20 June 2013, Keramas- Bali : When is coming in second better than coming in first? For Nusa Lembongan’s Putra Hermawan, who finished second to Sumbawa’s Oney Anwar in the Oakley Pro Bali Trials, it’s the best thing that could have happened to the quiet but super talented 20 year old from the tiny island just a stones throw off the coast of Bali.
Two days ago Putra was told to come to the competition site each day and hang around as South Africa’s Travis Logie might not be able to compete due to an injury he sustained in Fiji last week, and if he couldn’t, Putra would get his chance to surf against the world’s best surfers, specifically against Californian Brett Simpson in Round 2.
And today Putra got that call, which he certainly took full advantage of, besting Simpson and winning the heat by two-wave score of 12.00 points (out of a possible 20) to Simpsons 11.07 points.
Putra, whose nickname is Pulu, was the 2010 Indonesian Open and Pro Junior Champion, will go on to face none other than 11 time world champion Kelly Slater in Round 3. This is a historical moment for Indonesian surfing, as no Indonesian surfer has ever surfed in Round 3 of an ASP World Tour event! That second place finish in the trials is no doubt the second place he’s ever had!
“It felt really good to compete against a WCT pro,” said Pulu after the heat. “The waves were a bit small today but still fun, hopefully tomorrow it will be the same for my next heat.”
When asked if he was nervous about meeting up with Kelly Slater, he replied, “I’m not nervous, I’m excited and ready for it. Being up against Kelly Slater is so exciting for me, because I get to surf against the 11 time world champion!”
Pulu and trials winner Oney Anwar have a long history of trading the top spot on the podium since their grommet days, and its still the case today. When asked about the trials and Oney’s performance, Pulu said, “Oney is a really good surfer, and surfed great in the trials and in both his heats here at Keramas. I got a bit unlucky in the Trials and did get any good waves, but I got lucky today and I couldn’t be happier about it!
Follow Pulu at www.oakleyprobali.com/live/ as he takes on King Kelly in Round 3, hopefully tomorrow morning, as there is a 6:30 call for a possible 7 am start.
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