URBIZTONDO BEACH, San Juan, La Union, Philippines (Thursday, January 25, 2024) - John Mark Tokong (PHL) and Kana Nakashio (JPN) claimed their second Qualifying Series (QS) 3000 wins of the season today. The pair made the most of the continued three-to-four foot of swell hitting Urbiztondo Beach's long, right point for day four of competition at the 2024 La Union International Pro. Following the QS 3000 Finals, the Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) event continued, deciding each of the Men's and Women's Semifinalists by day's end.
John Mark Tokong (PHL) sealed his second victory of the season in his home nation in fine form, peaking in the Final with incredibly smooth flow as he combined exciting air reverses on big opening sections with fast, carving turns down the line. The excitable crowd lining the point lit up for every wave he caught on Finals Day, and the Filipino was more than happy to provide the entertainment.
Kian Martin - WSL / Abdel Elecho
After opening with a 7.25 (out of a possible 10), Tokong immediately built his scoreline with an 8.50, leaving Kian Martin (SWE) needing a combination of two scores totalling 15.76 (out of a possible 20). Martin was able to break the combination almost as soon as it landed with an 8.00 of his own, as he also delivered dynamic above the lip surfing. It didn't take long for Tokong to raise the level once again however, posting the highest single wave score of the event, a 9.40, to bring his heat total to an event-high 17.90, which Martin was unable to come close to cracking.
"Oh man, this is crazy," Tokong said. "I don't know, I'm so happy, more than happy, like you can't really say anything. It's so hard to explain but I feel so stoked right now. All the people here next to me, all the people that are watching this event, people that are supporting me. Wow this is crazy, thank you guys so much. In the final I felt really confident, you know, because this is one of the last rounds, last heat. I got a really good wave the first wave and then I was like, okay, I'm just gonna go send it."
Tokong's sixth QS win marks his fifth victory in the Philippines but the first outside of his home break of Cloud 9. The result has rocketed him 8 places up the rankings into No. 6 as he seeks to regain qualification onto the Challenger Series. Meanwhile, Martin's runner-up finish has him sitting in No. 3 on the rankings, just 31 points behind Rinta Oooto (JPN), whom he defeated in the Semifinals.
Kana Nakashio - WSL / Abdel Elecho
Kana Nakashio (JPN) received an early birthday present as she claimed victory over Sara Wakita (JPN) in the Women's QS 3000. The 19-year-old, who turns 20 in just a few days, was ecstatic to say goodbye to her teen years with a win.
As with the rest of the event, Nakashio used exceptional patience and crucial wave selection in the Semifinals to earn her place in the Final during a tight battle with Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN). The Final itself was a different story however, with Nakashio staying more active to maintain the upper hand over Wakita, the current Asia Region QS rankings leader, as the pair each fought to claim their third QS win of the season.
Sara Wakita - WSL / Abdel Elecho
Nakashio, the 2023 Asia Junior Champion, was able to find a 6.75 early and back it up with a mid-range score, while Wakita struggled to find anything above a 4.00. A pair of 7's from Nakashio, including a 7.85 for a strong three-turn combo, put a near-perfect requirement on Wakita, which she was eventually able to lower, earning a respectable 6.95 on her final wave, but it was too little too late.
Wakita and Anon Matsuoka (JPN) were able to hold their strong positions on top of the rankings but Nakashio now sits comfortably in third, inside the Challenger Series qualification line, which is exactly where she wants to be.
"I'm so happy to have won," Nakashio said. "I had a great time in La Union. The food is good, the waves are good, and the locals are very nice. I knew that in order for me to qualify for the Challenger Series, I had to win this contest or it would be tough to qualify. So I am a little relieved to have won. I have a contest in Baler next week, so I want to enjoy the time until then."
Jomarie Ebueza - WSL / Abdel Elecho
As the excitement of the QS 3000 Finals wound down, the LQS ramped straight back up after a two-day hiatus. Locals Rogelio ‘JR' Esquievel (PHL), Rico Dumaguin (PHL), and Jomarie Ebueza (PHL) were able to take heat wins in both the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals, leading to the best results yet for both Dumaguin and Ebueza. Dumaguin's Quarterfinal victory over Roger Casogay (PHL) was especially sweet as it was the first time he took the win over his friend after 8 previous match-ups in national competitions. Japan's Kai Hamase (JPN), who earned his first LQS event win in at the Siheung Korea Open in November, rounds out the Semifinals as the only non-Filipino left standing.
Daisy Valdez - WSL / Abdel Elecho
That situation was flipped in the Women's LQS, where Daisy Valdez (PHL), remains the only non-Japanese competitor in the draw. The local La Union surfer, who owns a surf school at the break, defeated Sakura Inoue (JPN) in trying conditions and moved through to face Inoue's sister Kaede Inoue (JPN) in the Semifinals.
"It's so hard to read the waves," Valdez said. "But it's a privilege for us because it's our home break, so we know how it breaks when the waves are like this."
2023 Finalists Natsumi Taoka (JPN) and Hiroka Yoshikawa (JPN) also both advanced, though they will face each other in the first Semifinal.
A call will be made tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. for a possible 7:30 a.m. start for the LQS Semifinals.
The 2024 La Union International Pro QS 3000 and LQS events will run from January 22 - 28 at Urbiztondo Beach, San Juan, La Union, Philippines.
John Mark Tokong and Kana Nakashio Win 2024 La Union International Pro QS 3000
WSL
URBIZTONDO BEACH, San Juan, La Union, Philippines (Thursday, January 25, 2024) - John Mark Tokong (PHL) and Kana Nakashio (JPN) claimed their second Qualifying Series (QS) 3000 wins of the season today. The pair made the most of the continued three-to-four foot of swell hitting Urbiztondo Beach's long, right point for day four of competition at the 2024 La Union International Pro. Following the QS 3000 Finals, the Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) event continued, deciding each of the Men's and Women's Semifinalists by day's end.
John Mark Tokong (PHL) sealed his second victory of the season in his home nation in fine form, peaking in the Final with incredibly smooth flow as he combined exciting air reverses on big opening sections with fast, carving turns down the line. The excitable crowd lining the point lit up for every wave he caught on Finals Day, and the Filipino was more than happy to provide the entertainment.
After opening with a 7.25 (out of a possible 10), Tokong immediately built his scoreline with an 8.50, leaving Kian Martin (SWE) needing a combination of two scores totalling 15.76 (out of a possible 20). Martin was able to break the combination almost as soon as it landed with an 8.00 of his own, as he also delivered dynamic above the lip surfing. It didn't take long for Tokong to raise the level once again however, posting the highest single wave score of the event, a 9.40, to bring his heat total to an event-high 17.90, which Martin was unable to come close to cracking.
"Oh man, this is crazy," Tokong said. "I don't know, I'm so happy, more than happy, like you can't really say anything. It's so hard to explain but I feel so stoked right now. All the people here next to me, all the people that are watching this event, people that are supporting me. Wow this is crazy, thank you guys so much. In the final I felt really confident, you know, because this is one of the last rounds, last heat. I got a really good wave the first wave and then I was like, okay, I'm just gonna go send it."
Tokong's sixth QS win marks his fifth victory in the Philippines but the first outside of his home break of Cloud 9. The result has rocketed him 8 places up the rankings into No. 6 as he seeks to regain qualification onto the Challenger Series. Meanwhile, Martin's runner-up finish has him sitting in No. 3 on the rankings, just 31 points behind Rinta Oooto (JPN), whom he defeated in the Semifinals.
Kana Nakashio (JPN) received an early birthday present as she claimed victory over Sara Wakita (JPN) in the Women's QS 3000. The 19-year-old, who turns 20 in just a few days, was ecstatic to say goodbye to her teen years with a win.
As with the rest of the event, Nakashio used exceptional patience and crucial wave selection in the Semifinals to earn her place in the Final during a tight battle with Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN). The Final itself was a different story however, with Nakashio staying more active to maintain the upper hand over Wakita, the current Asia Region QS rankings leader, as the pair each fought to claim their third QS win of the season.
Nakashio, the 2023 Asia Junior Champion, was able to find a 6.75 early and back it up with a mid-range score, while Wakita struggled to find anything above a 4.00. A pair of 7's from Nakashio, including a 7.85 for a strong three-turn combo, put a near-perfect requirement on Wakita, which she was eventually able to lower, earning a respectable 6.95 on her final wave, but it was too little too late.
Wakita and Anon Matsuoka (JPN) were able to hold their strong positions on top of the rankings but Nakashio now sits comfortably in third, inside the Challenger Series qualification line, which is exactly where she wants to be.
"I'm so happy to have won," Nakashio said. "I had a great time in La Union. The food is good, the waves are good, and the locals are very nice. I knew that in order for me to qualify for the Challenger Series, I had to win this contest or it would be tough to qualify. So I am a little relieved to have won. I have a contest in Baler next week, so I want to enjoy the time until then."
As the excitement of the QS 3000 Finals wound down, the LQS ramped straight back up after a two-day hiatus. Locals Rogelio ‘JR' Esquievel (PHL), Rico Dumaguin (PHL), and Jomarie Ebueza (PHL) were able to take heat wins in both the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals, leading to the best results yet for both Dumaguin and Ebueza. Dumaguin's Quarterfinal victory over Roger Casogay (PHL) was especially sweet as it was the first time he took the win over his friend after 8 previous match-ups in national competitions. Japan's Kai Hamase (JPN), who earned his first LQS event win in at the Siheung Korea Open in November, rounds out the Semifinals as the only non-Filipino left standing.
That situation was flipped in the Women's LQS, where Daisy Valdez (PHL), remains the only non-Japanese competitor in the draw. The local La Union surfer, who owns a surf school at the break, defeated Sakura Inoue (JPN) in trying conditions and moved through to face Inoue's sister Kaede Inoue (JPN) in the Semifinals.
"It's so hard to read the waves," Valdez said. "But it's a privilege for us because it's our home break, so we know how it breaks when the waves are like this."
2023 Finalists Natsumi Taoka (JPN) and Hiroka Yoshikawa (JPN) also both advanced, though they will face each other in the first Semifinal.
A call will be made tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. for a possible 7:30 a.m. start for the LQS Semifinals.
The 2024 La Union International Pro QS 3000 and LQS events will run from January 22 - 28 at Urbiztondo Beach, San Juan, La Union, Philippines.
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