| Strong wave riding performances in the 2010 IBA Buzios Bodyboarding |
| Saturday, 08 May 2010 13:59 |
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Upsets and last minute comebacks were the going theme for day three for the IBA Buzios Bodyboarding 2010 at Praia de Geriba in Brazil. The third day of competition got under way with slightly improved conditions. The waves were coming in at a clean and glassy 2-3ft., with much more consistency than the first two days. Round four of the men`s division was first in the water for the day and saw such riders as Roberto Bruno, Leonardo Costa, Gostão Entruda (PRT), Irai Rodrigues, Gustavo Martins, Francirley Ferreira, and Leandro Chagas advance to the fifth round. The big stories, though, for round four of the men’s pro division were Jared Houston (SAF) and 2x world champion Damian King (AUS). In heat five of round four, Jared Houston was sitting third in his heat and facing elimination. With less than a minute remaining, Jared scored a 7.25 propelling him into the lead as well as into the next round! The first major upset of the day would come two heats later, in heat seven, when Damian King was eliminated from competition by the three Brazilians in his heat. The event shifted over to the women’s division for rounds four and five to fill out the day. The wave conditions held up and remained fairly consistent, even as the tide dropped out later in the day. Round four would see Lorraine Lima, Akemi Saito, Nicole Calheiros, Joany Duarte, Lilly Pollard (AUS), Soraia Rocha, Maylla Venturin, and Perola de Souza advance to the next round. In round five, the competition format switched to woman vs. woman priority heats. Heat one would see Lorraine Lima take out seeded rider Natasha Sargadia (PRC), while heat two had Isabela Sousa put out Akemi Saito. In heat three, Nicole Calheiros eliminated Lumar Guittard (VNZ). In heat four, we saw the next big upset of the day. Joany Duarte, who has been putting in a very strong performance through the first three days of competition, defeated 2009 Buzios women’s champion Jessica Becker. The remaining heats of round five saw Eunate Aguirre (SPN) advancing past Lilly Pollard, Karla Costa Taylor beating Soraia Rocha, and Maylla Venturin convincingly defeating Catarina Sousa (PRT). For the second day in a row, it was the last heat of the day that proved to be the most exciting. In heat eight, Luz Marie Grande (PRC) was trailing Perola de Souza in need of a 5.5 score to win and advance. With only about :30 seconds remaining, one of the best sets of the day peaked up on the outside and rolled up through the middle. Luz took off on one of these last-second waves, hit a solid spin roll combination, and scored a 6.5 from the judges for the miraculous come-from-behind victory! Following her heat, an excited Luz asked what was going through her mind in the closing minute, needing a 5.5, and seeing that last set of waves pop up on the horizon. Luz smiled, let out a slight laugh and replied, “I was very nervous, because I wanted to pass (to the quarter-finals). The waves were very difficult.” Competitors and staff members for the IBA Buzios Bodyboarding 2010 are on call for 7:30am with and 8am start-time, waves pending.
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