PATRICK GUDAUSKAS TAKES TOP SPOT AT THE ASP 4-STAR VANS PRO JUNIOR

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

The Virginia Beach pier, located in the state of Virginia in the U.S., sported four foot waves this past weekend to celebrate this stop of the ASP Vans 4-Star Junior Pro.

In man-to-man combat, Patrick Gudauskas of San Clemente, California faced Brazilian surfer, Deivid Silva in the combative final. Gudauskas hung on to his spot with a seven-point wave, which gave him the confidence he needed to select his second wave that gave him five points. Together, his two best waves gained a total score of 12.67, enough to beat Silva in the final.

“It was a fun event, with good waves and good surfers,” Gudauskas remarked, “The Brazilian and the Japanese competitors were the rivals to beat and fortunately I was able to do that. Thanks to everyone at Vans and to my family, I’m super happy for this win.”    

Runner-up, Deivid Silva, tried his hand at an aerial and landed it, which sent him to the final. He was unable to find the right wave in his heat, however, and fought hard to gain a 12.63 score for his two best waves, falling just short of the victory by mere fractions of a point.

Silva had this to say: “I’m pretty happy because Patrick was a good opponent, and although I came in second, I feel good about it. It would’ve been nice to win, and it was so close! In general, it was a good event for me though. Congratulations to Patrick for his victory and also a big thanks to my family and sponsors.”

VANS JUNIOR PRO FINAL RESULTS:

1 - Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.67
2 - Deivid Silva (BRA) 12.63
3 - Keanu Asing (HAW) 11.00
4 - Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 9.10

AUSTRALIAN MARK RICHARDSON FORCED TO GIVE UP GOLD MEDAL AFTER FAILING DRUG TEST. CARLOS CABRERO OF PUERTO RICO IS RECOGNIZED AND GIVEN THE GOLD.

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

In a press release dated August 19th, the International Surfing Association disclosed that, as a result of drug tests performed by the finalists of the last World Masters held in El Salvador in 2011, Australian surfer and winner of the Over 35 Category, Mark Richardson, tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), exceeding the maximum level under the current World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code. Following a lengthy review process, Richardson lost his gold medal team points and was on probation for three months (which has since been completed).

As stated in the rules, Puerto Rican Carlos Cabrero will leave behind his silver medal and receive the gold, becoming the champion of that division. The ISA also advanced Gary Van Wieringen (RSA) to the silver, rising from third place to second place, which left fourth place (copper medal) vacant.

The ISA adheres to the WADA Code and, as a result, requires that drug testing be performed at all ISA World Championships. This ensures that the competition is kept fair and prevents any athletes from taking an unfair advantage by ingesting a substance that is not permitted.

Although it may cause a scandal within the “amateur” surfing world, these tests and the results are an important step for surfing to someday be an Olympic sport.

President of the ISA, Fernando Aguerre, was emphatic in saying: “The ISA has been conducting drug tests on all ISA World Championships since 1992. Since then, the ISA has conducted more than 600 tests, including all finalists in each of our World Championships, and this is the first gold medalist that has tested positive.”

LEILA TAKEDA: EMPRESS OF THE WAVES

Translation: Heido Sundstrom



With the National Surfing Games in Rosarito, Baja California Norte just around the corner, we thought we’d catch up with the current National Champion, Leila Takeda, who is ready to defend her title this year. Leila is a young Mexican surfer born to her Japanese mother and Mexican father.

We hope that all of the girls reading this who have never surfed before would be inspired jump into the wonderful world of surfing.

Planeta Surf: Where were you born and where do you currently live?
Leila Takeda: I was born in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca but I live in Sayulita, Nayarit now.

PS: At what age did you start surfing? Who motivated you?
LT: I think I started surfing at about 9 or 10 years old, thanks to my mom. She was a bodyboarder so we were always at the beach.

PS: Where did you catch you first wave?
LT: In Playa Zicatela (when there were small waves).

PS: What important events have you competed in and what did you place?
LT: I got second place in the Onyone Cup in Japan, fourth place in the VQS and have represented Mexico in ISA events in Panama and New Zealand, as well as many contests in Mexico.

PS: What does your diet consist of?
LT: I try to eat a lot of vegetables, nuts, fish but sometimes when I travel I’m not able to eat as healthy and end up eating candy and donuts. My favorite foods are sushi, ramen and “agua-chile”.

PS: What other sports or activities do you do?
LT: I like to skate ramps and go paddleboarding, fishing and swimming.

PS: Did you think you’d ever become the National Champion of Mexico?
LT: Yeah, once or twice I thought it would be cool to be Mexico’s National Champion. But I honestly wasn’t planning on going to the Nationals, but I ended up going and got lucky enough to win it.

PS: Who inspires you to surf?
LT: My friends and boyfriend, Dylan.

PS: Tell us about the World Cup you attended.
LT: It was a lot of fun, I’ve never surfed in Panama and there were a lot of good surfers there.

PS: What places have you surfed?
LT: I’ve been to Hawaii, Japan, New Zealand, Panama, Puerto Rico, California and almost all of Mexico.

PS: Which is your favorite wave?
LT: I like almost all waves as long as there are good conditions, from small waves in Sayulita to larger ones in Zicatela.

PS: What languages do you speak?
LT: I speak Japanese and learned Spanish at the age of 7, which was actually pretty tough because I didn’t speak any when I entered school. I also speak English.

PS: Plans for the future?
LT: Just keep doing what I’m doing.

PS: Who are your sponsors?
LT: Azul Wetsuits

PS: Are you going to the Rosarito Nationals? And if so, what are you expectations?
LT: Yes I’m going and hope to keep my title.

PS: What would you say to the girls who have started or are starting to surf?
LT: I’d tell them to get out there and surf because it’s fun and healthy.

PS: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
LT: Thanks to all those who have supported me, I hope to get new support for the future.

ADRIAN BUCHAN WINS THE 2013 BILLABONG PRO TAHITI

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

Australian surfer, Adrian Buchan, beat 11-time world champion Kelly Slater at the 2013 Billabong Pro in Tahiti. Teahupoo brought powerful 6 ft. waves and perfect tubes in the close final that marked the sixth of ten events on the ASP World Championship Tour.

Buchan achieved high scores in each of his five eliminating heats, arriving at the final in excellent form and with a lot of confidence to face off against Slater. He scored an 18.94 compared to the 17.90 of Slater, a small difference in points but enough to be crowned champ.

Buchan has been competing for eight years against elite surfers from around the world and this is his second victory against Slater.

“I knew I had to rise above the rest today,” Buchan commented. “I had to face well-known surfers and each time I paddled I told myself I only needed to catch two waves, that was my mindset through each heat and it worked pretty out good.”

The next stop of the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) will be the Hurley Pro in Trestles, California on September 15th – 21st, 2013.

FINAL RESULTS:
1 - Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.94
2 - Kelly Slater (USA) 17.90
 
SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18.67 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.80
SF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.73 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 7.67
 
QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.07 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.06
QF 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 19.17 def. John John Florence (HAW) 17.33
QF 3: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.54 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.90
QF 4: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.86 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 8.66