6 October 2008, Gianyar-Bali: Garut Widiarta from Kuta narrowly defeated his cousin Raditya Rondi in the intense 25-minute final today, putting it all on the line in the heavy 2-3 meter waves at Keramas Beach and coming back to the beach with a big smile and a wild card spot in the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge, being held from October 7-17 here on the island of Bali.
The margin of victory was slim, with both of the surfers having an equal score for their two best waves, but due to Widiarta’s higher score on his third best wave (by less than a point), he was the winner.
“I can’t believe I won today,” exclaimed Widiarta back on the beach. “Whenever I’m up against Rondi I know I have to go all out, because he is so strong on his backside, so I’m really pretty lucky I got those few good waves and that he didn’t get a higher score than he did. Wow, I’m so lucky!” he added.
Oakley Indonesia Pro Surfer and Contest Director Tipi Jabrik was also very pleased with the result today, saying “It was great to see the boys all really going for it. Even in these tough conditions they were charging, knowing that there was only a first place position to surf for. Now we’ll get to see how our guys (Widiarta and Oakley Indonesia’s Pro Junior Team Rider Yuki Seedwell) will do up against some of the best pro juniors in the world in the upcoming contest.”
16 of Indonesia’s best under-21 year old pro junior surfers arrived at Keramas Beach in Gianyar this morning all hungrily awaiting their chance to win the coveted wildcard spot, but Kuta’s Garut Widiarta never took his eye off the prize and bested his rivals to come home with the win.
With his entry into the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge, Widiarta now has a shot at winning a whopping USD $20,000 first place cash prize, the richest ever for a pro junior event worldwide, with a total prize purse of USD $75,000. Oakley International has already held 6 other events in Australia, America, Brazil, Japan, Brazil, France and South Africa as qualifying events, with the grand final taking place here in the island of Bali, known for having arguably the best and most consistent waves in the world.
The final event will see only 18 surfers competing, and it will be run in a WCT-like man-on-man format. The 10 day waiting period between the 7th and 17th of October will allow the contest to be run in only the best wave conditions, with the option of going mobile if necessary. Keramas Beach is the most likely venue for the event, with its reputation of allowing the surfers to exercise their widest variety of maneuvers in virtually every type of wave condition.
Log on to www.oakleyprojunior.com to find out more, and you can also check www.isctour.com for daily updates as to time and location during the 10 day waiting period
Courtesy Images Attached
Photo Credit: Tim Hain – Coca-Cola Indonesia Surfing Championship Tour
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