Esquivel reigns in longboard event of Baler International surf tilt

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino surfer Jay-r Esquivel once again ruled the longboard qualifying series (LQS) event of the World Surf League (WSL) Baler International Pro on Tuesday, becoming the lone Filipino to win a competition in the inaugural event.

Esquivel faced Japan’s Kai Hamase in the final, a rematch of the La Union International Pro, which the Filipino also won.

He scored 17.40 in the final, clinching the title after Hamase garnered 15.65 points in the LQS men’s final.

“It feels amazing. It was just a dream for me before, to be here. I’m super-stoked because the Filipino athletes are really improving every time,” he said.

“Every year they’re putting on a great show, like RJ (Chico Lopez), Rico (Dumaguin), Jomarie (Ebueza). Daisy (Valdez) did really well. We’ll be practicing more for the next competitions here,” he added.

In the women’s heats, Japan’s Natsumi Taoka scored a big win over the Philippines’ Valdez.

Taoka scored 12.50 in the final, while Valdez had 10.35.

This is a one-spot higher finish for the Filipina compared to her performance in the La Union International Pro.

The Japanese surfer won her second event of the season.

“I’m so happy to win the competition. I was not focused on the result, but actually it’s really important for me to qualify. I really enjoyed surfing the final heat with Daisy,” Taoka said.

In the Qualifying Series (QS), Hiroto Ohhara took home the championship against fellow Japanese surfer Joh Azuchi.

Ohhara recorded a score of 17.25 in the final, compared to his opponent’s 13.65.

Ohhara’s victory saw him jump into the Challenger Series qualification cut line, where he is now ranked third.

Azuchi, on the other hand, moved him to No. 2.

In women’s heat, Minami Nonaka won over her close friend Sara Wakita in the final of the QS.

The former had a score of 15.65, while the latter had 13.65.

The event, the first WSL-sanctioned event held in the municipality, ran from February 1-6.