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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, April 26, 2010

Bartels, Ho, Moore 5th in Australia surf


Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kekoa Bacalso of Mililani had the best wave of the day, receiving a score of 8.83 out of 10 to win his second-round heat at the Billabong Pro Santa Catarina in Brazil.

KIRSTIN SCHOLTZ | Association of Surfing Professio

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Hawai'i surfers Melanie Bartels, Coco Ho and Carissa Moore maintained their respective top-10 world rankings after they all tied for fifth place at the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic women's surfing contest today.

The final day of the contest was completed in 3- to 4-foot waves at Dee Why, Sydney, Australia.

Bartels, Ho and Moore were all eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Bartels, who is from Wai'anae, lost to Australia's Sally Fitzgibbons, 16.84-11.23. Bartels is currently Hawai'i's top-ranked surfer at No. 4 on the ASP Women's World Tour.

Ho, who is from Sunset Beach, lost to former world champion Sofia Mulanovich of Peru, 11.5-10.5. Ho had the lead midway through the heat, but Mulanovich received a score of 6.0 (out of 10) late in the heat to take control.

Ho, who was the 2009 Rookie of the Year on the women's tour, is currently ranked No. 8.

Moore, who is from Honolulu, lost to three-time defending champion Stephanie Gilmore of Australia, 16.77-8.17.

Moore, who is 17 and in her rookie season on the tour, is currently ranked No. 6.

Bartels, Ho and Moore each received $5,500. The contest was the fourth of nine events on the 2010 ASP Women's World Tour.

Gilmore dominated the day, advancing through four heats to win the contest. She defeated Fitzgibbons in the final to claim the $20,000 first-place check.

Gilmore has won three of the four contests on the 2010 women's tour and holds a commanding a lead in the overall ratings.

Moore, a senior at Punahou School, is the only other surfer to win a contest on the women's tour this year. She won the previous contest in New Zealand earlier this month.

The next event on the women's tour is the Rip Curl Movistar Peru Classic at Lobitos, Peru, in June.

THREE HAWAI'I SURFERS ADVANCE IN BRAZIL EVENT

While the women's tour was in Australia, the men's tour was in Brazil.

Three Hawai'i surfers advanced, but two were eliminated during the second day of the Billabong Pro Santa Catarina at Praia da Vila, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

The second round was completed in inconsistent 1- to 3-foot waves.

Kekoa Bacalso of Mililani, Fred Patacchia Jr. of Hale'iwa, and Roy Powers of Kaua'i won their respective second-round heats.

Bacalso was one of the standouts of the day, receiving a two-wave score of 16.0 (out of 20) in his victory over Australia's Dean Morrison. Bacalso's best wave received a score of 8.83, which was the highest single-wave score of the day.

Two more full days of competition are required to determine a champion.

Kaua'i's Andy Irons and Maui's Dusty Payne lost their respective second-round heats yesterday and were eliminated from the contest.

Payne lost an exciting heat to Tahiti's Michel Bourez. The lead changed five times during the heat. Bourez took the lead for good with about four minutes remaining. Payne needed a score of 7.68 to regain the lead in the closing minutes, but received a 6.63 on his final wave.

DORIAN COMES UP BIG IN PERFORMANCE CATEGORY

Shane Dorian of the Big Island won the Best Male Overall Performance category at the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards on Friday.

Dorian, who received $5,000, was the only Hawai'i surfer to win a category this year.

Grant "Twiggy" Baker of South Africa took the top category, receiving $50,000 for the Ride of the Year. His winning wave came during the Maverick's Surf Contest off Northern California in February.

Dorian placed third in the Ride of the Year category for a giant wave he caught at Maverick's.

Sebastian Steudtner won the Biggest Wave category for a wave he rode at "Jaws" off Maui. Steudtner is originally from Germany, but has been surfing big waves in Hawai'i for several years.

Maya Gabeira of Brazil won the Billabong Girls Best Performance category.