Halie Harrison secures the World Series Finals victory and Lina Augaitis, the 2014 World Title
Halie Harrison secures the win in the World Series Sprints, and the overall event win
Halie Harrison shows incredible skill to win the World Series sprints to cap off a great weekend for the Hawaiian born athlete, taking the overall win at the 2014 World Series Finals.
Dominating his way through the World Series Sprints, Halie Harrison was unbeaten on Day 2 at Turtle Bay. Winning her Round one heat the 20 year old wasn’t fazed by some challenging conditions and showed class and maturity to storm to victory amongst some of the worlds best female athletes.
Winning each round comfortably she showed great board control and used her surfing background to cut clear lines out through the surf around the buoys and ride them into the finish line. She demonstrated that she is a world class athlete, as she continues to go from strength to strength proving that she will be a serious force in 2015
Check out the highlights online now at: www.watermanleague.com
Fiona Wylde continues what has been a stellar year with a 2nd place overall
The youngster from Oregon, who only made a late call to compete at this year’s World Series Finals just days before, was full of enthusiasm and confidence going into the sprints following her win in the Long Distance on Day One.
She dominated her heat in Round One, beating Australians Angela Jackson (Fanatic), Keale Dorries and Sonni Honscheid progressing through to the Semi-Finals.
Her powerful stroke combined with her impressive ocean knowledge makes her a force to be reckoned with and somebody to watch out for next year. Getting through the Semis relatively unscathed she got cleaned up in the same sets that wiped out Angela to finish in sixth.
Having only joined the World Series during the second half of the season, FIona finishes in 3rd equal, proving that she is most certainly going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2015.
Make sure to watch the highlights from this incredible World Series Final by going to: www.watermanleague.com
Sonni Honscheid puts on a strong performance finishing in 3rd place overall
Sonni Honscheid makes the event podium with her 3rd place finish putting her in a well deserved 3rd place overall
A proven paddler in both open ocean and flat water conditions, Sonni enjoys the challenging conditions here in Hawaii.
Winning the repechage heat with good board control and reading the waves she really looked at ease in the larger sets. Like Fiona, Sonni got caught up in the flurry of large sets that came through in the final, but was able to recover well to finish in fourth.
Sonni is definitely a face to watch out for on the 2015 World Series as we prepare for a sensational year ahead.
Make sure to watch the hightlights online now www.watermanleague.com
Lina Augaitis makes a stunning comeback in the sprints to secure 2014 World Title
In some challenging conditions in front of Turtle Bay for the World Series Sprints, Canadian athlete Lina Augaitis built her confidence throughout the day. Battling for the World Title with Angela Jackson (Fanatic), both athletes were feeling the pressure in Round One.
With some big sets rolling in and up against the strong Hawaiian paddlers Halie Harrison, Talia Decoite and Lara Claydon, both women weren’t able to make it directly to the Semi-Final, having to go through the repechage round.
Knowing that if she went out early, it would end her World TItle dreams, Lina dug deep to finish in an impressive second place in to secure her place in the final.
With the whole crowd at Turtle Bay and audience online watching the whole year came down to one final sprint, the pressure was on.
Lina knew heading out that a fourth place finish or better would give her the overall title and from the sound of the horn you could see the determination in her stroke.
Getting a good start she made sure she was in a good position heading out to round the first buoy. By this time, Mother Nature decided to throw up some of the biggest sets of the day as the women rounded the second buoy to make the sprint to the finish line.
There was carnage but Lina, who is well known for her flat water paddling, showed intelligent decision making in the surf zone, maneuvering her board to be able to set herself up nicely to pick the right line into towards the finish line and avoid the worst in the impact zone.
With Halie Harrison taking first place, Lina crossed the line in second place to secure the Women’s Women’s Title in her first year on the World Series. After the race Lina gave credit to all the girls for finishing the race but was extremely proud of her achievement “I didn’t really have a strategy, I was praying mostly. I held it together where I had to hold it together, it was tough going out and tough going in. There were eight strong ladies on the start line (for the final) Hallie took the win but it could have been anyone’s game”
Watch out for dramatic highlights and all the girls in action this past weekend now online at www.watermanleague.com.
Angela Jackson misses out on the Title but puts on a valiant performance at Turtle Bay
Angela Jackson (Fanatic) was in a strong position as she looked to secure her first World Series title after her second place finish in the Long Distance on Day 1.
With the waves not as ferocious as the long distance race, the scene was set for a head to head battle between Angela and Lina. Both ladies knew that they couldn’t let the other distract from their own race plans and hope that would be good enough.
In Round One Angela was up against in form Fiona Wylde, the strong Australian Keale Dorries and the paddling powerhouse Sonni Honsheid. Struggling to make a clean exit towards the first buoy Angela got caught inside and didn’t finish in the top two having to go through the repocharge round to get to the Semi-Finals.
Angela faced Lina for the first time of the afternoon in the repechage round and finished just behind her in third place through to advance to the Semi-Final. With some confidence back in her paddling the Australian advanced and the showdown was on between her and Lina in the final for the 2014 Women’s crown.
Angela got caught in one of the biggest sets of the afternoon, as her leash plug pulled out, ending her dream of a World Championship Crown in 2014. Despite the obvious disappointment, Angie can look back and be proud of an incredible year on Tour, as she has been a consumate professional and leading light on the World Series.
We can’t wait to see Angela back in action in 2015, but in the meantime, watch her in action in the highlights from the sprint and long distance action at: watermanleague.com
Turtle Bay once again provides a dramatic close to the World Championship Season
Turtle Bay once again was the real star of the show, providing the ultimate spectator experience both on site and online as the World’s best battled it out like gladiators in dramatic surf at the 2014 World Series Finals presented by Naish.
Day 1 saw a spectacular and fiercely fought out Long distance from Turtle Bay to Haleiwa in giant surf which combined with the strong easterly trades providing the perfect ingredients for a challenging and dramatic race.
Day 2 saw the Point wave at Turtle Bay come to life with full size surf on tap, providing one of the most exciting and competitive battles yet, as the season wrapped in spectacular fashion, right here at Turtle Bay.
A big Mahalo to all our sponsors: Turtle Bay, Naish, Oakley, Mountain Dew KickStart, Pacifico, Deuce, Surf’nSea, Chanc’em and of course our non profit partner, Na Kama Kai.
Check out the highlights, galleries, results and much more at www.watermanleague.com
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