Japan Surfers Dominate Day 2 of Shore Temple Classic QS 2000 in Mahabalipuram
Mahabalipuram: Japan continued to dominate the Shore Temple Classic QS 2000 and Pro Junior as Day 2 of the competition saw intense action across the men’s and women’s QS 2000 and Women’s Pro Junior divisions at Mahabalipuram Beach.
In the Men’s QS 2000 Round of 32, Japan’s Ryuichi Inoue posted the highest score of the round with 13.17. Taro Matsuno recorded 12.33 to narrowly defeat Korea’s Kanoa Hee-Jae by 0.03 points, while Tenshi Iwami won his heat with 11.53, finishing just 0.06 points ahead of fellow Japanese surfer Ren Okano.
India’s Kishore Kumar advanced to the Round of 16 after scoring 10.00 to finish second in his Round of 32 heat.
Japan’s Shohei Kato produced the highest score of the Men’s Round of 16 with 14.50. Ikko Watanabe scored 12.73, while Tenshi Iwami posted 13.90 to win Heat 3. Korea’s Kanoa Hee-Jae also progressed after scoring 11.50 to edge Japan’s Yuma Nagasawa.
Kishore Kumar narrowly missed a place in the quarter-finals after recording 9.13 in his Round of 16 heat.
Japan leads Women’s QS 2000
Japan also dominated the Women’s QS 2000 Round of 16. Mirai Ikeda recorded the highest score of the round with 13.60, followed by Sara Wakita with 13.17.
Shino Matsuda scored 11.40, while Arisa Ishii posted 11.20 to advance from their respective heats.
Indian surfers Sugar Banarse and Kamali P also competed strongly in their heats. Kamali narrowly missed advancing after scoring 5.10.
Pro Junior quarter-finals
The Women’s Pro Junior quarter-finals saw another strong showing from Japan’s young surfers.
Japan’s Anri Matsuno recorded the highest score of the round with 14.00, while Mirai Ikeda scored 12.67 to win her quarter-final. Hinano Shimizu advanced with 10.34.
Thailand’s Isabel Higgs secured a closely contested heat with 8.26, edging Japan’s Rita Suzuki.
India’s Kamali P recorded 5.73 in her quarter-final.
With the competition entering its decisive stages, surfers are now competing for Asia Region ranking points and international experience as the field moves closer to the finals.
The Shore Temple Classic is organised by the Surfing Federation of India (SFI) and the Tamil Nadu Surfing Association (TNSA), with the event sanctioned by the World Surf League (WSL). It is supported by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT).
