Today, Anon Matsuoka (JPN) and Kei Kobayashi (USA) won the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) whitebuffalo OMAEZAKI Pro QS 3000. Omaezaki Long Beach delivered clean, two-to-three foot peaks for the final eight surfers to battle it out for the victories and all-important QS rankings points.
Anon Matsuoka - WSL / Izumo
The Finals for both men and women featured classic goofy-foot versus regular-foot clashes, with Matsuoka taking one for the goofy's over Mirai Ikeda (JPN) and regular-footed Kobayashi defeating Yuma Nagasawa (JPN). It was the third QS win for both Matsuoka and Kobayashi in their careers.
Appearing in her first QS of the season, Anon Matsuoka (JPN) took control of the Final from the first wave, posting the highest score of the heat, a 5.75 (out of a possible 10), right off the bat. The 18 year-old current Challenger Series (CS) competitor stayed highly active to catch 12 waves total, earning her back-up score of a 4.50 on her eleventh ride. Matsuoka utilized her strong forehand and favored backhand to aggressively attack both sides of the peak. By contrast, Mirai Ikeda (JPN) rode half as many waves and was unable to break out of the 3-point range.
"It's been a long time since I last competed in Japan," Matsuoka said. "I'm really happy to have won. I started out with the 5 and the 4, but I kept surfing to try to improve my backup while I was under priority, and also to get in rhythm. It was an exciting event and I was pretty nervous throughout the day, but thanks to my amazing family and the people who came to support me I was able to catch good waves and surf well, which was great."
Anon Matsuoka - WSL / Izumo
Ikeda placed runner-up in Omaezaki for the second year in a row to further extend her already strong lead in the Asia QS rankings. Fresh from a victory in the ASF Asian Surfing Championships in the Maldives, the 16-year-old made it two Finals from three events so far on this season's Asia region QS, having previously won the 2024 Krui Pro QS 5000.
The men's Final opened with a split peak, with the advantage going to Yuma Nagasawa (JPN) over Kei Kobayashi (USA). Nagasawa's three forehand blasts on the left earned him his highest score of the heat, a 5.50. Kobayashi immediately switched positioning to the left, picking up a 6.50 and 4.50 in quick succession, and stayed incredibly busy to catch a total of 16 waves. His last wave slightly improved his scoreline, with a 4.90 increasing his two-wave total to 11.40 (out of a possible 20). Nagasawa played the patient game, only catching two waves total, his second a 3.80, leaving 25-year-old Kobayashi to claim the biggest win of his career so far. The San Clemente, California local, who also holds Japanese citizenship, was thrilled to return to the top of the podium.
"I'm just so stoked," Kobayashi said. "Japan is such a rad place. This is a big win for me, overcoming injuries is super hard to do. It's been a long time since I've won a QS and to do it in a 3000 is super big and I'm super grateful. Thank you everyone for all the support."
Kei Kobayashi - WSL / Izumo
It was also the best result of Nagasawa's short career. The 18-year-old appeared in his first Final at the QS level, though he had previously won the 2023 Tokunoshima Town Pro Junior, which gave him the opportunity to compete in the SAMBAZON World Junior Championships in California in January.
The Japan leg of the Asia region QS season will continue with the IBK Miyazaki Pro Presented by RASH QS 3000 and the IBK Miyazaki Pro Junior Presented by RASH, which both hold a waiting period of September 11-14, 2024 and offer valuable points for surfers from throughout Asia as they seek to qualify for the CS and the World Junior Championships.
Kei Kobayashi - WSL / Izumo
Anon Matsuoka and Kei Kobayashi Win 2024 whitebuffalo OMAEZAKI Pro
WSL
Today, Anon Matsuoka (JPN) and Kei Kobayashi (USA) won the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) whitebuffalo OMAEZAKI Pro QS 3000. Omaezaki Long Beach delivered clean, two-to-three foot peaks for the final eight surfers to battle it out for the victories and all-important QS rankings points.
The Finals for both men and women featured classic goofy-foot versus regular-foot clashes, with Matsuoka taking one for the goofy's over Mirai Ikeda (JPN) and regular-footed Kobayashi defeating Yuma Nagasawa (JPN). It was the third QS win for both Matsuoka and Kobayashi in their careers.
Appearing in her first QS of the season, Anon Matsuoka (JPN) took control of the Final from the first wave, posting the highest score of the heat, a 5.75 (out of a possible 10), right off the bat. The 18 year-old current Challenger Series (CS) competitor stayed highly active to catch 12 waves total, earning her back-up score of a 4.50 on her eleventh ride. Matsuoka utilized her strong forehand and favored backhand to aggressively attack both sides of the peak. By contrast, Mirai Ikeda (JPN) rode half as many waves and was unable to break out of the 3-point range.
"It's been a long time since I last competed in Japan," Matsuoka said. "I'm really happy to have won. I started out with the 5 and the 4, but I kept surfing to try to improve my backup while I was under priority, and also to get in rhythm. It was an exciting event and I was pretty nervous throughout the day, but thanks to my amazing family and the people who came to support me I was able to catch good waves and surf well, which was great."
Ikeda placed runner-up in Omaezaki for the second year in a row to further extend her already strong lead in the Asia QS rankings. Fresh from a victory in the ASF Asian Surfing Championships in the Maldives, the 16-year-old made it two Finals from three events so far on this season's Asia region QS, having previously won the 2024 Krui Pro QS 5000.
The men's Final opened with a split peak, with the advantage going to Yuma Nagasawa (JPN) over Kei Kobayashi (USA). Nagasawa's three forehand blasts on the left earned him his highest score of the heat, a 5.50. Kobayashi immediately switched positioning to the left, picking up a 6.50 and 4.50 in quick succession, and stayed incredibly busy to catch a total of 16 waves. His last wave slightly improved his scoreline, with a 4.90 increasing his two-wave total to 11.40 (out of a possible 20). Nagasawa played the patient game, only catching two waves total, his second a 3.80, leaving 25-year-old Kobayashi to claim the biggest win of his career so far. The San Clemente, California local, who also holds Japanese citizenship, was thrilled to return to the top of the podium.
"I'm just so stoked," Kobayashi said. "Japan is such a rad place. This is a big win for me, overcoming injuries is super hard to do. It's been a long time since I've won a QS and to do it in a 3000 is super big and I'm super grateful. Thank you everyone for all the support."
It was also the best result of Nagasawa's short career. The 18-year-old appeared in his first Final at the QS level, though he had previously won the 2023 Tokunoshima Town Pro Junior, which gave him the opportunity to compete in the SAMBAZON World Junior Championships in California in January.
The Japan leg of the Asia region QS season will continue with the IBK Miyazaki Pro Presented by RASH QS 3000 and the IBK Miyazaki Pro Junior Presented by RASH, which both hold a waiting period of September 11-14, 2024 and offer valuable points for surfers from throughout Asia as they seek to qualify for the CS and the World Junior Championships.
Kei Kobayashi
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