Wai'anae's Bartels remains No. 1

Advertiser Staff

Wai'anae's Melanie Bartels placed fourth in the women's division of the Mr. Price Pro surfing contest yesterday and retained the No. 1 ranking on the women's World Qualifying Series.

The final day of the weeklong event was completed in 1- to 3-foot waves at Durban, South Africa.

Serena Brooke of Australia won the contest and the $3,500 first prize. Bartels received $1,300.

At the midway point of the 2003 WQS, Bartels has 4,593 points. Brooke is ranked a distant No. 2 with 3,513. The top performers from the WQS at the end of the year earn spots on next year's elite World Championship Tour.

In the men's division of the Mr. Price Pro, amateur Kekoa Bacalso of Mililani placed third.

Neco Padaratz of Brazil won the men's division and $15,000. Bacalso received $6,000.

Joel Centeio of Makakilo tied for ninth and moved up to No. 11 on the men's WQS. He is the highest-ranked surfer from Hawai'i on the men's WQS.

• Perkins falls: Hawai'i's Bonga Perkins was eliminated in the fifth round of the O'Neill Open Zone longboard surfing contest yesterday at San Sebastien, Spain.

Perkins dropped to No. 3 in the World Longboard Tour rankings. Yesterday's contest was the third of five stops on the tour.

Another Hawai'i surfer, Kekoa Uemura, was eliminated in the sixth round.

Marcelo Freitas of Brazil won the contest and is ranked No. 2 overall. Jye Byrnes of Australia is No. 1.