Hizunome Bettero Earns Perfect 10 at ASP PRIME Hang Loose Pro
Hizunome Bettero driving his way to the first perfect 10 of ASP PRIME Hang Loose Pro competition.
CACIMBA DO PADRE, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco / Brazil (February, Saturday, 19, 2011) - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime Hang Loose Pro continued today with good waves in the 4 to 5 feet range. Hizunome Bettero stood out in the competition by scoring the first 10-point ride after completing an incredible barrel this Saturday afternoon at Fernando de Noronha.
Bettero also earned an 8.57 score from the judges in this heat for another barrel to set the new highest combined score of Hang Loose Pro competition, 18.57 out of a possible 20.00 point score.
“It was the first time I had the opportunity to surf in the afternoon at high tide, until now I had only surfed at low tide. My three heats had been in the morning, but now I surfed the true Cacimba do Padre and was lucky to find that wave”, said Bettero. “It was very difficult and I just thank God for sending me those waves. I come to Noronha every year after the big barrels and I am very happy to have advanced to the Quarterfinals.”
With this remarkable performance, Bettero won the duel against Gabriel Medina by 18.57 to 13.76 points. He now faces another Brazilian in the Quarterfinals, Heitor Alves, one of four surfers who qualified on the heats held at low tide in the morning when the waves were much smaller than the afternoon at high tide.
In the first heat of the elimination Round of 12, Alejo Muniz left no chance for Irish surfer Glenn Hall, who preferred to choose the larger waves that would eventually close out faster. With no barrels rolling in, the Brazilian showed the strength of his backside surfing. On his best ride, Muniz put out a variation of strong maneuvers with speed and flow to score an 8.00 from the judges. When the final countdown was called the 2011 ASP World Tour rookie had defeated Hall by the score of 14.33 to 3.26.
“I’ve lost my focus in the morning and was a little bit disappointed, but I all the bad thoughts out of my mind to concentrate on this difficult heat against Glenn Hall, who was surfing great the whole contest”, said Alejo Muniz, who will have a rematch against the Japanese surfer Masatoshi Ohno in the opening Hang Loose Pro Quarterfinals heat.
“Masotashi beat me twice in this contest and the only Star event I won in my life was in a final against him in Portugal, so we have kind of a story, but I’ll try to forget the past and use those losses in the way to get the maximum concentration against him this time. I want to achieve my goal, which is trying earn a better result than the third place last year, when I lost in the semifinals here in Noronha”, promised Alejo Muniz.
The second heat will show South African Travis Logie and Parana’s Jihad Khodr, who was the first Brazilian to qualify for the competition’s final day. It was the Brazilian who sent the South African to the Round of 12 elimination round, but Travis Logie capitalized on the second chance with a vengeance by surfing strong against Hawaiian Kai Barger to earn a rematch against Khodr in the Quarterfinals.
“Unfortunately the heat had no tubes, so I tried to use maximum power in the maneuvers and I was even surprised with the waves. Although the waves were not barreling, they had a solid wall for maneuvers, very surfable actually, and I’m very glad that I managed to find two quality lefts to win the heat”, said Travis Logie, who approved the new format of the 2011 ASP PRIME events.
“If it wasn’t for the new format I would be done after that loss”, said Logie. “It’s great to have a second chance at a crucial point, because sometimes you get two strong competitors in the heat and don’t find the right waves to win, so it is great to have this format for the ASP PRIME events.”
In this new round, which qualifies the winner straight to the Quarterfinals with the losers having to attempt a Quarterfinals berth in the next round, the first to put his name among the top eight of the 2011 Hang Loose Pro Contest was the Japanese surfer Masatoshi Ohno. The second heat was won by Jihad Khodr, the third by Heitor Alves and the last by Australian Dion Atkinson.
Four Brazilians and four international surfers qualified for the tomorrow’s Quarterfinals, which will begin at 7am local time on Sunday to conclude the first ASP PRIME event of 2011.
Tomorrow morning the 25th year of the ASP PRIME Hang Loose Pro will crown a new champion at Fernando de Noronha. To watch the contest LIVE log on to
http://www.hangloose.com.br/procontest2011/Upcoming Hang Loose Pro Quarterfinals Heats:
QF 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. Masatoshi Ohno (JPN)
QF 2: Travis Logie (ZAF) vs. Jihad Kohdr (BRA)
QF 3: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. Hizunomê Bettero (BRA)
QF 4: Dion Atkinson (AUS) vs. Shaun Joubert (ZAF)
Hang Loose Pro Round of 12 Results:
Heat 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.33 def Glenn Hall (IRL) 3.26
Heat 2: Travis Logie (ZAF) 11.50 def Kai Barger (HAW) 8.23
Heat 3: Hizunomê Bettero (BRA) 18.57 def Gabriel Medina (BRA) 13.76
Heat 4: Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 10.70 def Dylan Graves (PRI) 10.43
Hang Loose Pro No-Losers Round of 12 (1st advances to Quarterfinals, 2nd and 3rd to elimination round)
Heat 1: Masatoshi Ohno (JPN) 11.77, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.90, Kai Barger (HAW)9.77
Heat 2: Jihad Khodr (BRA) 9.00, Travis Logie (ZAF) 8.20, Glenn Hall (IRL) 6.03
Heat 3: Heitor Alves (BRA) 13.67, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.76, Dylan Graves (PRI) 8.23
Heat 4: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 8.27, Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 7.70, Hizunomê Bettero (BRA) 7.27
Hang Loose Pro Round of 24 Results:
Heat 10: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 11.57 def Robson Santos (BRA) 7.60
Heat 11: Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 11.00 def Lincoln Taylor (AUS) 10.20
Heat 12: Hizunome Bettero (BRA) 13.74 def Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 12.06
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Thema: [ASP News] Hizunome Bettero Earns Perfect 10 at ASP PRIME Hang Loose Pro
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