East London's Daniel Emslie and Cape Town's Anastasia Venter won the World Surf League (WSL) Nelson Mandela Bay Pro Junior (JQS) 1,000 in small and challenging conditions at Pollok Beach in Gqeberha on Sunday.
As the third and final stop for the 2024 season concluded, Lily Heny and Luke Thompson were crowned the WSL Africa Regional Junior winners for 2024.
The men’s final delivered all the excitement and nail-biting action that was expected from good friends Luke van Wyk and Emslie.
Emslie started strong with a 6.00 (out of a possible 10), while Van Wyk was warming up with a few throwaway attempts.
Emslie backed up his score with a 6.67 and jumped into the lead, but Van Wyk was on his heels with a great 7.17.
He only needed a 5.50 to take the win and found a good wave in the last few minutes of the heat.
The tension was palpable but the score came in just 0.50 points short and Emslie took the win.
“I’m over the moon, it’s been a pretty crazy weekend,” Emslie said.
“It was a super fun final with my good mate, Luke. We went back and forth and he almost got me with that last ride, but I’m super stoked to take out the win.
“Thanks to my coach and family for all the support.”
SA champion Venter came into this event knowing she had a lot of work to do if she wanted to qualify for the WSL World Junior Championships.
She was on a roll from the start, convincingly winning all her heats, but she had to overcome the challenge of WSL Africa Junior rankings leader Heny in the final.
Heny, in her second JQS final, has enjoyed a very consistent run of results.
After having to grind through a few tough heats at this event, Heny made sure to lock in the first score in the final.
Venter responded with a better mid-range score, but quickly improved on this with a 5.33.
Heny struggled to find better scoring opportunities, while Venter found the best wave of the heat and earned a 6.17 for a total of 11.50.
Despite taking the lead, Venter stayed busy to ensure Heny didn't get a chance to take the win from her, and it played in her favour earning her first-ever JQS title.
“I was stoked to make the finals because I knew I wasn’t that high on the rankings,” Venter said.
“When I made it, I just told myself to go out there and surf my best — I tried to catch a lot of waves and get good scores.
“It was my first JQS final and to take the win, I’m very happy. It was a great event, thanks to everyone who made it happen.”
After the conclusion of the Nelson Mandela Bay Pro Junior, the WSL Africa Regional Junior winners were crowned.
Heny and Thompson finished on top of the rankings and earned their ticket to compete against the best juniors in the world at the 2024 WSL World Junior Championships. — WSL
HeraldLIVE
Emslie, Venter win Nelson Mandela Bay Pro Junior
Image: Fredlin Adriaan
East London's Daniel Emslie and Cape Town's Anastasia Venter won the World Surf League (WSL) Nelson Mandela Bay Pro Junior (JQS) 1,000 in small and challenging conditions at Pollok Beach in Gqeberha on Sunday.
As the third and final stop for the 2024 season concluded, Lily Heny and Luke Thompson were crowned the WSL Africa Regional Junior winners for 2024.
The men’s final delivered all the excitement and nail-biting action that was expected from good friends Luke van Wyk and Emslie.
Emslie started strong with a 6.00 (out of a possible 10), while Van Wyk was warming up with a few throwaway attempts.
Emslie backed up his score with a 6.67 and jumped into the lead, but Van Wyk was on his heels with a great 7.17.
He only needed a 5.50 to take the win and found a good wave in the last few minutes of the heat.
The tension was palpable but the score came in just 0.50 points short and Emslie took the win.
“I’m over the moon, it’s been a pretty crazy weekend,” Emslie said.
“It was a super fun final with my good mate, Luke. We went back and forth and he almost got me with that last ride, but I’m super stoked to take out the win.
“Thanks to my coach and family for all the support.”
SA champion Venter came into this event knowing she had a lot of work to do if she wanted to qualify for the WSL World Junior Championships.
She was on a roll from the start, convincingly winning all her heats, but she had to overcome the challenge of WSL Africa Junior rankings leader Heny in the final.
Heny, in her second JQS final, has enjoyed a very consistent run of results.
After having to grind through a few tough heats at this event, Heny made sure to lock in the first score in the final.
Venter responded with a better mid-range score, but quickly improved on this with a 5.33.
Heny struggled to find better scoring opportunities, while Venter found the best wave of the heat and earned a 6.17 for a total of 11.50.
Despite taking the lead, Venter stayed busy to ensure Heny didn't get a chance to take the win from her, and it played in her favour earning her first-ever JQS title.
“I was stoked to make the finals because I knew I wasn’t that high on the rankings,” Venter said.
“When I made it, I just told myself to go out there and surf my best — I tried to catch a lot of waves and get good scores.
“It was my first JQS final and to take the win, I’m very happy. It was a great event, thanks to everyone who made it happen.”
After the conclusion of the Nelson Mandela Bay Pro Junior, the WSL Africa Regional Junior winners were crowned.
Heny and Thompson finished on top of the rankings and earned their ticket to compete against the best juniors in the world at the 2024 WSL World Junior Championships. — WSL
HeraldLIVE
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