SIARGAO – Filipino wildcards John Mark Tokong and Jayuard Alciso are through to Round 2 of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour Philippines Pro after beating highly fancied rivals at Cloud 9 here Sunday.
Tokong, fondly called Marama in the local circuit, beat Brazilian world No. 11 Samuel Pupo, 16.60-11.00, in their opening-round heat.
Buoyed by the local crowd, Tokong took advantage of his familiarity with 6 to 8-foot waves to score 8.60 and 8.00.
Later, the 21-year-old Alciso upset Paris Olympics gold medalist Kauli Vaast of France, 12.93 to 12.17.
The Nagoya Asian Games bronze medalist had 7.33 on his seventh wave and a 5.60 on his ninth to beat Vaast, the world No. 9.
“I’m so happy to win this heat. This is my first time competing here and beating an Olympic gold medalist is not easy. I’m really proud of myself,” Alciso said.
“I was 100 percent focused because all my friends, my family and my girlfriend were there watching me. Their support helped me stay focused and I was able to come up with big scores.”
Surfers eliminated in the opening round are assured of USD13,000 (about PHP830,000). The champion will pocket USD80,000 (about PHP5.1 million).
Tokong admitted that competing in front of Filipinos was not easy, but he tried not to think too much about the pressure once he got into the water.
“It was crazy and amazing. There was a lot of pressure, but I just told myself to relax, keep things simple and enjoy the waves,” Tokong said.
He could hear his family, friends and supporters cheering from the shore whenever he came out of a wave, making his WSL experience even more special.
“I’m not doing this just for myself, but also for my family, friends, fans and especially the Philippines. Representing my country is very important to me,” he said.
Meanwhile, 15-year-old national champion Mara Lopez, the third Filipino wildcard, had an unforgettable experience in her WSL debut.
The pride of La Union did not make it past the first round but it was against world No. 1 Molly Picklum of Australia, 11.50-4.50.
Picklum was touched upon learning she is one of Lopez’s inspirations in taking up the sport.
“Maybe I’m one of her inspirations. And that stuff to me is just so special,” Picklum said.
“I said to her, you’re surfing so well. And she’s also an A-one longboarder,” the Australian star said, recalling their meeting. “She’s going to inspire the next generation, which is just so cool.” (PNA)
Jayuard Alciso
