sa open day 5 gallery
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Whether it was confidence, competitiveness or just some good old-fashioned luck – there’s no doubt that the South American’s dominated this year’s SA Open… Alex Ribeiro was crowned Men’s Champion at the Volkswagen SA Open of Surfing pres. by Hurley in Durban on Sunday, leading a near clean sweep of the top eight positions by South American surfers on the final day of the QS3,000 rated event. Ribeiro defeated fellow Brazilian and good mate, Hizunome Bettero, in an action-packed final held in one metre waves and onshore winds – ideal conditions for spectacular aerial manoeuvres. The final saw both surfers remain extremely busy throughout the 25 minute dual with Ribeiro’s top two scores of an excellent 8.67 and a 7.00 and heat tally of 15.67 proving too good for Bettero, who totalled 11.57. Ribeiro will have his name laced on the new John Whitmore Cup along with junior champions Mateus Herdy and Zoe McDougall who were crowned on Friday. McDougall’s name will appear twice as she also won the QS1,000 women’s event on Saturday. Big ups! Check out the gallery below for some epic airs, unfathomable back-bends, and excellent southern hemisphere surfing… *All images © Ian Thurtell