18 July, Kuta-Bali: 15-year-old Putu Anggara from Nusa Lembongan became Indonesia’s King of the Groms today with his win in the Quiksilver King of the Groms Final at Kuta Beach, and climbed down from the podium with an all-expense paid trip to Hossegor France to compete in the World King of the Groms final in September of this year.
In testing beachbreak conditions at Halfways, during a final where 4 foot closeouts and strong currents made it very tough to find high scoring wave opportunities, young Putu picked off just the right waves and went on the attack, racking up big points by following up his deep bottom turns with big hits to the lip. He leapt into the lead with his first wave, and from then on it was left to the other finalists to battle it out for the other podium positions.
The 30 minute four man final had Putu up against some of the best Junior surfers on the ISC Junior Tour. Putra Hermawan and Agus Frimanto are also from Nusa Lembongan, and the other finalist Gazali Hamzah was from Lakey Peak in Sumbawa. Wave selection was critical, and for Agus Frimanto sitting alone waiting for the righthander on the north side was the key to his second place finish. Putra Hermawan followed suit in the last minutes of the final, but it was too little too late. Gazeli spent a lot of time duckdiving big sets on the lefthander and couldn’t get a really good scoring wave, making it appear early that Putu was destined to win.
Up on the podium, the elated Putu said, “I’m so happy to win today, and now I will get to go to France and I want to win there too! Thanks to Quiksilver, the judges, the ISC and Coca-Cola, and all the sponsors. It feels so good to win! Thanks!”
59 Under-16 junior surfers from Java, Sumatra, Sumbawa, Bali, Lombok and Nusa Lembongan started out their quest to be King of the Groms on Thursday the 17th in much different conditions. The waves were averaging two feet, and so Contest Director Jake Paterson called the action for the day after Round Two was completed, knowing that a new swell was imminent and that it was best to run the rest of the competition on Friday in much better wave conditions. Good decision.
Congratulations to Putu in getting his first trip abroad… it should be a great adventure for him. And we’ll be waiting for the announcement of his next win!
Contest Results
Putu Anggara – Nusa Lembongan
Agus Frimanto – Nusa Lembongan
Putra Hermawan – Nusa Lembongan
Gazali Hamzah – Lakey Peak, Dompu-Sumbawa
Many thanks to Quiksilver, DC Shoes, Suzuki, Coca-Cola ISC Tour, and Surf Travel Online for all their support
About Quiksilver’s King of the Groms Series
International Qualifying
Qualifying series events are held in various regions of the world. Chosen at the very best surf spots the planet has to offer, 13 surfers will qualify for a place in the world final of the King of the Groms, alongside the two European representatives.
International Final
For the first time, the international final of the King of the Groms will take place in Hossegor from September 19th to 28th, during the only French event on the elite ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro France. The 16 international qualifiers will not only have the honor of surfing the same waves as their illustrious counterparts in the top 44, but will also get to admire their talents throughout the competition.
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