Steven Sawyer (Left) and Alice Lemoigne (Right) Won the 2024 Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic Photo: Tommy Pierucki // WSL
This weekend marked the third and penultimate stop of the World Surf League Longboard tour. The event, dubbed the Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic, was won by South African former champion Steven Sawyer and French longboarder Alice Lemoigne. While the competition was a showcase of world-class logging, it was also a notable for being the first to be held at the newest wave pool creation from Kelly Slater Wave Company.
Located in Hudayriat Island, Surf Abu Dhabi boasts the distinction of being the world’s largest wave pool. The 700 by 150 meter facility claims the ability to produces the world’s longest ride, largest barrel, and highest man-made wave. In August, it was added as the third stop on the WSL’s Longboard Tour, marking the first time the league had chosen to hold an event in a man-made wave other than the Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California.
The women’s final came down to an all-French faceoff between Alice Lemoigne and Zoe Grospiron. Lemoigne established a lead early, which she further secured by scoring a massive 9.43 score that ultimately clinched the victory over Grospiron. Meanwhile, on the men’s side, Steven Sawyer matched up against Hawai’ian John Michael Van Hohenstein. Sawyer scored 8.67 and 8.77 rides for a 17.44 total and a decisive victory over Van Hohenstein’s 14.70. With that, he locked a spot in the finals and a chance to reprise his 2018 world title.
With the Top 8 rankings firmed up on both the men’s and women’s tours, all that remains is the Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships, a one-day, winner-take-all event. The competition opens October 9 and will run through October 13.
