If you haven’t been tuned in to the all-new Challenger Series, there’s plenty of action to catch up on.
Event Three of the four-part series (next stop: Haleiwa, Hawai’i) just wrapped up in France at the famed beachbreaks of Hossegor, with Connor O’Leary of Australia and Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica taking top honors with Michel Bourez and India Robinson in the runner-up spots.
In clean, mid-sized Hossegor surf, O’Leary was able to use the more consistent lefts and a well-placed air to edge out Michel Bourez, who was favoring the rights. O’Leary’s win moved him up a full 94 spots on the CS rankings into sixth place. He’s probably busy crunching the numbers as you read this on where he needs to place at Haleiwa to qualify. The top 12 men and top six women coming out of the four-part CS will secure a spot on the 2022 Championship Tour.
“I feel amazing, it’s been a huge day,” said O’Leary. “I’m literally on top of the world right now and cramping up, can’t wait to have a beer! I’ll just really enjoy the afternoon with the lads, they’ve been incredibly supportive so we’ll try to keep it up and finish the year strong!”
Brisa Hennessy’s win was a big one in terms of her CT career. After two years on tour she had failed to re-qualify for 2022 through her position on tour, but the Challenger Series has given her a shot at redemption, which she has taken full advantage of. Ranked second coming to France after getting fifth in Portugal, Hennessy’s win here has moved her into first over Hawaiian Gabriela Bryan. Both ladies have clinched their spots for the 2022 CT with strong performances in the first three CS events.
“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,” said Hennessy. “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.”
Zeke’s event win at Ericeira did a lot to push him into re-qualifying for the 2022 CT. Photo: WSL/Damien Poullenot
And they weren’t the only winners at the event as Zeke Lau’s individual progress through three of four events clinched his spot on the CT this coming year. Lau has had a stellar year in his bid for CT re-qualification, first earning three wildcard spots (as well as $100k) in the Ultimate Surfer TV Series, and now doubling down by fully qualifying for the CT through his standing on the Challenger Series, with still one event left to go. One has to wonder what will happen to those three Ultimate Surfer wildcards that Zeke no longer needs. Will they go to Koa? Does Koa even want them? Stay tuned.
For the rest of the men and women engaged in the CS, the next stop – Haleiwa – represents a massive opportunity and their last chance to qualify for the 2022 CT. If the series were to end now (which, barring any massive pandemic resurgence, it won’t) on the men’s side we would see Zeke Lau, Jake Marshall, Imaikalani deVault, Nat Young, Connor O’Leary, Lucca Mesinas, Joao Chianca, Liam O’Brien, Carlos Munoz, Callum Robson, Jackson Baker and Leo Fioravanti qualify, and for the women, Brisa Hennessy, Gabriela Bryan, Caitlin Simmers, India Robinson, Sawyer Lindblad, and Vahine Fierro make the cut.
However, with a full quarter of the total points in the series left to be earned at Haleiwa, things are far from certain. Just below the cutline, powerhouses such as Luana Silva, Molly Picklum and Coco Ho are well within striking distance of the top six, and for the men, Brazilian Mateus Herdy (who had a strong wildcard performance at the Corona Open Mexico, and landed air after air at Hossegor) and CT veteran Michel Bourez who was the runner-up at Hossegor and defeated Mateus along the way, no doubt deserve to be a part of the conversation. Catch the full chat on current series standings and performances at the Quicksilver/Roxy Pro France in the Finals Day Post Show above, and be sure to stay tuned as we get closer to the Haleiwa Challenger, with the waiting period starting November 26.
