BURLEIGH HEADS, QUEENSLAND (Sunday 1 May 2022) – The 2022 Gold Coast Open delivered a second day of pumping waves and strong performances from the men and women vying for critical points to kickstart their 2022/23 WSL QS campaign.
Despite the overcast conditions, the morning saw the women light up the clean 3ft waves the iconic Burleigh Point had to offer.
Wave of the day went to former WSL Championship Tour surfer Chelsea Tuach (Barbados) who landed the highest single wave score (9.5) of the event so far.
Tuach said the reason she entered the event was to surf Burleigh with only a few other girls in the water while getting practice for upcoming events in Australia.
“The conditions are beautiful, the waves are firing and I was just having so much fun,” said Tuach. “I’m really excited to be back in Australia competing again, especially here at Burleigh.”
Another standout in the women’s division was the event top seed Sophie McCulloch (Sunshine Coast) who said the biggest challenge was remaining calm and level headed with so many amazing waves on offer.
“When you get a good wave you don’t want to blow it which definitely adds an element of pressure,” said McCulloch. “It’s something I’ve been working on with my coach Jay ‘Bottle’ Thompson lately, performing my best while under pressure.”
One of New Zealand’s most promising surfers Kehu Butler (Burleigh Heads) now residing on the Gold Coast, used his powerful rail game to secure a round of 32 win with a solid heat total of 15.10.
Butler said he felt ‘blessed’ to surf such amazing waves at what he now calls his local break after recently joining the Burleigh Boardriders club.
“The forecast looks incredible for tomorrow,” said Butler. “I’m just taking it heat-by-heat but I obviously want to keep progressing so I can get more time surfing these uncrowded waves. This is probably the best waves I’ve ever had for a QS1000 competition…. it’s pumping.”
Tomorrow (Monday 2 May) will see the final day of action for the 2022 Gold Coast Open.
The 2022 Gold Coast Open is proudly supported by Tourism and Events Queensland, Major Events Gold Coast, Hit 90.9 and QMS Media.
MEDIA CONTACT
Lucy Callister | Communications Manager | 0468 430 759 | comms@surfingqueensland.com.au
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