Hawaii’s Kalani David and Tatiana Weston-Webb took home titles at the Pipeline Pro Junior on Thursday.
The 15-year-old David, from the North Shore, and 16-year-old Weston-Webb, from Kauai, came out on top in the junior men’s and women’s finals in 4- to 6-foot surf on the North Shore, overcoming a field that included some of the best 20-and-under surfers from around the world.
David got a nice tube ride to take the lead over Hawaii’s Koa Smith and Nathan Florence and Costa Rica’s Carlos Munoz in the final, and later closed it out with a barrel ride that he finished off with a big turn on the end section.
"I feel speechless, I don’t even know what to say right now," said David, who earned $2,500 for his first victory at Pipe. "I was so nervous before the heat, but I was really lucky and got two good waves."
Munoz finished second, followed by Florence and Smith.
Weston-Webb earned her second victory at the break, having claimed the 2011 Pipeline Women’s Pro title.
On Thursday, Weston-Webb won an all-Hawaii final that also included Bailey Nagy, Brianna Cope and Dax McGill.
With time winding down, she caught a left at Pipeline, pulled into the barrel and came shooting out right into a carve to give her a 7.25 score, which she needed to take the win.
"I have the women’s event out here before, but this is my first pro junior win so I am really psyched," said Weston-Webb, who earned $1,000. "It was hard because there were not too many waves, but luckily I got that barrel and I got a big score."
Cope took second, with McGill third and Nagy fourth.
Makaha’s Sheldon Paison won the biggest air award during the expression session.