Costa Rican surfer wins competition in France 102521

- Photo via Costa Rican Surf Federation -

You Might
Also Like

Published on Monday, October 25, 2021
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff and wire services

Costa Rica surfer Brisa Hennessy won the Quiksilver and ROXY Pro France in clean, head-high conditions at Les Culs Nus in Hossegor, France.

According to the World Surf League, the victories put her in a strong position to qualify for the 2022 Championship Tour via their standings on this season's Challenger Series.

Hennessy held off rising Aussie star India Robinson in the Women's Final. "I'm so happy to win and to have all the support from my amazing family and friends it's a really special moment for me," she said afterward. "India is a great competitor, I'm so proud of her and I believe she deserves to be at the top. It was definitely back-to-back and the waves totally changed and I was grateful I got that wave at the end," she said.

After two seasons on the Championship Tour, Hennessy failed to retain her spot at the end of the 2021 season but today she took a big step forward in her requalifying effort for next year. Her path to the Final was seamless as she defeated all the form surfers to claim her first Challenger Series victory, the league said.

"Coming into France ranked 2nd after a 5th place finish in Portugal, Hennessy has moved into 1st, overtaking Hawaii's Gabriela Bryan, who had an uncharacteristic first-round exit in France after being lethal for the two prior events," the league said in its statement.

In the Final, Hennessy swung first with a quick two-turn combo and a 6.83 to jump in an early lead and apply pressure on Robinson.

Under priority, Hennessy managed to find a couple of inside lefts to further improve her lead while her opponent was unable to position herself in the shifting sets out the back. On the 5-minute mark, Robinson finally found herself on a bomb and tagged it a number of times on her backhand for a 7.83 to turn the heat. But the Costa Rican answered right away with two massive turns for an excellent 8.40 to seal the deal on her ROXY Pro France victory. The result opens up a path to qualification for 2022.

In the Men's Final, Australia's Connor O'Leary was able to edge out veteran Michel Bourez. A pretty even first half of the heat saw O'Leary and Bourez exchange similar scores on the rights and lefts of Les Culs Nus with an advantage for the Australian. O'Leary pushed the Tahitian's requirement a touch higher with a good little left he punctuated with a clean straight air midway through the heat. As the clock ran down, Bourez was unable to fight back and O'Leary walked away with the win.

According to the Costa Rican Surf Federation, two more Costa Rican surfers, Leilani Mcgonagle and Carlos Muñoz moved to qualifying to the 2021 Challenger Series in Haleiwa, Hawaii from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, this year.

In the Tokyo Olympic Games which were held from July 23 to Aug. 8, in Japan, Hennessy was the only athlete to win a spot in the final quarter for surfing. She managed to improve her own personal records, without winning any medal.

----------------------
What other international competition should Costa Rican surfers participate in? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com