National Team surfing took over the final day at the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) sanctioned Bali Asian Beach Games at Kuta Beach today.

After four days of shared fortunes in individual surfing duels, the team event brought national pride and flags to the fore, as the beach crowd enthusiastically supported their teams.  In the four surfer team event, riders enter the water in a set order, surfing allocated waves and then exchanging with their next team-mate.  An aggregate wave point score for the total of the team decides the ranking of the teams.  Three rounds were held to rank the teams for medals.

Indonesia posted three strong wins with a ten point margin over Japan each time.  Philippines was trying to close the gap with Japan in each round but Japan always held them off.  In the final and deciding round, Indonesia’s Made Widiarta and Made Adi Putra picked off the best of the waves and provided the foundation of their team gold medal.  Japan’s power surfer Akihihro Makino provided three good wave scores to set his team up for their silver medal.  Luke Landrigan [Philippines] thrilled the crowd with a string of carving turns across a nice wave early in the final, setting people thinking of an upset, but it wasn’t to be, as the event unfolded.

Team Results:                 Gold                                  Indonesia

                                    Silver                                 Japan

                                    Bronze                               Philippines

                                    Bronze                               Maldives

Overall the Bali Asian Beach Games 2008 has been an outstanding success for surfing with its promotion to Asian Olympic bodies, many of whom are now interested in promoting the sport in their countries.  The surfing standards have been very high, the teams well managed and the event very professionally conducted.

Final Individual Medallists:

Men’s Shortboard Division:       

                                          Gold                     Made Widiarta                   Indonesia            1

                                          Silver                    Made Raditya Rondi       Indonesia            2

                                          Bronze                 Shigenori Suzuki             Japan                   3

                                          Bronze                 Carlito Nogalo                  Philippines          4

Women’s Shortboard Division:              

                                          Gold                      Akiko Kiyonoga              Japan                   1

                                          Silver                    Yasnier Gea                    Indonesia            2

                                          Bronze                  Marianita Alcala              Philippines          3

                                          Bronze                  Diah Rahayu Dewi         Indonesia            4

Men’s Aerial Division:    

                                          Gold                     Dede Suryana                   Indonesia            1

                                          Silver                    Yuichi Kurogi                    Japan                    2

                                          Bronze                 Made Adi Putra                  Indonesia            3

                                          Bronze                 Shuhei Kato                       Japan                    4

Men’s Longboard Division:

                                          Gold                     Yuta Morimoto                 Japan                   1

                                          Silver                    Luke Landrigan              Philippines          2

                                          Bronze                 Wayan Widana                 Indonesia            3

                                          Bronze                 Husni Ridwan                  Indonesia            4

SOURCE: ISA