Rio Waida Qualifies For 2023 CT
By advancing to the Round of 24 in the EDP Vissla Pro Ericeira, Rio Waida became not just the first surfer to qualify for next year's CT but the first Indonesian surfer in history to qualify.
Waida has won two of the four Challenger Series contests held, giving him a significant lead going into the last three contests.
Waida is the first Indonesian surfer to qualify for the Championship Tour. The previous highest ranked surfer was Ketut Menda, who in 1981 was ranked 52nd (pre-CT/QS). In 2001, Rizal Tandjung was ranked 64th on the QS, and in 2017 Oney Anwar was 71st.
Comments
I did try and watch a few heats last night- it was a slow slog in fat 2-3ft rights.
Congrats to Rio.
Makes the decision to abandon G_land and even Bali even more perplexing.
Why did they surf yesterday ( Wednesday ) in 2ft ,when their forecast is for the swell to pick up to double that until the end of the contest period? It was absolute crap.
Pretty sure CS schedule and heat requirements can only allow for 2 lay days. In this case Day 1 and last night.
Unreal!!! Congratulations Rio, very well deserved...
Was just talking with mate yesterday whose boy grew up surfing with him, super nice guy and has the most supportive mum you could have..
The WSL needs more exciting surfers like Rio on tour, and a compete firing of it's management. Bring people in who understand if the waves are complete horseshit, people will not watch. The best surfers in epic waves will get people watching. No G-land. No Cloudbreak. What's next, axe J-Bay? Arseclowns the lot of them,
Yahabo. Absolutely agree with you about Rio, humble people from sometimes less than humble upbringings. What concerns me the most with the axing of the G-Land comp is the scant regard WSL had last year in planning and this year in reality when the comp actually was run, about the destructive footprint they are leaving behind in the Alas Purwo National Park, just so they could broadcast absolute shit to mainly the Northern Hemisphere masses for a very short period of time, does it surprise me, no, it’s just the corporate way, all bluff and bullshit along the way and no accountability for their environmental actions. What’s going to happen to the tower which is on its last leg, let it just fall into the sea and end up like everywhere else in the entire Indonesian Archipelago ?
Nobody here needs to be reminded about the levels of pollution in that area.
Just look at that recent video of Torren Martyn and his lady Alana on their boat. One photo shows her strolling along some beach somewhere in Sumatra, i think the Ments, the beach from waters edge to the coconut palms riddled with plastic and other manufactured goods. Simply appalling.
Absolutely brilliant! I wish him every success!
Good stuff Rio. He's a ripper
Awesome news. Always love Rio's edits. A really exciting surfer to watch. Would he be Indonesias biggest sports star now?
On the comp, wow what a boring wave and boring surfing.
I watched Kanoa surf his heat and he made majority of surfers look really bad. There are so many levels between CT surfers and 95% of QS surfers.
Not saying the 95% are bad, they rip too, but just boring to watch.
Absolute shredda and a good kid too. Very well behaved and respectful in the water. Can't wait to see him shake things up.
Hopefully opens the door for more exciting Indonesian rippers.
I think he will be another Jack Freestone or Ric Christie..will make a few heats but nothing else will come from it. Great surfer but not next level winning tour surfer.
It's gunna be tough for him.
The opening half of the Tour doesn't really suit his surfing style.
Theoretically I agree, but then he won Manly and Ballito.
yep, two beachbreaks.
He'll be starting at Pipe, then Sunset, Portugal.
Then Bells and Margs- chubby, thick, tricky, heavy water waves
Not ideal for a light framed "speed" surfer.
He'll need a good start at Pipe.
good points. Pipe and sunset, there are no waves in Indo remotely like these. Portugal & Bells will be ok IMO. Margs not so much,