Keoni, Kaouru repeat as flowboard champs

Saipan’s Keoni Ichihara and Kaouru Nishimura successfully defended their flowboard titles as they both ruled the men’s and women’s divisions of the 2015 Point Break Open held over the weekend at the Pacific Islands Club’s flowrider facility in San Antonio.

Local bet Keoni Ichihara performs one of his stunts in the finals of the 2015 Point Break Open held over the weekend at the Pacific Islands Club’s flowrider facility in San Antonio. (Mackenzie Rae Perez)

But it wasn’t an easy outing for Ichihara as Ray Babauta, last year’s runner-up, almost won the men’s crown. Ichihara scored 45.6 points for a close win against Babauta’s 45 in the finals.

It was a good thing that Ichihara was first to take on the flowrider’s sheet waves in the finals as he had set the bar in his initial run. He had a shaky round in his second try.

Ichihara wobbled early and looked like he could not gain control, but quickly recovered as he wowed the judges with his array of stunts. He ended his stint with a well-timed 360-degree jump flip where he landed beautifully earning cheers from the crowd.

Dan Westphal, who started out strong and had good control in the early goings of his ride, came in third with 41.8 points, while Christo Mojar garnered 37.2.

Ichihara scored 40.5 in the ranking round to easily reach the finals while Babauta tallied 38.7.

Westphal (35.2), Mojar (34.9), Shuichi Ohara (27.7), Hayden Gifford (18.0), and Koichi Morita (8.7) rounded up the standings in the ranking round on Friday, the first day of the competition.

Morita could not get his round going as he had a difficult time maintaining his balance. He fell a number of times and spent most of his time at the sides where he needed help from Mojar just to get to the flowrider facility’s waves’ middle portion as time expired.

Babauta, however, bounced back in the men’s pro bodyboard division collecting 48.3 against Kin Jae Won’s 47 markers. Francis Heartman tallied 43.6 points while Reymark Castro scored 42.5.

Babuta (49.3), Won (46), Heartman (45), Yu Suzuki (44.4), Castro (41.9), and Ki Taek Kim (39.7) rounded up Friday’s ranking round.

Nishimura, on the other hand, dominated the women’s division with 40.8 points with Sophia Park coming in second with 31.9. Aly Martin earned 25.8 markers while Junko Seto had 25.5 points.

Nishimura was the top ranked female rider after she qualified and competed in the 2014 Asia Flow Series Finals held in Bangkok, Thailand.

Nishimura (35.4), Park (26.7), Seto (22.6), and Martin (21.5) were the placings after the ranking round.

Seto rebounded in the women’s pro bodyboard event winning a close battle with Nishimura to foil the latter’s bid for a second title. She garnered 32.7 points for a 0.2 win over Nishimura (32.5) while Go Eun Woo finished third with 31.9 markers.

Woo topped the ranking round with 31.1 points with Nishimura coming second (30.1) and Seto third (29.8).

All three competitors in the men’s novice bodyboard division—Hyun Seok Jung, Lee Jong Il, and Ryu Dong Hyun—were a no show.