Joshe Faulkner, Minami Nonaka clinch NMB Surf Pro titles

Joshe Faulkner (Jeffreys Bay) and Minami Nonaka (Japan) clinched the men’s and women’s titles respectively at the Nelson Mandela Surf Pro on Saturday.

Nonaka also completed a rare double by also taking the junior women’s event while Eli Beukes (Kommetjie) was crowned the junior men’s champion.

The final day's action was held in solid head high waves and gusty offshore winds at Pollok Beach in Port Elizabeth.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro, Stop No2 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.

Despite Faulkner’s good start to the men’s final, the result was in the balance until the last ride when Australian teenager Dylan Moffat had a chance to grab victory, but the wave closed out and he couldn’t get the 7.15 point score he needed for victory and had to settle for third place.

Faulkner, who chose to sit away from the other three finalists, steadily built his lead throughout the 30 minute encounter, adding a 6.40 to the 6.75 he had secured earlier (both rides out of a possible 10 points) for a title-winning total of 13.15 out of 20.

"This is the best thing ever," said an emotional Faulkner on the podium. "Throughout the years I sometimes make the semis and then the next event I get knocked out in the first round, so I am super-stoked to have my first QS win under the belt."

Durbanite Chad 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 (Warner Beach) appeared to peak in the semis and could only muster a pair of threes and finished fourth overall.

The women’s event was an all Japanese affair for the first time in a QS event outside their home country and demonstrated the impetus that surfing has gathered there since being included as a discipline in next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Nonaka, who won the Cape Town Surf Pro in the Mother City last year, was in a class of her own in the final, opening her account with an excellent 8.0 and then waiting patiently for the best waves while her three rivals chased anything that broke throughout the lineup.

The eventual winner opened the scoring in the final with an excellent 8.0 which left her opponents needing huge scores to overtake her, and then sealed her victory with a 7.25 on the final ride of the heat.

Julie Nishimoto, who also reached the final of the junior women’s event, clawed her way into contention to grab second place while Ren Hashimoto, who had earned the highest score of the entire event, a near perfect 9.65, on the opening day, started the final slowly and had to settle for third spot with Shino Matsuda was a distant fourth.

Beukes 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 (Muizenberg), who is shining example of the great work being done by the Rising Stars surf outreach programme in Cape Town, were left needing to replace both their scores when the final ended.

Nonaka reigned supreme in the junior women’s final, compiling a heat total of 12.95 and despite a much improved Ceara Knight (Kommetjie) flying the flag for the South African contingent with a pair of good rides that were rewarded with a well merited runner-up berth, the Japanese girl clinched the top spot on the dais. Julia Camargo (Brazil) took third place and Julie Nishimoto (Japan) finished fourth in the first of her two finals on the day.

Stop No3 on the WSL Africa Tour, and No2 on the City Surf Series, is the Royal St Andrews Hotel Port Alfred Surf Classic, which starts on Monday and runs until Wednesday  at East Beach in Port Alfred. The contest will feature QS1,000 rated events for men and women and JQS1,000 events for juniors.

Full results, news, images and video footage from the Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro visit www.worldsurfleague.com - WSL Africa Media