. He is also buoying the state of Hawaii’s hopes for a Vans Triple Crown of Surfing championship, since two-time World Surf League champion and three-time Triple Crown winner John John Florence is out with a knee injury.

“It’s incredible,” said Lau a few minutes after hoisting the World Cup trophy. “I’m back. It took me a while to find my stride again. I’ve been working so hard lately and I’m so glad everything came together.

“I love to be that guy. I want to carry the torch and represent the flag, represent for the Hawaiians. This is not only me. I have so much support from the Hawaiian community. For me to go out here and perform for them, it’s incredible.

“I want to thank my girlfriend, Jenna. She’s been by my side the whole year, dealing with my headaches. My family is always giving me that support. I didn’t do this alone. I did this for Hawaii. I did this for us.”

Intense passion and energetic vibes got Lau through four grueling heats in 20-foot-plus wave faces at Sunset, one of the most famous breaks in the world. As one of only four from Hawaii on the 2018 WSL championship tour (a pale figure compared to the loads of top-end talent from Australia and Brazil), the accomplishment is a major boon for the state.

Lau, 25, also won the World Cup in 2013 and is aiming for his first Triple Crown title that goes to the best surfer in the three season-ending events combined. He is in third place in that race, with Australia’s Joel Parkinson — who won the Triple Crown’s first stop, the Hawaiian Pro — at the top and Brazil’s Jesse Mendes in second.

When it mattered most in the late going Thursday, Lau’s fire continued to burn. After placing second to South Africa’s Jordy Smith in the fourth round, he won his quarterfinal and semifinal heats. In the final, he scored waves of 5.33 and 7.33 for a 12.66 total out of a possible 20.00, leaving Mendes (7.63), France’s Joan Duru (7.33), and Griffin Colapinto (4.67) of San Clemente, Calif., in the dust.

With his runner-up finish at the World Cup, which is also the WSL’s qualifying series finale, Mendes wound up 10th on the QS to requalify for the CT in 2019. Italy’s Leonardo Fioravanti, Brazil’s Jadson Andre and Australia’s Soli Bailey also secured their places on the ’19 CT.

The Billabong Pipe Masters — the last stop of the Triple Crown and the final contest of the CT where a world champion will be crowned — runs Saturday through Dec. 20. No. 1 Gabriel Medina and No. 3 Filipe Toledo of Brazil and No. 2 Julian Wilson of Australia are the only competitors left with a shot at the world title.