Caio Ibelli (BRA), dominated during the entire Hainan Classic to win $15,000 US. Photo: ISA/Gonzales
Australia’s Mitch Crews placed second at the left point break at Riyue Bay
Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival
January 25 to 30, 2013
Wanning, Hainan, China
Wanning, Hainan, China, January 30, 2013- The International Surfing Association (ISA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Hainan Classic, 4-Star Men’s ASP: Brazilian Caio Ibelli placed 1st defeating Australian Mitch Crews in the Final.
Despite smaller conditions on the last day of the competition, Ibelli was able to choose the right waves that gave him the win. The young and super talented Brazilian earned an 8.33 on his opening ride in the final, and nearing the end of the heat, he tore apart a long left and scored a 9.17 for a heat total of 17.50. The 2011 ASP Billabong World Junior titlist easily defeated Crews’ 11.00 total for the Hainan Classic trophy and top cash prize.
“This has been an amazing event filled with lots of surprises. Congratulations to Caio Ibelli for his incredible performance in the long winding waves at the left point in Riyue Bay,” said ISA President Fernando Aguerre from his home in La Jolla, California, where he was attending to the needs of a new baby girl born into his family the day before.
Ibelli was the most consistent and in-form surfer of the event since he earned the top 4 highest heat scores: 17.67 in the Quarterfinals, 17.67 in Round 3, 17.50 in the final, and 17.50 in Round 1.
Mitch Crews (AUS) had a good run during the contest in China, but came up short, finishing in 2nd place. Photo: ISA/Tweddle
“This contest has been pretty good; the waves were amazing and I had so much fun surfing the heats. There’s no better way to start the year than by winning,” said the Hainan Classic champ. “This is my first event of the year and I feel awesome.”
Second place finisher Crews struggled to find quality waves during the Final. “I started catching the first wave and it just ran off a bit quick. Caio got the one behind it, and it stood up real nice on the reef allowing him to get a few turns,” remarked Mitch Crews. “After that there were basically no waves for 10 minutes, and I held priority for as long as I could. It was hard to chose them and the conditions were deteriorating, but I’m happy with my performance and on to the next contest.”
The ISA President appreciates all the effort that went into putting on this successful event. “In the name of the ISA and the over 35 million surfers in the world, I would like to thank China’s National Water Sports Association, the Hainan Culture and Sports Department, the Wanning Sports Bureau, and especially our great partners, Womei Media. With all of their support, I am looking forward to coming back to Hainan, for the third time next year, for what will be a bigger and even better event.”
For a full list of today’s results, click here- http://hainaninternationalsurfingfestival.com/hainan-classic/results/
