Barbados’ Lewis St John stamped his authority on the opening day of the BTMI Barbados Surf Pro presented by Diamonds International, delivering one of the most commanding performances of the Round of 112 on Monday at the world-renowned Soup Bowl in Bathsheba.
Competing in Heat Six, St John dominated proceedings, posting the highest combined total among the Barbadians with 12.50 points. An excellent 6.50 on his opening wave, backed up by a solid 6.00, secured a decisive victory by a margin of 5.77 points and ensured his smooth passage into the next round. Russell Winter of Great Britain placed second with 6.73 (3.73, 3.00).
Earlier in the day, Caleb Rapson led the charge for the home side in Heat Three with a confident performance to advance to the Round of 96.
Rapson secured first place with a combined total of 10.83 points, posting wave scores of 6.00 and 4.83 to win the heat by a comfortable 3.20 margin. Fellow Barbadian Trent Corbin placed second with 7.63 (4.33, 3.30), but fell short of the required score to advance automatically. Barbadian Axe Garrett’s campaign was hampered by interference, receiving 0.00 on his second wave and finishing third with 4.03, despite opening with the latter.
Warren Povey rose to the occasion with a composed display, topping Heat Five with 9.16 points, combining rides of 4.83 and 4.33 to secure victory by 1.69 points. Daniel Banfield, also representing Barbados, placed second on 7.47 (3.97, 3.50), while Kai Barton of the United States of America finished just behind on 7.23 after scoring 3.63 and 3.60 on his two best waves. Wendel Adamson of Barbados rounded out the heat with 2.37.
In Heat Seven, Rafe Gooding added to Barbados’ strong showing by claiming first place with a total of 7.87 points. Gooding registered rides of 4.50 and 3.37 to win the heat by 1.67 points. Jason Oliver also used the home waves to his advantage, as he followed in second place on 6.20, while fellow Barbadian Jayden Hill ended third with 6.00. (ML)
