John Mark 'Marama' Tokong sees his Round 2 exit from the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour Philippines Pro not as a failure but as a learning curve.
The four-time Siargao International Surfing Cup champion said he had chances to go deeper in his maiden CT campaign, but could not convert opportunities when the wind picked up in his heat against world No. 7 Ethan Ewing of Australia.
Tokong said he felt relaxed and comfortable selecting the waves he wanted in his historic win over Brazil's Samuel Pupo on Saturday, but sense the conditions changed in his heat against Ewing, making it difficult to execute the moves he had planned.
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“I was really happy with my performance in that heat. I felt relaxed and just focused on choosing the right waves. But the conditions yesterday and today were different. The wind picked up, and I tried to stay busy, catch more waves and go for aerials, but unfortunately, I couldn't land them,” Tokong said.
Tokong particularly rued his opening wave, believing he could have put himself in a better position to advance had he landed his aerial and made it out of the barrel.
“If I had landed that aerial and made it out of the barrel on my first wave, I think it could have helped me move to the next round,” he said.
Still, Tokong was thankful for the opportunity to compete against some of the world's best surfers. He said being able to watch them compete and learn from their performances was already a big boost to his career.
“Everyone here is a champion. They're among the best athletes in the world. Just being able to surf against them, watch them compete and learn from them is already amazing. I've learned so much from this experience,” the 30-year old said.
Tokong was also thrilled to see so many people at Cloud 9 cheering for him, including his family, friends and local supporters who stayed through the scorching heat.
“I feel like I didn't really lose anything because of all the support from the community, my friends and my family. It's crazy to see so many people at Cloud 9 cheering for me. Even though it's so hot, they're still there. I've never experienced anything like this before. I'm really thankful to everyone,” Tokong said.
Tokong stressed the importance of choosing the right waves, explaining that surfers must learn to read the conditions instead of focusing on their opponents.
“In surfing, you're not only competing against the other athletes, you're also competing against the waves. You have to choose the right ones. Sometimes, getting the right wave makes the difference in moving to the next round,” he explained.
With this campaign over, Tokong hopes to improve his international ranking as he shifts his focus to national competitions. He said there is no point dwelling on the missed chances and would rather learn from the experience.
“It's not a loss, it's a lesson. We'll learn from it and move forward. We just have to make sure we don't make the same mistakes again,” Tokong said.
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