Rahtu Suargita and Koki Hendrawan Win Rip Curl Cup Trials and Entry into the Main Event

 
Rahtu Suargita and Koki Hendrawan Win Rip Curl Cup Trials and Entry into the Main Event 

27 June, 2014 – Kuta-Bali:  In absolutely pumping 6 foot plus Padang-Padang this afternoon, Rathu Suargita, Mustofa Jeksen, Koki Hendrawan and Koko Mitsua had 40  coveted minutes to battle it out for the two wildcard spots up for grabs in the prestigious Rip Curl Cup Padang-Padang, which will see 12 of the world’s best and 12 of Indonesia’s best tuberiders take on Bali’s most spectacular wave in a one-day barrel extravaganza sometime during the 6 week waiting period that runs from July 5 to August 17.

After working their way through the field of 24 surfers that started out the day with dreams of big hollow pits and a ticket into the main event, the four finalists took to the water for the last time as the sun was falling into the silvery green Indian Ocean.

The final was a pitched battle between the two boys from Kuta, with Mustofa Jeksen drawing first blood with a respectable barrel that earned him 7.17 points (out of a possible 10) from the judges.  But last year’s Trials winner Rahtu Suargita posted the highest wave score of the final with his very first wave, a clean and deep double barrel that netted him an almost perfect score of 9.83, leaving no question that he wanted into the main event and the chance to hoist The Cup this year.

From then on it was about as good as it gets in a final, with the two surfers trading blows wave after wave, with the occasional challenge from Bukit local Koki Hendrawan.  Koko Mitsua unfortunately existed the final early after a closeout washed him inside and onto the almost exposed reef, rolling him around and injuring his back, though not too seriously.

But it all came down to wave selection, with Rahtu showing heaps of patience and savvy, ultimately finding another 9-point wave to add to his 9.83 for an 18.83 point total.  And although Mustofa nailed a beauty of his own to score a 9.5 and an 8.33, he never found that magic wave that would propel into the lead, a 9.43.

So when the horn sounded and the points were tallied, it was Rahtu Suargita claiming his second Indonesian Rip Curl Cup wildcard and Koki Hendrawan the Bukit local wildcard into the 2014 Rip Curl Cup Padang-Padang.

After receiving his award on the podium, Rahtu was asked how he managed to best the highly competitive field and nab his second wild card in as many years.  “I don’t know, I was just pretty much having fun out there.  If I just let myself had fun and don’t think about results, I surf a lot better.  So I just kept thinking about how I could have more by getting deeper in the barrel and staying in longer,” said Rahtu laughing.  “But I knew in a final with Mustofa, he could easily get a 10, and there were so many waves, so I knew if it was my day it was my day…and it was.  Thank you Padang-Padang!”

 
Rahtu - Winner RIP CURL CUP TRIALS 2014 - Photo Credit : Mick Curley 

 
Rahtu - Winner RIP CURL CUP TRIALS 2014 - Photo Credit : Mick Curley 

 
PODIUM - RIP CURL CUP TRIALS 2014 - Photo Credit : Mick Curley 

 
JUDGE TOWER - RIP CURL CUP TRIALS 2014 - Photo Credit : Mick Curley 

 
MUSTOFA -  RIP CURL CUP TRIALS 2014 - Photo Credit : Mick Curley 

 
KOKI -  RIP CURL CUP TRIALS 2014 - Photo Credit : Mick Curley 
 

Rip Curl Cup 2014 : Waiting period - 5th July - 17th August 2014

Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang 2014 is sponsored by: Speedy, Simpati, Bintang, Hidden Valley, Albens, Beach Hut, BAM, and BIMC. 
with media supports by: Australia Surfing Life, Surfline and Surf Time magazine 
 

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HISTORY

About the Asian Surfing Championships

The goal of the Asian Surfing Championships is to grow the sport of surfing in Asia from the grassroots level by assisting each country in creating organized and sanctioned events that will develop the skills of their surfers in healthy competition as well as to draw attention to their area for the progression of surfing locally, nationally, and throughout the Asian region. 

Organized surfing competitions have historically been the best medium for the development of surfers and for the sport of surfing.  Learning how to compete fairly and to being disciplined in training and competition key assets needed not only for surfing but also for life.

The ASC works with the local, national and multinational event sponsors and organizers to maximize the results of these competitive surfing events towards accomplishing the goals of sharing the sport of surfing and bringing positive economic, social, and environmental benefits to the people in these Asian countries.

With a multi-stop and multi-national surfing tour, Asian Surfing Champions will be crowned each year in multiple divisions including Open, Women, Longboard, Junior, and Master.