HUNTINGTON BEACH, California — Jay-R Esquivel’s dominating run at the Longboard Classic at the US Open of Surfing ended with a third-place finish, as Kaniela Stewart outdueled him in the semis round.
Still, it was an impressive and memorable debut for Esquivel, who is the first Filipino to ever qualify for the World Longboard Tour.
SEE: Esquivel inches closer to world title as he seals semis berth
He bested longboard tour veterans Ben Skinner at the Round of 16 and Richie Cravey in the quarterfinals, proving that the Philippines is emerging as a world power in surfing.
His fight against Stewart was a close one. The Hawaiian surfer eked out a slim 1.13-point lead in the final tally of Heat 2 in the semfinals round against Esquivel’s 14.87-point run.
Kaniela Stewart then took it all the way to the top, defeating three-time champion Taylor Jensen to claim the championship at the Huntington Beach Longboard Classic.
The La Union surfer gave a hat tip to the substantial community of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans who trooped to the venue to cheer for the surfer. “Maraming salamat sa lahat ng filipino sa solid na suporta ninyo, specially sa mga pumunta sa beach, grabe di namin inexpect yun, sobrang solid!” Esquivel said happily in an Instagram post following the competition.
“Dabest kayo.”
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