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The final day of the Vans U.S. Open and Vans Duct Tape Invitational at Huntington Beach, Calif. was a successful one for Hawaii surfers. Competitiors based in Hawaii claimed three of the four titles.
At the Vans U.S. Open, stop No. 4 of the World Surf League Challenger Series, Bettylou Sakura Johnson and Ezekiel Lau claimed critical victories as they look to rejoin the Championship Tour. Meanwhile, the World Title race for the WSL Longboard Tour tightened as Kelis Kaleopa‘a won in the Vans Duct Invitational.
Johnson bested Australian Macy Callaghan in the final round. Callaghan started strong with a score of 5.67 on her first wave, but Johnson later overtook her with a 6.93 on her fifth ride. Johnson’s ninth wave yielded 5.07, giving her 12 points overall and the win over Callaghan (10.40). Johnson reached the final after beating Australia’s Sophia McCullock in the semifinals 15.50 to 14.10.
Lau defeated Brazil’s Joao Chianca in the men’s final. Lau grabbed the early lead with a 5.50 on his second wave. Chianca battled back with two consecutive 5-point rides, but Lau’s sixth ride, which scored 6.90, put him in the lead for good. He finished with a total score of 12.40, giving him the win over Chianca’s 11.43. In the semifinal, Lau beat American Ethan Osborne 12.77 to 11.34.
In the women’s Duct Tape Invitational, Kaleopa‘a bested Honolua Blomfield in a all-Hawaii final. Kaleopa‘a raced out of the gate, scoring 6.67 on her first wave. She later scored a 6.30 on her seventh wave for an overall score of 12.97 and the win. Blomfield scored 5.77 and 5.70 on back-to-back waves for a total of 11.47. Kaleopa‘a (11.25) and Blomfield (15.43) reached the final after beating Kaitlin Mikkelsen (7.70) and Rachael Tilly (10.10) in the semifinals.
In the men’s Duct Tape Invitational, American Taylor Jensen beat Hawaii surfer Kaniela Stewart to prevent an all-Hawaii podium. Stewart scored 11.60 on 6.00 and 5.60 waves, but fell short of Jenson (13.84).