Christie goes close at Margaret River

Ricardo Christie bowed out in the round of 32 elimination heats of the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia. He is pictured competing in his seeding heat last week. File picture

SURFING

IT was a case of close but not quite for Gisborne-Mahia surfer Ricardo Christie at the latest Championship Tour contest in Australia.

Christie bowed out in the round of 32 elimination heats of the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia.

He was beaten by Kanoa Igarashi but went painfully close to upstaging the Japanese surfer who won the previous CT contest in Bali.

Igarashi struck early in the break known as “the Box” with a 7.83 wave and backed it up with 7.0.

That was to prove the difference. Christie was always chasing and got back into the heat with a 7.77 ride, meaning he needed something similar to get through to the round of 16 for the first time in the series.

It almost came and had he been able to complete the manoeuvre he went for, it might have been a different story.

Once again, Christie’s contest ended in the round of 32.

Once again he went close and will get another opportunity at the fifth contest of the World Surf League CT, the Oi Rio Pro at Squarema, Rio de Janeiro, this month.

The Margaret River Pro is into the semifinals stage, with series leader John John Florence (Hawaii) up against Caio Ibelli (Brazil) and Kolohe Andino (USA) taking on Julian Wilson (Australia).