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Japanese sweeps Point Break events
Japan’s Yasuko Okuwaki made sure she would have a worthwhile trip to Saipan as she swept her events in the 2015 Point Break Open held over the weekend at the Pacific Islands Club’s flowrider facility in San Antonio.
Kenji Tokado of Japan performs in the men’s Masters bodyboard event of last weekend’s 2015 Point Break Open held at the Pacific Islands Club’s flowrider facility in San Antonio. Tokado finished second to Kim Jin Woo. (Mackenzie Rae Perez)
Okuwaki ruled the women’s Masters and Open bodyboard divisions to lead nine other participants that topped their respective events.
Okuwaki wowed the judges early in the seeding round of the women’s Masters bodyboard where she earned 40.7 points to clinch a finals berth. The seeding format started last year, giving the judges a preview of what to look forward to in the final day of competitions in the Masters and Open bodyboard events.
Sophia Park and Nami Ota joined Okuwaki in the finals after collecting 35.3 and 25.1 points, respectively in two rides they performed in the seeding round. Onuki Sayuri (24) and Yasuko Nakamura (23.8) were the other competitors in the women’s Masters bodyboard.
Okuwari made it two in a row as she again secured the top seeding in the women’s Open bodyboard in another five-cornered fight, as Su Young Jang and Do Young Jang were no shows.
Okuwaki scored 38.5 points in the seeding round and 37.7 in the finals to complete her title sweep. Go Eun Woo was second with 31.2 points, while Nakamura (24.3) and Ota (23.7) rounded up the Final Four female riders.
Meanwhile, South Koreans Kim Jin Woo and Kim Jae Won split the men’s Masters and Open bodyboard titles.
Kim Jin Woo defeated Japan’s Kenji Tokado, Yoshida Tadashi, and Koichi Morita to rule the men’s Masters bodyboard with 41 points. Kim Jin Woo scored 41.4 points in the elimination round and was joined by Morita (33.3), Tashi (32.9), and Tokado (31.4) in the finals.
Kim Jae Won was the top rider in the men’s Open bodyboard, winning a close final round against Sai Bangot and Kim Jin Woo. Kim Jae Won earned 37.1 points to narrowly beat Bangot, who scored 36.9. Kim Jin Woo was a close third with 36.8.
The two-day event attracted riders from Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Russia, and the United States.
IT&E, Bridge Capital, LLC, PIC Saipan, Pacific Trading Co., Jeju Airlines, Coral Ocean Point Golf Resort, Triple J Five Star Wholesale Foods, Swirls, Loco Boutique, Waveloch, Japan Flowrider Association, and Boarderline were the event sponsors.
