Esquivel pulls off Longboard Qualifying Series three-peat in La Union

MANILA, Philippines — Make it three in a row.

Local surfer Rogelio Esquivel Jr. defended his crown — and home turf — as he ruled the men’s division of the La Union International Pro Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) event at the Urbiztondo Beach in San Juan, La Union.

This is Esquivel’s third championship in a row at the La Union event as he edged out fellow Filipino Perry Ventura in the final Wednesday. 

He tallied a score of 15.67, anchored on a solid 8.67 recorded in the third wave, against Ventura’s 14.84. 

It was an all-Filipino cast starting in the semifinals, with Esquivel outlasting compatriot Roger Casogay. Ventura, on the other hand, came up on top against Jomarie Ebueza. 

With the win, Esquivel brought home $2,000, while Ventura finished with $1,000. 

"I'm super stoked to win this event once again. It's been an awesome Finals Day, and this is a big win for the Philippines,” Esquivel said in a statement. 

“This week has been extra special because I can see the local surfers improving year on year, as well as all of the other surfers from the Asia region. I love to watch them all surf here on my home break. This is a great start to the year for me and also for the Filipino community. Hopefully, this momentum keeps going,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Japan’s Hiroka Yoshikawa ruled the women’s division after defeating fellow Japanese surfer Natsumi Taoka. 

Yoshikawa garnered a score of 14.27 compared to Taoka’s 13.36.

"I'm so happy to win this event as I have finished runner-up here for the last couple of years. I love it here in La Union; we always feel so welcomed by the locals, the food is great, and I love the wave; it's my favorite,” Yoshikawa said.

“This result is so important to me as I missed out on qualifying for the WSL Longboard Tour last year, so this will really help me a lot." 

Yoshikawa beat Kaede Inoue in the semifinals, while Taoka withstood Filipina surfer Ashlee Lopez in the Final Four.