Pajar Ariyana (INA) and Kailani Johnson (INA) claimed victory today at the Manokwari Pro World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS)1000, with Ariyana also winning the Pro Junior Men's and Hanasuri Jabrik (INA) taking her first Pro Junior win.
Pajar Ariyana - WSL / Tim Hain
Bali's Pajar Ariyana (INA) has been the in-form competitor in both QS 1000 and Pro Juniors this week, consistently posting high scores with aggressive performances on the face and in the air at the Amban Beach A-Frame peak, taking both rights and lefts with equal proficiency and deservedly earning his first Qualifying Series and Pro Junior wins.
After having taken down last year's Manokwari Pro Junior champion Westen Hirst yesterday, Ariyana bested Dylan Wilcoxen (INA) in this morning's Pro Junior final, then took on fellow Balinese surfer Ketut Agus (INA) in the Qualifying Series Final to again come back to the beach on the shoulders of his supporters to hoist two Manokwari Pro trophies.
"This is so amazing, I can't believe I won both the QS and the Pro Junior, as these are my first WSL wins," said Ariyana. "The waves have been so good here, both the rights and the lefts, I really like it. In the QS final, I knew it would be hard against Ketut (Agus), as he's got lots of experience. So I tried to just keep building up my scores and keep busy. It was tricky because there were some long lulls, so I'm lucky I got some good waves. Ketut had priority for a long time, so I just got waves under him and scored enough points to win. So stoked to have a QS win and a Pro Junior win."
Pajar Ariyana - WSL / Tim Hain
Sitting with fellow Indonesian Bronson Meydi at the top of the Asian Region rankings, Ariyana will be competing next month in the World Pro Junior Championships in La Union, Philippines.
In the QS Women's Final, Kailani Johnson was the more experienced of the two finalists, having competed for several seasons on the Asian Region QS and winning her first event in 2022, the Van's Bali Pro at Kuta Beach. Johnson was up against Dhea Natasha Novitasari (INA) in a 30-minute Final and was tested on two occasions with some lulls and needing good scores to regain her lead. With under 5 minutes to go, holding priority and needing a 5.78, she took a chance on a medium right-hander, and it allowed her two solid backside turns. It took some time for the judges to deliberate, but they awarded her a 6.03, and she regained the lead, which she held until time expired.
"With a 30 minute final, I was confident that I could find waves and get the scores, I just needed to be patient," explained Johnson. "In the end, I think I caught more waves than I should have; I should have been more selective, as there were good waves out there. It was all about picking the right ones, as some just peaked and then didn't have much of a shoulder, so it was a bit tricky. When I was behind and needed that score. I just took off and kinda let my mind go blank, and my body react. I wasn't completely sure it was enough…so I was so relieved when got the score, it was the best feeling."
Kailani Johnson - WSL / Tim Hain
Pro Junior Women's winner Hanasuri Jabrik (INA) was over the moon, saying, "I'm so happy, as this is my first WSL win. Last year I didn't get a very good result here, so I'm happy that I could win it this year. I knew it would be a tough heat as Jasmine is such a good surfer and competitor, so I tried to just focus on myself, breath and stay calm, and put myself in a position to get the best waves." And that she did. She was well in tune with the ocean in the final, picking the bigger right-handers and executing her turns in the power pocket, earning the best scores and the win.
Suri Jabrik - WSL / Tim Hain
The second annual Manokwari Pro QS1000 and Pro Junior saw 5 days of great competition with surfers from Indonesia, Japan, the UK, Malaysia and the USA enjoying the Amban Beach waves and the local West Papua hospitality. The WSL, the ASC, and the PSOI thanks the government of West Papua for their continuing support and commitment to surfing as both a tourism and a youth and sports activity.
The 2024 Manokwari Pro QS 1000 and Pro Junior ran at Amban Beach in West Papua, Indonesia, from December 1-5.
Pajar Ariyana and Kailani Johnson Claim 2024 Manokwari Pro QS 1000 Victories - Ariyana and Hanasuri Jabik Win Pro Juniors
WSL
Pajar Ariyana (INA) and Kailani Johnson (INA) claimed victory today at the Manokwari Pro World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS)1000, with Ariyana also winning the Pro Junior Men's and Hanasuri Jabrik (INA) taking her first Pro Junior win.
Bali's Pajar Ariyana (INA) has been the in-form competitor in both QS 1000 and Pro Juniors this week, consistently posting high scores with aggressive performances on the face and in the air at the Amban Beach A-Frame peak, taking both rights and lefts with equal proficiency and deservedly earning his first Qualifying Series and Pro Junior wins.
After having taken down last year's Manokwari Pro Junior champion Westen Hirst yesterday, Ariyana bested Dylan Wilcoxen (INA) in this morning's Pro Junior final, then took on fellow Balinese surfer Ketut Agus (INA) in the Qualifying Series Final to again come back to the beach on the shoulders of his supporters to hoist two Manokwari Pro trophies.
"This is so amazing, I can't believe I won both the QS and the Pro Junior, as these are my first WSL wins," said Ariyana. "The waves have been so good here, both the rights and the lefts, I really like it. In the QS final, I knew it would be hard against Ketut (Agus), as he's got lots of experience. So I tried to just keep building up my scores and keep busy. It was tricky because there were some long lulls, so I'm lucky I got some good waves. Ketut had priority for a long time, so I just got waves under him and scored enough points to win. So stoked to have a QS win and a Pro Junior win."
Sitting with fellow Indonesian Bronson Meydi at the top of the Asian Region rankings, Ariyana will be competing next month in the World Pro Junior Championships in La Union, Philippines.
In the QS Women's Final, Kailani Johnson was the more experienced of the two finalists, having competed for several seasons on the Asian Region QS and winning her first event in 2022, the Van's Bali Pro at Kuta Beach. Johnson was up against Dhea Natasha Novitasari (INA) in a 30-minute Final and was tested on two occasions with some lulls and needing good scores to regain her lead. With under 5 minutes to go, holding priority and needing a 5.78, she took a chance on a medium right-hander, and it allowed her two solid backside turns. It took some time for the judges to deliberate, but they awarded her a 6.03, and she regained the lead, which she held until time expired.
"With a 30 minute final, I was confident that I could find waves and get the scores, I just needed to be patient," explained Johnson. "In the end, I think I caught more waves than I should have; I should have been more selective, as there were good waves out there. It was all about picking the right ones, as some just peaked and then didn't have much of a shoulder, so it was a bit tricky. When I was behind and needed that score. I just took off and kinda let my mind go blank, and my body react. I wasn't completely sure it was enough…so I was so relieved when got the score, it was the best feeling."
Pro Junior Women's winner Hanasuri Jabrik (INA) was over the moon, saying, "I'm so happy, as this is my first WSL win. Last year I didn't get a very good result here, so I'm happy that I could win it this year. I knew it would be a tough heat as Jasmine is such a good surfer and competitor, so I tried to just focus on myself, breath and stay calm, and put myself in a position to get the best waves." And that she did. She was well in tune with the ocean in the final, picking the bigger right-handers and executing her turns in the power pocket, earning the best scores and the win.
The second annual Manokwari Pro QS1000 and Pro Junior saw 5 days of great competition with surfers from Indonesia, Japan, the UK, Malaysia and the USA enjoying the Amban Beach waves and the local West Papua hospitality. The WSL, the ASC, and the PSOI thanks the government of West Papua for their continuing support and commitment to surfing as both a tourism and a youth and sports activity.
The 2024 Manokwari Pro QS 1000 and Pro Junior ran at Amban Beach in West Papua, Indonesia, from December 1-5.
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