Kanoa Igarashi has won the U.S. Open the last two years. If he wins in 2019, he’ll be the first surfer ever to three-peat the event. Photo: Rowland/WSL
Kanoa Igarashi paddled out on the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier on Monday morning with a red contest jersey on and a handful of photographers in tow. Before his first heat in the 2019 U.S. Open on the south side, Igarashi mingled with the hoi polloi catching a few waves to the delight of the locals.
“Hey Kanoa,” said one.
“Hey, good morning!” he said.
“Good luck today!”
“Thank you so much!”
Ten minutes later, Igarashi paddled through the pier pilings in time for the buzzer to signal the start of his Round 2 heat, ultimately dodging early elimination by 0.7 points.
Down on the sand in Huntington, the prevailing story is more of a question: can the Huntington Beach-raised CTer now representing Japan win the U.S. Open for the third year in a row becoming the first surfer to ever do it? By his reception in the water and comment threads across the internet, it would seem the town of Huntington Beach and the entire nation of Japan are behind him.
In a recent interview with the World Surf League, Igarashi emphasized why the Qualifying Series event in his home town is so special.
“I am so excited to go back home,” he said. “I haven’t been back to Huntington Beach since the first Championship Tour event in April. Just living out of a suitcase gets really tiring, but I am so used to it now. I cannot wait to go see my parents and to see my friends back in Huntington. To be able to compete in front of the crowd and the local fans is the best way to go back home. I am going to do whatever I can to win it. Even though it has nothing to do with the World Title or the Olympics, there is nothing more I want than to win it three years in a row.”
A win in Huntington wouldn’t be the first historic feat for Igarashi this season. When he won in Bali, he became the first surfer representing Japan to win a Championship Tour event, and the first surfer from California to win one since Bobby Martinez won at Teahupo’o in 2009.
And just a year out from the Olympics, where Igarashi will be surfing for the host nation, this year’s U.S. Open has drawn all kinds of comparisons to what we can expect for the sport’s Olympic debut – from the waves (Tsurigasaki Beach looks a lot like H.B. this time of year), to the diversity in names (e.g. some CTers and a slew of non-CTers), to the anticipated crowds.
Kanoa Igarashi will have a home-court advantage at both events. Time will tell if he can capitalize on it.
