Severne Margaret River Wave Classic: Juniors and Masters open the event - Ghiretti dominates

The Severne Margaret River Wave Classic began at the weekend with the hoped-for top conditions at Surfers Point and the heats of the juniors and masters. With improving swell and cross-offshore winds, local Jake Ghiretti in particular stood out. He impressively dominated the Pro Junior Division (U21) with huge aerials on some of the biggest sets. His performance was particularly remarkable given the fact that Ghiretti had not even been able to get on the water in the previous two weeks due to a concussion he suffered at the Oceania Youth Wave Titles in Geraldton. He crowned his first wave after the injury break with an almost mast-high aerial, which scored 7.77 points.

"It was very special to land that first aerial," explained a visibly relieved Ghiretti. "As soon as I landed it, I knew it was going to be a really good heat. It gave me my old confidence back." In the final, Ghiretti went straight on and scored three excellent scores over eight points as well as several rides with more than seven points. He secured victory with a dominant total score of 41.43 points.

Max Ford as a rising star

The win was particularly important for Ghiretti as he is looking to defend his U21 world title after a disappointing fourth place in Geraldton. "I felt like there was a bit of extra pressure on me because I had to win to have a chance of winning another world title," said Ghiretti. He now hopes to take part in further competitions in Fiji or Hawaii to improve his results ahead of the Grand Final in Chile, where he will defend his title later in the year.

Second place in the Pro Junior Boys division - and victory in the U18 category - went to 14-year-old rising star Max Ford from Margaret River. Ford has made considerable progress over the past year and impressed the judges with precise turns on the set waves, earning him a total score of 28.03 points. Josh Ledger took third place, while Tyler Wallrodt finished the Pro Junior Division in fourth place. In the U18 category, Max Ford's younger brother Nikiforos Ford, just 12 years old, secured second place. 13-year-old Ines Callenaere completed the podium with a third place. D

Experience meets power in the Master Division

In the "Ray White Stocker Preston" Masters division, some of Western Australia's most experienced riders delivered a thrilling competition. Ash Nicol proved that he would also be a serious contender in the Pro Men's Fleet, securing victory with plenty of power and perfect timing. Nicol opened the final with a solid 7.03-point aerial on his first wave and followed it up with a 6.20 two waves later to take the win with aplomb.

"It's great to have some of the best surfers in the world here. It's inspiring and motivating for younger kids and older people like me," said Nicol. "It just motivates you to keep doing your best. It makes you want to hit the biggest lip or land the biggest aerial you can." Anaesthetist Jonah Desforges pushed himself into second place with a strong hit on his last wave in the final minute, relegating the hard-fighting Peter Kenyon to third place. Ivan Zecca completed the final in fourth place.

Final probably on Tuesday

The competition continues today, with the focus on the final day of the Pro Men's and Pro Women's Divisions on Tuesday. The best waves and the best wind are expected then. Among others, Philip Köster, Alessio Stillrich (then already with a new sponsor?), Takuma Sugi, Julian Salmonn, Jaeger Stone and other world-class riders will be at the start. The finals will be streamed live on the Youtube channel of the WWT transferred!