BARBADOS’ TOP-RANKED men’s surfer has wrapped up another successful season.
Teenage prodigy Josh Burke made his presence felt on the international stage, placing eighth overall on the World Surf League North American rankings in just his first full year on the Men’s Qualifying Series tour.
It was a smooth transition from the junior ranks for Burke, who won a WSL event, qualified for the World Junior Championships and made several junior finals before jumping 89 positions to finish 164th in the world rankings.
“Going into my first full year on the men’s tour my goals were to qualify for the 6K and 10K events before year end by breaking the top 100 in the rankings,” Burke said.
“I started with a third place at the 1K in Cocoa Beach [Florida] and backed it up with a 25th at the 3K in Martinique. These results, combined with the 2015 ranking, allowed me to qualify for my first ever 6K event in Japan where I advanced four rounds to place 25th and jump to 83rd in the rankings.
“I had a close call in the Pantin Spain 6K event, ending with a 97th that caused me to fall out of the top 100 so I accomplished two of my three goals for the year. The 10K event eluded me and I am not at all pleased with this although I was invited into the 10K US Open trials in Huntington Beach, California,” he added.
The WSL International rankings are based on a competitor’s top five event placing combined with the current year and previous year standings.
The QS is made up of 1 000, 1 500, 3 000, 6 000 and 10 000 events. The numbers signify the amount of points a competitor can earn with an event win.
Burke, a Billabong apparel and Reef Footwear ambassador, also represents international brands Nixon watches, VZ Eyewear, Rich Price Surfboards, Futures Fins and Dakine Accessories. (PR)
