Christie still in contention at Hawaiian Pro

STILL IN THE CONTEST: Ricardo Christie shows the style that has taken him deep into the Hawaiian Pro Qualifying Series contest at Haleiwa, Oahu. He won his Round 3 heat this morning. Picture &Copy; WSL/Saguibo SOCIAL: @wsl @photokeoki

SURFING

IT was tight. It was tense. But Gisborne-Mahia surfer Ricardo Christie stayed in contention at the Hawaiian Pro Qualifying Series contest, thanks to his second consecutive heat win at Haleiwa, Oahu, this morning (NZ time).

The 30-year-old won his Round 3 heat and knocked out Championship Tour competitor Tomas Hermes, of Brazil, in the process.

Christie, sitting 14th on the Qualifying Series rankings, posted a two-best-waves score of 10.23 in conditions that did not offer the four competitors a great choice of waves.

It was right place, right time, right selection. And Christie made the most of two waves with clean, quick moves that reaped him 5.83 for his top-scoring ride, which he followed up with 4.40 after opening with a 2.73.

Hot on his tail was Championship Tour surfer Connor O’Leary, who totalled 10.13 (5.23, 4.90), with Hermes third on 9.0 and South African Adin Masencamp fourth on 5.54.

Tactics and priority came into play as the clocked counted down and Hermes had a chance to sneak into the top two, only to fail to complete a promising ride.

Christie is among those on the QS chasing a place in the 2019 CT while the likes of Hermes and O’Leary are battling for survival.

After yesterday’s Round 2 victory, Christie told World Surf League commentators that he was just having fun, and this chilled demeanour continued today.

The further he advances, the more points he gains from this 10,000-point contest.

This competition will be followed by the final QS event — the Vans World Cup of Surfing, where Christie’s fate is likely to be decided.